Clinical trials

A pragmatic clinical study to compare the effectiveness of pharmacopuncture and physical therapy strategies in patients with chronic lumbar radiculopathy

This is a randomized controlled study comparing non-pharmacological treatment to proactive pharmacological treatment for patient with non-acute lumbar disc herniation with moderate or higher levels of pain. The study involves 200 adult patients aged 19-69, with 50 patients from each participating hospital. Patients will be randomly assigned to either the non-pharmacological treatment group or the pharmacological treatment group 1:1 ratio. Specific interventions will be determined by doctors and Korean medicine doctors without predefined treatment strategies. The non-pharmacological treatment include acupuncture, electroacupuncture, spinal manual therapy and motion style acupuncture. The pharmacological treatment include medication prescription, injection, and nerve block. Treatment period is 8 weeks, and f/u for 3 years.

This pilot randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided deep pharmacopuncture therapy for acute low back pain (LBP) that occurs within seven days following a traffic accident. While traditional Korean medicine-including acupuncture, herbal medicine, pharmacopuncture, and Chuna manual therapy-is commonly used for post-accident injuries, few studies have focused on deep pharmacopuncture administered under ultrasound guidance. This study will provide preliminary evidence to assess whether ultrasound-guided techniques offer added clinical benefits. A total of 40 patients hospitalized at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine in Haeundae, Korea, will be recruited and randomly assigned into two groups: the intervention group will receive integrative Korean medicine therapy plus ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture, while the control group will receive integrative Korean medicine therapy alone. Both groups will undergo treatment during hospitalization, with the pharmacopuncture administered up to three times between hospital day 2 and day 4 in the intervention group. Baseline assessment will be done on day 2 before treatment, and the primary outcome will be measured on day 5. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 2 and 4 weeks via telephone. The primary outcome is the change in low back pain intensity as measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes include radiating pain, lumbar range of motion, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EQ-5D for quality of life, and the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC). Adverse events will also be monitored and classified according to established safety criteria. This study will utilize both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses, with linear mixed models and multiple imputation used to address missing data. Given the limited existing evidence on ultrasound-guided deep pharmacopuncture, this trial is designed to explore its feasibility and provide the groundwork for future large-scale trials. Participants will be selected based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure safety and consistency. Ethical standards including informed consent, data privacy, and ongoing safety monitoring will be rigorously upheld throughout the study.

This multi-center registry study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture for patients diagnosed with spinal diseases. A total of 600 patients, aged 19 to under 70 years, will be enrolled across six Korean medicine hospitals. Eligible participants must have a pain Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of 5 or higher for their most dominant spinal pain, which includes neck pain with upper extremity radiating pain, or low back pain with lower extremity radiating pain. As a non-interventional observational study, it will include patients who are already planned to receive ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture as part of their routine clinical care. The primary outcome is the change in the most dominant spinal pain intensity measured by the NRS from baseline to 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes include functional disability evaluated using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) or Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L, and patient satisfaction. Safety will be closely monitored by assessing all adverse events at every visit, evaluating their incidence, severity, and causality related to the procedure. Participants will be selected based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure safety and consistency. Ethical standards including informed consent, data privacy, and ongoing safety monitoring will be rigorously upheld throughout the study.

A multicenter randomized controlled trial

This is an observational study that evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Korean integrative treatments in patients with peripheral facial nerve palsy. Adulthood patients aged between 19 to 69 who were diagnosed with peripheral facial nerve palsy and receive Korean integrative treatments for facial palsy will be enrolled in the study and the change will be followed according to the Facial disability index (FDI) at the 3 month moment after baseline.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the effectiveness and safety of knee herbal acupuncture for patients with acute knee joint pain caused by a traffic accident. It is a practical clinical study to confirm the comparative effectiveness by comparing the strategy of treating knee herbal acupuncture in parallel with the strategy of treating it with integrated oriental medicine treatment, which is an existing treatment method.