Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulates in the subarachnoid space around the brain and spinal cord, and in the ventricles of the brain. It serves as a buffer to protect the brain from physical and immunological damage. Since important actions such as removing soluble waste from the brain occur as the CSF circulates, various diseases including cognitive disorders can occur if CSF circulation is impaired. Therefore, it is very important to find anatomical treatment points that improve CSF circulation. Methods: We summarized various clinical symptoms and related diseases caused by CSF circulation failure and reviewed anatomical structures that could affect CSF circulation. Based on the reviewed data, we proposed several treatment points that can contribute to the improvement of CSF circulation. Results: Symptoms and diseases caused by decreased CSF circulation include headaches, sleep disorders, and Alzheimer's disease. In particular, Alzheimer's disease was also related to cerebral blood flow, which was also closely related to CSF circulation. The anatomical structure associated with CSF circulation was dura mater, deep cervical lymph nodes, meningeal lymphatic vessels, and emissary vein. The structures connected to the dura mater were also important, such as the myodural bridge (MDB) directly connected to the dura mater and the soft tissues such as the suboccipital muscles and ligaments connected to the dura mater via MDB. Conclusion:We propose several treatment points based on anatomical structures that may affect CSF circulation. It is the soft tissues of the suboccipital site including MDB, submucosal tissue of the nasal cavity, stylomastoid foramen, and emissary vein.
Objective Shoulder pain is a common complaint in outpatient clinics and can result in an inability to work or perform household activities, leading to significant socioeconomic burden. Acupotomy, as one kind acupuncture that has flat knife-shaped tip, has been widely used for treating shoulder pain. However, despite the widespread use of acupotomy in primary medical institutions, large sample size clinical trials have not sufficiently been performed. In this respect, this multi-center retrospective study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in reducing shoulder pain and disability using data from multi-center primary care clinics. Methods This study was conducted in 25 Korean medicine clinics affiliated with the Korean Medical Society of Acupotomology, Republic of Korea, from August 2021 to December 2021. The medical records of patients who visited the clinics complaining of shoulder pain were gathered, and among them were those of patients who underwent acupotomy treatment and those who received acupuncture combined therapy. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), SPADI (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index), Range of Motion (ROM) and adverse event were evaluated at each visit. A linear mixed-effects models and paired t -test were used to identify the effectiveness of the treatment. Results Overall analysis showed that the NRS score of patients decreased from 4.95 ± 1.97 before treatment to 3.78 ± 2.03 after treatment (n = 332, difference in NRS score, 1.17; 95% CI: 0.96–1.38, t = 10.89 p < 0.001). SPADI score decreased from 19.05 ± 20.44 at baseline before treatment to 12.12 ± 17.26 after the last visit, which was statistically significant (n = 332, mean difference in SPADI score, 6.93; 95% CI: 4.71–9.15, t = 6.150, p < 0.001). No serious adverse event was reported in both groups. Conclusion This study showed the effectiveness of acupotomy therapy for shoulder pain, and as the treatment sessions increased, the effect of pain reduction and shoulder function improvement were also increased.
Introduction: Internal and External Orifices of Intervertebral Foramen (Naegu and Oegu) are important acupoints of acupotomy for lumbar spine diseases. They are used in adhesiolysis of hardened myofascial meridian. Adhesiolysis of soft tissue using acupotomy has been continuously researched abroad, but it has not been well introduced in Korea. Therefore, we provide basic information and acupotomy guidelines about these acupoints. Methods: We presented the surface anatomical definition and acupoint ultrasound image of Oegu and Naegu. Also, we introduced previous research about procedure guidelines and precautions. Finally, we suggested approach guide of Oegu and Naegu. Results: Approach of Oegu starts with inserting acupotomy needle to the root of transverse process (2-3 cm lateral to center of spinous process). Then, change the acupotomy tip to the medial superior direction and enter along the lateral edge of the facet joint. At last, incise soft tissue 2-5 mm. Approach of Naegu starts with inserting acupotomy needle to the medial side of facet joint (0.8-1 mm lateral to interspinous space). Then, incline the acupotomy tip by 10 degrees outward based on the medial edge of the facet joint. At last, enter only 2-5 mm between ligament flavum and the back of the intervertebral foramen and make 2-3 incisions. Conclusion: Accurate locating and needling method are very important for the treatment effect and safe procedure. We suggest using the guidelines presented by us for selecting accurate acupotomy needling point, depth, and direction.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.