Early Korean Medicine Treatment for Herniated Lumbar Discs Cuts Surgery Risk by 29% [Health Check]

[Financial News] The Spine and Joint Research Institute at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine has published an international study analyzing the effects of early Korean medicine treatment after a lumbar disc herniation diagnosis on long-term lumbar surgery and opioid analgesic use.
Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine said on the 3rd that the study was published in the SCI(E)-indexed international journal Frontiers in Public Health (IF=3.4).
According to the study, patients who received Korean medicine treatment early after being diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc had approximately 29% lower odds of undergoing lumbar surgery within one year and up to 18% lower odds of receiving opioid analgesic prescriptions than those who received conventional medical treatment.
A herniated lumbar disc occurs when an intervertebral disc, which absorbs shock between the vertebrae, protrudes and compresses nearby nerve roots. It can cause lower back pain, leg numbness, and radiating pain in the lower limbs, making daily activities difficult.
Conservative treatment is generally recommended first for herniated lumbar discs. The World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) also recommend nonsurgical treatment as the initial approach in their respective guidelines for herniated lumbar discs and low back pain. One study found that 13.4% of patients who underwent surgery for a herniated lumbar disc required repeat surgery within five years, with half of those procedures occurring within one year of the initial operation. Another report put the postoperative complication rate at 29.7%, supporting the emphasis on conservative treatment.
As a result, many patients are choosing integrative Korean medicine treatment as an alternative known for its safety. Numerous studies have also reported that it can help relieve pain, improve function, and enhance quality of life. However, no nationwide study had examined how the use of Korean medicine treatment early after a lumbar disc herniation diagnosis affects subsequent lumbar surgery and opioid analgesic use.
A research team led by Hyun Ji-su of Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine analyzed the issue using population-based big data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). The team selected 788,505 patients who were first diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc in 2015 and had no preexisting spinal disease, severe underlying illness, or history of spinal surgery. The researchers adjusted for sex, age, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) using propensity score matching (PSM), then followed the patients for up to four years.
Patients who visited Korean medicine institutions at least three times within 60 days of their initial diagnosis and received more Korean medicine outpatient care than conventional medical care were classified as the Korean medicine treatment group. Those who visited conventional medical institutions at least three times and received no Korean medicine treatment were classified as the conventional medical treatment group.
The analysis showed that the hazard ratio (HR) for lumbar surgery in the Korean medicine treatment group was 0.80, indicating an approximately 20% lower surgery risk than in the conventional medical treatment group. In particular, the HR for surgery within one year of diagnosis and treatment was 0.71, corresponding to an approximately 29% reduction in risk. The HR is a measure used to compare the likelihood of a specific outcome between two groups; a value below 1 indicates a lower risk in the treatment group.
Opioid analgesic prescriptions also declined significantly. Over the four-year follow-up period, the HR for prescriptions of opioid analgesics in the Korean medicine treatment group was 0.89, approximately 11% lower than in the conventional medical treatment group. When the analysis excluded tramadol, which is classified as a non-opioid drug in South Korea and is prescribed relatively frequently, the HR fell to 0.82, expanding the reduction to approximately 18%.
Hyun Ji-su said, "This study is significant because, using nationwide big data from HIRA, it confirmed that the use of Korean medicine treatment early after a herniated lumbar disc diagnosis substantially lowers surgery and opioid analgesic prescription rates over the long term." Hyun added, "Because treating a herniated lumbar disc requires not only pain management but also efforts to minimize unnecessary surgery and opioid analgesic use, we hope this study will provide useful evidence when considering appropriate conservative treatment."


[email protected] Jung Myung-jin, Medical Correspondent Reporter