A Case Report of a Postoperative State Patient with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury due to Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Treated by Korean Medicine

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to report the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment on postoperative state patients with cervical spinal cord injury due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.Methods: A 55-year-old Korean male patient diagnosed with cervical spinal cord injury due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament was treated in an inpatient setting with Korean medicine treatment consisting of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and others from May 22 to August 21. The outcome was evaluated with the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), Spinal Cord Independence Measure-Ⅲ (SCIM-Ⅲ), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (mJOA), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) before and after, or during the treatment period.Results: After 92 days of treatment, the patient’s scores on all scales improved.Conclusion: The results suggest that Korean medicine treatment may be effective for postoperative patients with cervical spinal cord injury due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. Further studies should be conducted on a larger number of patients.