Improvement of Tetraplegia and Respiratory Symptoms with Complex Korean Medicine Treatment After Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report

Abstract

This study reports the effectiveness of traditional Korean medicine in treating tetraplegia and respiratory symptoms (including dyspnea) after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury surgery. The patient was treated with complex Korean medical treatment including electroacupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine. The manual muscle test (expanded Medical Research Council system) was used to measure the patient’s muscle strength. The Korean version of the modified Barthel index and the functional independent measure were used to evaluate the patient’s independence in performing daily activities. Following 2 hospitalizations and treatments, the patient’s muscle strength improved > 4+ score for all joints, and the Korean version of the modified Barthel index and functional independent measure scores increased from 26 to 79 and 56 to 95, respectively. Symptoms of dyspnea, coughing, and sputum gradually improved and finally disappeared during hospitalization. This study suggests complex Korean medicine treatment may be effective in the rehabilitation of post-surgical cervical spinal cord injury patients.

Keywords

• dyspnea
• electroacupuncture
• herbal medicine
• korean traditional medicine
• spinal cord injury
• tetraplegia