Patient's Perception for Developing Research Questions of a Clinical Practice Guideline of Korean Medicine for Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore patients' perceptions that deserve attention when designing core questions for a clinical practice guideline of Korean medicine(KM) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods : Patients who had been admitted to Pusan National Korean Medicine Hospital from November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016 were invited to the survey. Patients were eligible if they were both clinically and radiologically confirmed as degenerative LSS. The structured questionnaire was distributed by mail and outpatient visits. Questions included types of experienced Korean/Western medical interventions for LSS, their perceived effectiveness on symptoms, the necessity for studies of KM for degenerative LSS, the types of KM interventions to be investigated and the types of outcome measures after treatments. Data were descriptively analysed. Results : Twenty of thirty-one invited participants responded to the questionnaire. Acupuncture and herbal medicine were the most frequently used KM interventions. Eighteen respondents reported that KM treatments were helpful for their improvement. Sixteen patients who mentioned that research on KM is needed chose acupuncture as the top priority(88%) among KM interventions. The most important outcomes in the view of nineteen respondents included functional recovery (68%) and pain relief (53%). Thirteen respondents (65%) replied that both short-term and long-term outcome were important for them. Conclusions : Our findings may have limited validity due to the small number of respondents and the potential selection and information bias. Further qualitative studies and large-scale surveys to comprehensively identify patients' views are warranted.

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

“…The needles were 27 gauge × 40 mm, and 27 gauge × 60 mm, and the thread length was 50 mm and 90 mm, respectively. Among the core muscle groups supporting the lumbar spine and pelvis, treatment was mainly applied to the painful side to reduce pain and scoliosis by strengthening the muscles [10][11][12][13][14]. Treatment was also performed on the other side of the lumbar spine and pelvis muscles to balance the muscle of the entire lumbar spine [14] (Fig.…”

Trends of Surgical Service Utilization for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in South Korea: A 10-Year (2010–2019) Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service—National Patient Sample Data

“…The typical symptoms of LSS include lower back pain, pain in the buttocks or legs when walking, and pain that worsens when leaning or bending backward [2,3]. A systemic review reported that the prevalence of LSS would be approximately 11% in the general population [4], and similar prevalence levels were also reported in Europe and the United States (U.S.) [4,5] While the prevalence of LSS in Korea has not been accurately estimated [6], a population-based cohort study in Japan reported that symptomatic LSS was present in approximately 10% of people with an increasing trend depending on age [7].…”