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NCT Number: NCT03879447

Effectiveness and Safety of Korean Medicine for Low Back Pain or Sciatica Due to Lumbar Stenosis/Spondylolisthesis

A prospective observational study investigating the effectiveness and safety of integrative Korean medicine treatment in lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis patients with low back pain or sciatica at 3 locations of Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine as assessed through of pain, functional disability, walking ability, and quality of life patient-reported outcomes

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Back Pain Bone Diseases Low Back Pain Lumbar Spondylolisthesis Mononeuropathies Musculoskeletal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neuralgia Neurogenic Claudication Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Diseases Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Sciatic Neuropathy Sciatica Signs and Symptoms Spinal Diseases Spinal Stenosis Spondylolisthesis Spondylolysis Spondylosis

Age range

19 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Jaseng Medical Foundation

Seoul, South Korea

About this study

This is a prospective observational study to the aim of investigating the effectiveness and safety of integrative Korean medicine treatment (generally consisting of herbal medicine, Chuna manual medicine, bee venom pharmacopuncture and pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and cupping) in lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis patients with low back pain or sciatica diagnosed by lumbar X-ray and/or MRI and clinical symptoms including neurogenic claudication at 3 locations of Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine (Bucheon, Daejeon, Busan (Haeundae)) as assessed through of pain, functional disability, walking ability, and quality of life patient-reported outcomes with a 5-year follow-up period

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with radiating leg pain or low back pain (LBP) intensity of NRS ≥5
  • Patients diagnosed with lumbar stenosis based on dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCA) of <100 mm2 or morphological grading ≥B as assessed on MRI; or patients diagnosed with lumbar spondylolisthesis based on Meyerding Grade Ⅱ or higher as assessed on X-ray
  • Clear neurogenic claudication symptoms (symptoms aggravated with walking, and alleviated upon resting in lumbar flexion position), if lumbar stenosis patient
  • Patients with plans of receiving Korean medicine treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis for ≥4 months
  • Patients who have agreed to study participation

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with vascular claudication
  • Patients with other systemic diseases that may interfere with treatment effect or outcome interpretation
  • Patients with soft tissue pathologies or pathologies of non-spinal origin that may cause LBP or radiating leg pain (e.g. spinal tumor, rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Patients for whom acupuncture treatment may be inappropriate or unsafe (e.g. hemorrhagic diseases, blood clotting disorders, history of anti-coagulation medicine intake, serious diabetes with risk of infection, severe cardiovascular diseases, or other conditions deemed unsuitable for acupuncture treatment)
  • Patients with medical history of spinal surgery within the past 3 months
  • Patients who were treated with invasive interventions such as Korean medicine treatment, injections, physical therapy, or with medicine that may potentially influence pain such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs) within the past week
  • Pregnant patients or patients planning pregnancy
  • Patients with serious psychological disorders
  • Previous participation in other clinical studies within 1 month of current study enrollment, or plans to participate in other clinical studies during participation (including follow-up period) of the current study after study enrollment
  • Patients unable to fill out study participation consent form
  • Patients deemed unsuitable for study participation as assessed by the researchers

Treatment and study plan

Herbal medicine

Drug

Herbal medicine will be administered in water-based decoction (120ml) and dried powder (2g) form (Ostericum koreanum, Eucommia ulmoides, Acanthopanax sessiliflorus, Achyranthes japonica, Psoralea corylifolia, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Cibotium barometz, Lycium chinense, Boschniakia rossica, Cuscuta chinensis, Glycine max, Atractylodes japonica) at the physician's discretion.

Other names: Traditional herbal medicine

Chuna manual medicine

Procedure

Chuna is a Korean manual therapy directed at the spine and joints that incorporates various spinal manual medicine techniques for joint mobilization involving high-velocity, low amplitude thrusts to joints slightly beyond the passive range of motion and gentle force to joints within the passive range of movement. Chuna manual medicine will be administered to the pelvic, lumbar, thoracic, and cervical vertebrae at the physician's discretion.

Other names: Chuna manipulation, Chuna spinal manipulation

Bee venom pharmacopuncture

Procedure

Bee venom pharmacopuncture will be administered only after confirming a negative response to hypersensitivity skin test. Diluted bee venom (saline:bee venom ratio, 10,000:1) filtered for allergens will usually be injected at 4-5 acupoints proximal to the dysfunctional site at the physician's discretion. Each acupuncture point will be injected to a total of 0.5-1 cc using disposable injection needles (CPL, 1 cc, 26G x 1.5 syringe, Shinchang medical co., Korea).

Other names: Bee venom acupuncture, Bee venom

Pharmacopuncture

Procedure

Pharmacopuncture consisting of select herbal ingredients will be administered at Hyeopcheok (Huatuo Jiaji, EX B2), Ah-shi points and local acupuncture points using disposable injection needles (CPL, 1 cc, 26G x 1.5 syringe, Shinchang medical co., Korea) at the physician's discretion.

