Efficacy of Korean Medicine Combination Treatment on Recurrent Neck Pain After Medical Procedures: A Retrospective Study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Korean medicine combination treatment on recurrent neck pain after medical procedures.Methods: This retrospective study included 158 inpatients of the Daejeon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine who were diagnosed with “Cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy (M50.1)” between December 14^th, 2017 and May 29^th, 2019. The patients were assigned to 1 of 2 groups based on whether they received medical procedures on the cervical spine at least once. Korean medicine combination treatment was evaluated using EuroQol-5 dimensions index (EQ-5D), numeric rating scale (NRS), and neck disability index (NDI) scores.Results: Before and after treatment, the patients who received medical procedures on the cervical spine at least once before admission (Group A) showed a statistically significant difference in the NDI and NRS scores but not in the EQ-5D scores. This was similar to the patients who had not received medical procedures on the cervical spine before admission (Group B) they showed a statistically significant difference in the NDI and NRS scores but not in the EQ-5D scores. When comparing the results of Group A and Group B before and after treatment, no statistically significant differences were observed in the EQ-5D, NDI, and NRS scores.Conclusion: Korean medicine combination treatment improves the neck functional disability of patients who suffer from recurrent neck pain despite patients having undergone medical procedures.