Korean Medicine Treatment Including Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy for Kienböck‘s Disease: A Case Report with Long-Term Follow-Up

The aim of this study is to report the effect of acupotomy and Korean medicine treatments on Kienböck‘s disease. The patient was treated by Korean medicine, including ultrasound-guided acupotomy, acupuncture, herbal medicine. These treatment methods have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Specifically, acupotomy has the effect of releasing adhered tissues and improving blood circulation, which may help in improving the restricted joint range of motion and blood circulation in Kienböck‘s disease. The effect of treatment was assessed by visual analog scale(VAS), disability of the arm, shoulder and hand score(DASH), Cooney's wrist funcion score(Cooney score), and range of motion(ROM). As a result of acupotomy and other Korean medicine treatments, VAS was decreased from 7 to 3, DASH was decreased from 76 to 17, Cooney score was increased from 40 to 70, ROM was increased from flexion/extension 20/10 to 60/60. In addition, as a result of about 1 year of follow-up, it was observed that the condition improved or maintained without any deterioration. This study suggests that acupotomy and Korean medicine treatment may be effective in treating and maintaining Kienböck‘s disease.