A Narrative Review of the Korean Medicine Treatments for Achilles Tendinopathy

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this review was to investigate clinical treatment trends of Achilles tendinopathy.Methods Clinical studies about Korean medicine treatments on Achilles tendinopathy were searched in 5 databases. The included studies were classified according to the authors, published years, study designs, purposes of study, methods, interventions outcome measures and adverse event.Results In 23 studies, total number of patients were 1,135. The included studies consist of 14 randomized controlled trials (RCT), 5 non-RCT, 2 retrospective study and 2 case reports. Patients were conducted with 9 kinds of treatment, which is acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, moxibustion, cupping, Chuna, herbal medicine, physiotherapy. Most studies used visual analogue scale as primary outcome. Conclusions Based on the results of the collected studies, the use of Korean medicine treatment on Achilles tendinopathy seem to be effective. Despite the large number of RCTs, the level of research cannot be guaranteed, so it is considered that more rigorous researches are needed in future studies.