Effect of Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment for Tear of Supraspinatus Tendon: A Case Report

Abstract

A 53-year-old woman with right shoulder pain after falling down presented at our outpatient department after conventional treatment that had little effect. She was treated with integrative Korean Medicine treatment as an outpatient from February 2, 2022 to July 4, 2022. Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings, the patient was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff tear. With 39 treatment sessions, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score decreased and showed improvement in assessment. On May 6, MRI was retaken to show restoration of the supraspinatus tendon tear. The patient felt almost no pain on July 4, declaring the end of treatment. This successful case suggests that integrative Korean Medicine treatment might be an attractive alternative for severe rotator cuff tears.