Long-term follow-up of vertebral compression fractures in inpatients treated with integrative Korean medicine: An observational study

Conservative management is the recommended first-line treatment for thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), with integrative Korean medicine (IKM) being widely used for treatment in Korea. However, evidence regarding long-term treatment outcomes is lacking. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of IKM treatment for thoracolumbar VCFs. Data from inpatients with thoracolumbar VCFs who received IKM treatment, comprising acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, Chuna manual therapy, and herbal medicine, at 4 KM hospitals from April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2022 were analyzed; long-term follow-up was conducted. Outcome measures included the numeric rating scale for low back pain, Oswestry Disability Index, and EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level scores. Primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated using a linear mixed model. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze factors associated with patient satisfaction. Overall, 166 patients with VCFs (mean age: 63.28 ± 12.64 years, women: 124 [74.7%]) were analyzed. The numeric rating scale score for low back pain decreased from 5.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.53-5.96) at admission to 3.36 (95% CI 3.08-3.64) at discharge and 3.90 (95% CI 3.62-4.18) at follow-up. The Oswestry Disability Index score declined from 48.92 (95% CI 46.02-51.82) to 35.95 (95% CI 33.04-38.86) and 27.67 (95% CI 24.86-30.47) at discharge and follow-up, respectively. At follow-up, the VCF operation rate was 6%, with 80% of participants reporting satisfaction with IKM treatment. IKM could be an effective treatment option for patients with VCFs. Large-scale, randomized controlled trials are required.