ArticleIntegrative medicine research2026
Effectiveness and safety of combining pharmacopuncture therapy and acupotomy for treating patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: A pragmatic, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled trial.
Article in Integrative medicine research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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11 authors.
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Abstract
Background: In the clinical practice of Korean Medicine, pharmacopuncture therapy and acupotomy (PA) are being increasingly explored as potential treatment options for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combining PA with conventional Korean Medicine treatment (CKMT) in patients with degenerative LSS. Methods: A pragmatic, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 104 participants aged 40-75 years diagnosed with degenerative LSS. The participants were randomly assigned to either the CKMT+PA or CKMT alone groups over a 6-week period. The primary outcome was the mean change in the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain/discomfort. Secondary outcomes included clinically important differences (CID), Zurich Claudication Questionnaire, self-reported maximum walking distance, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level questionnaire, and patients' global impression of change. The adverse events (AEs) were assessed at each visit. Results: The CKMT+PA group showed significant improvements in VAS scores compared to the CKMT group at 6 weeks (adjusted mean difference: 20.26; 95 % confidence interval: 13.79-26.72, Conclusion: Compared to CKMT alone, CKMT+PA offers significant improvements in pain relief, functional capacity, and quality of life in patients with degenerative LSS. Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) registry, KCT0008557.
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