Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment for Pain after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Case Report

Abstract

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is commonly used to treat cervical radiculopathy by decompressing and stabilizing the spine, but complications such as postoperative pain and adjacent-level disc degeneration remain. This report presents a case of a patient with persistent right arm pain after ACDF for a herniated disc at C5/6 and congenital ankylosis at C6/7. The patient experienced severe pain managed with painkillers, which initially worsened but improved significantly with integrative Korean Medicine treatment, including pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, acupuncture, cupping, and herbal medicine. Pain levels decreased from a Numerical Rating Scale of 8 to 3, and the Neck Disability Index improved from 19 to 8, enhancing fine motor skills like handwriting. This case suggests the potential of integrative Korean Medicine in improving recovery post-ACDF and highlights the need for further research despite limitations in generalizability due to the single- case study format.

Keywords

• anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
• case report
• integrative korean medicine
• postoperative pain
• ultrasonography