Acupuncture

Procedure

Acupuncture treatment will be administered using mainly proximal acupuncture points and Ah-shi points.

electroacupuncture

Procedure

Electroacupuncture treatment will be administered using mainly proximal acupuncture points and Ah-shi points.

Cupping

Procedure

Cupping treatment will be administered at 1-2 points using mainly proximal acupuncture points and Ah-shi points.

Other intervention(s)

Procedure

Patients will be allowed any other additional intervention(s) as deemed necessary regardless of type or dose, and patterns of use will be investigated and recorded as a pragmatic clinical study.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Numeric rating scale (NRS) of higher score at baseline out of low back pain or radiating leg pain

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 months

    Change from higher score at baseline out of low back pain or radiating leg pain intensity to same score at 4 months. Total score range: -10 (worse outcome) to 10 (better outcome)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Numeric rating scale (NRS) of low back pain

    Time frame: Baseline, observation at least once a week for the duration of active treatment up to a maximum of 24 weeks (2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks), 1, 3, 5 years

    Low back pain intensity for the past 3 days. Total score range: 0 (better outcome) to 10 (worse outcome)

  2. Numeric rating scale (NRS) of radiating leg pain

    Time frame: Baseline, observation at least once a week for the duration of active treatment up to a maximum of 24 weeks (2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks), 1, 3, 5 years

    Radiating leg pain intensity for the past 3 days. Total score range: 0 (better outcome) to 10 (worse outcome)

  3. Visual analogue scale (VAS) of low back pain

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Low back pain intensity for the past 3 days. Total score range: 0 (better outcome) to 100 (worse outcome)

  4. Visual analogue scale (VAS) of radiating leg pain

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Radiating leg pain intensity for the past 3 days. Total score range: 0 (better outcome) to 100 (worse outcome)

  5. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Functional disability questionnaire. The possible range of each item score is 0 to 5. Total score range: 0 (better outcome) to 100 (worse outcome)

  6. Pain-free walking distance (average of the past 3 days)

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Walking ability. Average pain-free walking distance during the past 3 days as recalled at each timepoint defined in Time Frame. Total score range: 0 (worse outcome) to no maximum limit (better outcome)

  7. Maximum walking distance (average of the past 3 days)

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Walking ability. Average maximum walking distance during the past 3 days as recalled at each timepoint defined in Time Frame. Total score range: 0 (worse outcome) to no maximum limit (better outcome)

  8. Zurich Claudication Questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Claudication questionnaire. There are 12 questions for all patients, and a further 6 questions to measure treatment outcomes for those who have received treatment. The The Zurich Claudication Questionnaire consists of three subscales: (1) Symptom severity scale (items 1-7) which are subdivided into a pain domain (items 1-4) and a neuroischemic domain (items 5-7)]: The possible range of each item score is 1 to 5. (2) Physical function scale (items 8-12): The possible range of each item score is 1 to 4. (3) Patient satisfaction with treatment scale (questions 13-18): The possible range of each item score is 1 to 4. The result is expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible score. Total score range: 0% (better outcome) to 100% (worse outcome)

  9. EuroQol 5-dimensions 5-levels (EQ-5D-5L)

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Health-related quality of life questionnaire. Total score range: 11111 (better outcome) to 55555 (worse outcome)

  10. Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC)

    Time frame: 8, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Global patient-reported outcome. Total score range: 1 (better outcome) to 7 (worse outcome)

  11. Use of other intervention(s)

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Use of any other additional intervention(s) other than the integrative Korean medicine treatment administered by the attending physician (start date of treatment, end date of treatment, name of treatment, number of treatment sessions received, and other comments)

  12. Physical examination

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    Lumbar physical examination

  13. Adverse reaction

    Time frame: Baseline, every visit for the duration of active treatment up to a maximum of 24 weeks (2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks), 1, 3, 5 years

    Safety

  14. SF-36

    Time frame: [Time Frame: Baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years]

    The Short Form (36) Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. The SF-36 consists of eight scaled scores, which are the weighted sums of the questions in their section. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability i.e., a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability.

  15. EQ-VAS

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks, 1, 3, 5 years

    The EQ VAS records the respondent's self-rated health on a 20 cm vertical, visual analogue scale with endpoints labelled 'the best health you can imagine' and 'the worst health you can imagine'.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Jaseng Medical Foundation

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Observational Study on the Effectiveness and Safety of Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment for Patients With Low Back Pain or Sciatica Due to Lumbar Stenosis or Spondylolisthesis

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2027
First posted
Mar 18, 2019
Registry last updated
Dec 23, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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