“Isn’t herbal medicine only for when you’re feeling weak?” “My back hurts, do I need herbal medicine too?” These are common questions we hear at Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic when explaining herbal medicine treatment to patients receiving care for herniated discs or degenerative arthritis. When pain arises, many people first think of visible structures like discs, joints, and bones.
Therefore, they often consider surgery, injections, or painkillers first. However, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and degenerative arthritis often cannot be explained by structural problems alone. For those with chronic or recurrent pain, inflammation around nerves, degenerative changes in tissues, reduced blood flow, muscle tension, and decreased recovery ability may occur simultaneously.
At Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic, we don’t just look at the painful area; we also examine why the pain recurs and whether the body has an environment conducive to recovery. Hello, I am Dr. Hyocheong Chae, the head director of Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic in Dongcheon-dong, Suji-gu, a place where kind hearts reside.
Ultrasound Confirmation and Acupotomy/Pharmacopuncture Treatment
At Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic in Dongcheon-dong, Suji-gu, when treating musculoskeletal conditions such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and degenerative arthritis, we first conduct a medical history intake and movement assessment. We examine when the pain worsens, how far leg numbness extends, and the movement of the lower back and pelvis. If necessary, we use high-resolution ultrasound to check the condition of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and tissues around nerves.
Ultrasound can help assess the condition of surrounding tissues rather than merely guessing the painful area. Pharmacopuncture treatment can be used to target inflammatory reactions, muscle tension, and tissue recovery in the painful area or surrounding related tissues. Acupotomy treatment helps restore movement by releasing adhesions or hardened soft tissues.
In cases of chronic pain, fascial or peritendinous tissues may harden and restrict movement, so acupotomy treatment may be considered depending on the condition.
Why Herbal Medicine Treatment is Also Necessary If acupotomy and pharmacopuncture treatments directly address the tissue environment of the painful area, herbal medicine treatment takes a broader perspective, considering the body’s overall recovery environment. For example, if acupotomy creates space for movement by releasing adhered tissues, and pharmacopuncture helps regulate local inflammation and tension, herbal medicine considers blood flow, inflammatory reactions, tissue recovery ability, and overall systemic condition. To summarize simply, the treatment approach is as follows:
It’s difficult to consider treatment complete just because the pain has decreased. We need to examine why the pain recurs, what tissues remain stressed, and whether the body has the capacity to recover.
Herniated Discs, Spinal Stenosis, and Herbal Medicine
Radicular pain caused by herniated discs and spinal stenosis is not solely due to nerve compression.
Inflammatory reactions can also occur around the herniated disc or narrowed spinal canal. If this inflammation irritates the nerve, it can lead to not only lower back pain but also numbness or pulling sensations extending to the buttocks, thighs, calves, and feet. Even with the same herniated disc, some individuals recover relatively quickly, while others experience recurrent pain over a long period.
This difference cannot be explained by disc size alone. It’s because various factors such as inflammation around nerves, muscle tension, lifestyle habits, sleep quality, and recovery ability all play a role. Therefore, in treating herniated discs in Suji-gu, it’s necessary to not only reduce pain but also to examine inflammatory reactions and the tissue recovery environment.
What has been reported in herbal medicine research?
Many people still think of herbal medicine primarily as “a tonic for when you’re feeling weak.” Of course, replenishing physical strength and vitality is one of the important roles of herbal medicine treatment.
However, in musculoskeletal conditions, it can be utilized as a treatment approach that considers inflammatory reactions, blood flow, tissue recovery ability, and overall systemic condition. Radicular pain caused by herniated discs or stenosis is not only due to physical compression of bones or discs but also by a large amount of inflammatory substances around the herniated disc tissue or narrowed spinal canal.
This chemical inflammation continuously damages the nerves, leading to severe pain and numbness. According to research conducted by major domestic researchers and colleges of pharmacy, key herbal medicine extracts prescribed for spinal conditions fundamentally suppress these inflammatory mechanisms. The active ingredients in herbal medicines significantly reduce the expression of pain-inducing inflammatory mediators (COX-2, iNOS, etc.), thereby alleviating nerve swelling and inflammation.
