The Effect of Korean Medical Combination Treatment on 72 Cases of Herniated Intervertebral Lumbar Disc Patients: An Observational Study

Objectives : This study was designed to assess the general distribution and clinical effectiveness of Korean medical treatment on lumbar disc herniation. Methods : This is an observational study. 72 patients admitted to Daejeon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine with a diagnosis of herniated intervertebral disc(HIVD) by lumbar-CT of lumbar-MRI were observed from July, 2014 to April, 2015. They were analyzed according to sex, age, the period of disease, causal factors, symptoms on admission, admission day, disc herniation type and treatment efficacy. All patients received a combination of treatments during hospitalization, including acupuncture, Chuna, herbal medicines and physical therapy. A zero to ten numerating rating scale(NRS) assessing pain, Oswestry disability index(ODI) and EuroQol-5 dimension(EQ-5D) was used before and after treatments. Results : Average admission duration was 28.00±12.85 days in lumbar disc patients. For lumbar patients, lower back pain NRS decreased from 5.89±2.00 to 3.42± 1.87(p<0.001) and radiating pain from 5.96±2.12 to 3.38±1.83(p<0.001). ODI decreased from 46.69±19.25 to 35.69±16.67 (p<0.001), and EQ-5D index increased from 0.63±0.26 to 0.71±0.20(p<0.05) after treatment in lumbar disc patients. Conclusions : Korean medical combination treatment might be effective in reducing pain and improving quality of life for patients with lumbar disc herniation. This study further confirmed the efficacy of Korean medical treatment on HIVD.