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Background : Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Treatment can be surgical or non-surgical. Korean Medicine, including acupuncture and pharmacopuncture, is a part of conservative treatment. Pharmacopuncture, combining acupuncture with herbal medicine, has been used for musculoskeletal disorders since the 1960s, but clinical evidence on its effectiveness is lacking. Objectives: This study aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for rotator cuff disease. Methods : A two-group, parallel, single-center, pragmatic, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial will be conducted. A total of 40 patients will be recruited, starting in July 2022. All patients will be received acupuncture treatment, and pharmacopuncture will be applied to intervention group additionally. After eight treatments are delivered over four weeks, follow-up assessments will be performed. Results : Assessments will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these treatments at baseline and at weeks 2 (2 W), 4 (4 W), and 8 (8 W). The primary outcome will be a visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation of shoulder pain levels. Assessments will include shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), shoulder range of motion (ROM), EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), patient global impression of change (PGIC), ‘no worse than mild pain’, and drug consumption rates. Conclusion : This study may offer a rationale for a future full-scale trial on the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture treatment for rotator cuff disease and provide data on non-surgical treatment for the disease.

This review aimed to analyze Korean medicine treatment (KMT) methods used for Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in studies from January 1, 2010, to December 21, 2021. Five online databases (KISS, SCIENCEON, DBpia, RISS, KMbase) were searched for GBS-related studies. A total of 14 case reports were selected. Various treatment methods for GBS such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and cupping have been reported, and some included Western medication. Herbal medicine and acupuncture were the most frequently used treatment methods. The most common prescription for GBS was Shipjeondaebotang Gami, the most common herb used was Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizome, and the most common acupoints were ST36, LI11, TE5, and LI4. In moxibustion treatment for GBS, CV4 was commonly used, and in cupping treatment the low back and back-shu points and were mostly used. Further studies on Korean medicine treatment of GBS are necessary for standardization of treatment.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a skin-sensitive condition/disease that causes severe pain in the facial area predominantly innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve. A 51-year-old man diagnosed with glossopharyngeal neuralgia who was hospitalized with severe pain that limited his daily life activities. From November 18, 2021, to March 4, 2022, he received inpatient (10 days) and outpatient treatment (35 times) using acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine. His symptoms were assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale, Neuropathic Pain Scale, and the Self-report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptom and Signs. The pain reduced after 4 days of initiating Korean medicine treatment and was completely resolved within 4 months of treatment (Numerical Rating Scale score 4 to 0; Neuropathic Pain Scale score 49 to 8; Self-report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs score 18 to 0). Korean medicine treatment could be an option for treating patients with neuropathy who rely on analgesics.

Background This study was designed to statistically analyze the data of patients who had Bell’s palsy (BP) who visited a Korean Medicine hospital in the last 3 years to determine the tendency or characteristics of their visit. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 816 patients. Based on the data collected through medical records demographics, condition/disease, and therapeutic characteristics of the patients were analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 23.0. Results Patients in their teens or younger, and 50s or older had a higher frequency of inpatient treatment, and 20s to 40s had a higher rate of outpatient treatment. The proportion of men who received steroid combination treatment was higher than women. The number of patients with BP, and the total treatment period of the patients has decreased every year. The total treatment period was shorter in the steroid group than the Korean medicine alone group. Inpatients were more likely to receive steroid combination therapy than outpatients. The proportion of patients who received steroid combination therapy was higher than patients with recurrence of BP. Patients with hypertension or diabetes had a higher rate of hospitalization and received more treatments than patients without the condition/disease. Conclusion Visit characteristics and treatment methods preferred by patients with BP were identified. This research may help to establish a treatment model for BP in Korean Medicine institutions in the future.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the Korean medicine treatment methods for Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN) in Korea. There were 5 online databases searched (OASIS, NDSL, RISS, KISS and KMBASE) for studies which were related to PHN. A total of 12 studies were selected. Various treatments such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion were reported treatments for PHN, some of which included Western medicine and Korean medicine treatment. Korean herbal medicine was the most frequently used treatment method, followed by manual acupuncture. Sipjeondaebotanggami was the most frequently used prescription. Poria Sclerotium was the most frequently used principal herb, followed by Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma, and Ginseng Radix. GB44, LI4, LR3 were the common acupoints used for the treatment of PHN. CV12 was the most frequently used moxibustion point, and gabapentin was the most frequently used concomitant Western drug. Additional research on Korean medicine treatment of PHN is expected in the future.

A patient diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) suffering from numbness in the toes and fingers, paralysis in the face, and back pain received intravenous immunoglobulin on December 28, 2019. Without an improvement in symptoms the patient was admitted to a Korean medicine hospital on January 1, 2020 to receive combined Korean medicine treatment including herbal medicine (Sipjeondaebo-tanggami and Hyangbujasunkipalmul-tang), acupuncture treatment, moxibustion, cupping treatment, and physical therapy. Treatment was administered over 51 days, of which 17 days were during hospitalization. Paralysis of facial muscle, and numbness in fingers and toes were evaluated using the Yanagihara score and numeric rating scale (NRS) score, respectively. Facial paralysis improved (21 to 40 based on Yanagihara score) and paresthesia of the hands and feet disappeared (NRS score 6–7 to NRS score 0). There were no side effects or sequela. This study suggested combined Korean medicine treatment may be effective for the treatment of GBS.

This case report describes a 60-year-old female patient diagnosed with intercostal neuropathy and vertebral compression fractures which occurred following an electric shock injury. The patient received acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine administration between February 10th, 2020 and April 25th, 2020. The pain level in the thoracic and left intercostal areas was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale. The Self-report of the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs Pain Scale were used to diagnose neuropathic pain. The Neuropathic-Pain -Scale was used to evaluate the degree of neuropathic symptoms. The Oswestry Disability Index and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions were used to assess quality of life scales and functional disorder. Following combined Korean medicine treatment, the patient exhibited reduced levels of pain and significant improvement in functional disorder symptoms and quality of life.