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Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain as reported in Korean literature. Methods: We conducted an electronic literature search using seven Korean databases and manually searched six traditional Korean medicine journals. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane criteria. Results: Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the study. Compared with standard care, three RCTs suggested favorable effects of Chuna on neck pain due to a hypolordotic cervical spine, low back pain caused by traffic accidents, and low back pain. In contrast, compared with standard care, three RCTs failed to show positive effects on temporomandibular joint disorder, mandibular movement, and neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Conclusions: Currently, the evidence of the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain is not convincing. Further rigorously designed trials are warranted to determine its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the 'Korean Standard Pattern Identification for Stroke (K-SPI-Stroke)', which was developed and evaluated within the context of traditional Korean medicine (TKM)., Methods: Between September 2006 and December 2010, 2,905 patients from 11 Korean medical hospitals were asked to complete the K-SPI-Stroke questionnaire as a part of project ' Fundamental study for the standardization and objectification of pattern identification in traditional Korean medicine for stroke (SOPI-Stroke). Each patient was independently diagnosed by two TKM physicians from the same site according to one of four patterns, as suggested by the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine: 1) a Qi deficiency pattern, 2) a Dampness-phlegm pattern, 3) a Yin deficiency pattern, or 4) a Fire-heat pattern. We estimated the internal consistency using Cronbach's α coefficient, the discriminant validity using the means score of patterns, and the predictive validity using the classification accuracy of the K-SPI-Stroke questionnaire., Results: The K-SPI-Stroke questionnaire had satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.700) and validity, with significant differences in the mean of scores among the four patterns. The overall classification accuracy of this questionnaire was 65.2 %., Conclusion: These results suggest that the K-SPI-Stroke questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for estimating the severity of the four patterns.