Furthermore, an effect of promoting the ‘regeneration’ of damaged nerves has also been confirmed. Animal experiments showed that when herbal medicine extracts were administered to severely physically damaged sciatic nerves, the process of axonal regeneration and reconnection was observed. If nerve blocks aim to temporarily interrupt pain signals, herbal medicine aims to act directly on nerve tissues to restore their original function.
For patients with ‘Post-Spinal Surgery Syndrome (PSPS Type 2)’ where pain persists or worsens even after spinal surgery, integrated Korean medicine treatment is a valid alternative. As a result of intensive integrated Korean medicine treatment for patients suffering from severe pain due to failed lumbar surgery, high pain indicators and disability index (ODI) at the time of admission significantly decreased upon discharge.
Furthermore, a follow-up observation conducted 3 years after discharge confirmed that patients maintained good quality of life (EQ-5D) indicators without functional deterioration.
In animal experiments, it has been reported that when herbal medicine extracts were administered to damaged sciatic nerves, the process of nerve fibers reconnecting was observed. Of course, these research results do not mean that they apply identically to all patients. However, it is significant that herbal medicine treatment is being researched in a direction that goes beyond the simple concept of a tonic, considering both inflammatory reactions and the tissue recovery environment.
Degenerative Arthritis Seen with Ultrasound
Ultrasound can confirm the condition of cartilage, synovial membrane, tendons, and joint fluid around the joint in real-time, making it a useful examination for diagnosing and evaluating the progress of degenerative arthritis. Degenerative arthritis may be insufficient if only cartilage is considered. Degenerative arthritis is not simply a disease where cartilage wears away.
Cartilage loss, synovial membrane changes, increased joint fluid, and the condition of tendons and surrounding muscles can all play a role. Ultrasound can be used to confirm the condition of cartilage, synovial membrane, tendons, and joint fluid around the joint in real-time. Ultrasound confirmation is a supplementary diagnostic tool and is assessed comprehensively along with medical history, movement evaluation, and physical examination.
It is not easy to completely restore cartilage once it has been damaged. Nevertheless, it is important to maintain the remaining joint function as much as possible and reduce the environment where pain recurs. Some studies are investigating herbal medicine extracts used for joint diseases in a way that regulates reactions related to cartilage degradation in inflammatory environments.
Degenerative arthritis is a condition that occurs due to the loss of cartilage, the joint’s shock absorber, caused by aging and continuous use. While it is impossible to perfectly restore cartilage once it has worn away, Korean medicine treatment focuses on preventing further damage to the cartilage and strengthening the bones and muscles around the joint to preserve joint function. Herbal medicines prescribed for degenerative joint diseases effectively suppress the activity of proteins and inflammatory mediators that promote cartilage degradation in inflammatory environments,
thereby protecting the cellular environment of the remaining cartilage and helping to preserve its function. In fact, in a study where herbal medicine extracts were administered to mice with an osteoarthritis model, the volume of subchondral bone (trabecular bone), which supports the load beneath the cartilage, was preserved by over 40%.
Additionally, various active ingredients contained in herbal medicine aid in muscle protein synthesis, increasing muscle mass around the joints. Stronger muscles help distribute the load that bones and joints would otherwise bear, thereby defending against age-related sarcopenia and fundamentally strengthening the joint’s supporting power.
Musculoskeletal disease treatment doesn’t end with simply reducing pain. There are individuals whose pain returns even after it has decreased. In such cases, it’s necessary to look beyond just the painful area and examine why it recurs, what tissues remain stressed, and if there are factors in daily life that could cause it to worsen again.
Releasing adhered tissues with acupotomy, regulating local inflammation and tension with ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture, and simultaneously addressing tissue recovery ability and overall systemic condition with herbal medicine treatment is an important direction for integrated treatment. If you are experiencing recurrent discomfort from herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or degenerative arthritis in Dongcheon-dong, Suji-gu, it is important to thoroughly assess your current condition and then determine the treatment approach.
Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic aims for treatment that not only temporarily reduces pain but also considers the environment in which the body can recover. Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic will accompany you on your healthy recovery journey.
We hope you will join Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic in sharing valuable information for a healthy life. Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic in Suji-gu pursues evidence-based medicine and integrated medicine.
This post was written directly by the medical staff of Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic to provide medical information, in compliance with Article 56(2) and Article 57(3) of the Medical Service Act. The duration and outcome of treatment may vary from person to person, so please consult a qualified practitioner before beginning treatment.
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