Thread Embedding Acupuncture and Complex Korean Medicine Treatment for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis with Degenerative Scoliosis: A Clinical Case Report

Abstract

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common degenerative spinal condition that can have unpredictable improvement and worsening of symptoms which include low back pain, radiating pain, claudication, and degenerative lumbar scoliosis affecting quality of life. In this study, thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) was used as a conservative treatment for LSS in combination with complex Korean medicine treatments (acupuncture, herbal medicines, and physical therapy). The treatment was evaluated using the numerical rating scale, walking distance and duration, and inclination of radiological lumbar scoliosis according to antalgic posture. TEA was performed 27 times between June 8, 2020, and March 16, 2021. The patient showed improvement in numerical rating scale score from 7 to 2, pain-free walking distance from 10 m to 900 m, and scoliosis inclination following treatment. The findings of this study suggest that TEA may be helpful in the treatment of LSS.

Appraising the safety and reporting quality of thread-embedding acupuncture: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…First of all, while TEA is mainly used for internal or gynaecological diseases in China, there are many TEA treatments for musculoskeletal disorders or plastic surgeries in Korea. 27 28 Moreover, the type of threads used in China and Korea is different. Therefore, to ensure that the safety data can be collected more comprehensively, articles written in Korean will be considered.…”

“…Considering that Korea and China are the key countries in which TEA is actively conducted, articles written in Korean would be able to provide substantial additional resources and information to assess the safety of TEA for the following reasons. First of all, while TEA is mainly used for internal or gynaecological diseases in China, there are many TEA treatments for musculoskeletal disorders or plastic surgeries in Korea 27 28. Moreover, the type of threads used in China and Korea is different.…”