Pharmacopuncture Guided by Ultrasound — How Is It Different from Regular Pharmacopuncture?
Hello.
This is Director Seo Se-wook of Kyunghee Yakson Korean Medicine Clinic in Icheon.
Quite a few people have received pharmacopuncture treatment.
But when we say "we administer pharmacopuncture while watching ultrasound,"
many people find it rather unfamiliar.
In fact, in the consultation room
"How is it different from regular pharmacopuncture?"
is a question many patients ask.
Today, I'll explain in detail how the ultrasound pharmacopuncture we perform
at our Icheon Kyunghee Yakson Korean Medicine Clinic
differs from conventional pharmacopuncture,
and through what process the treatment is carried out.
Pharmacopuncture is a treatment that refines the components of herbal medicine
and injects them directly into the area of pain.
It is a treatment that helps
calm inflammation and support tissue recovery.
The key here is "where you inject it."
Even for the same shoulder pain,
whether the problem is in the rotator cuff,
whether there is inflammation in the bursa,
or whether a ligament is damaged,
the location where the pharmacopuncture should be administered changes completely.
You can roughly locate the area by palpation,
but to precisely confirm the actual lesion,
viewing it directly with imaging is far more accurate.
At our clinic,
we use ultrasound equipment.
It is equipment that allows us to view
the condition of soft tissues such as
muscles, ligaments, and tendons in real time.
The advantages of ultrasound pharmacopuncture are largely twofold.
First, we check the condition on screen
together with the patient.
"This area here is swollen,"
"There appears to be damage around this ligament"
When we explain while looking directly with our own eyes,
the patient can also accurately understand their own condition.
Knowing where and why it hurts versus not knowing
makes a difference even in the mindset one brings to treatment.
Second, the treatment location becomes precise.
Because we perform the procedure while watching the ultrasound screen
and confirming that the needle reaches exactly the lesion site,
we can reduce unnecessary stimulation
and increase treatment efficiency.
Even with the same pharmacopuncture, what you feel can differ
depending on whether it enters the precise location.
Not all pain
requires ultrasound pharmacopuncture.
At our clinic, we mainly apply it to musculoskeletal conditions
shoulder rotator cuff injuries
bursitis, knee ligament problems
degenerative changes
tennis elbow or golfer's elbow,
wrist tenosynovitis,
inflammation around lower back or neck discs, and so on
that require precise confirmation of the location
of soft tissues.
Conversely, in cases of simple muscle fatigue
or a mild stiff crick,
regular pharmacopuncture or acupuncture treatment alone
is often sufficient.
When you first visit,
we first check your condition
and then guide you on which treatment method is appropriate.
When you first visit, the process proceeds in this order.
First, through consultation we check your symptoms and medical history.
Since when it has hurt,
which movements make it worse,
whether you have received treatment elsewhere before, and so on
we ask about these.
Next, right away
we perform an ultrasound examination,
and while looking at the screen together with the patient,
we explain the current condition
and guide you on where and what kind of treatment is needed.
After that, while watching the ultrasound images,
we perform the pharmacopuncture procedure,
and depending on the condition, we combine it with physical therapy
such as electroacupuncture or ICT.
After treatment, we guide you on the precautions for that day
along with the timing of your next visit.
The treatment period varies depending on the severity of the symptoms.
For an acute stage, 2–3 times a week for 2–3 weeks,
for chronic conditions, 1–2 times a week for
about 4–8 weeks is the basic range we guide.
Because we structure the treatment plan according to the patient's symptoms,
at the first consultation we discuss together
the overall treatment process and the expected duration.
Of course, the course may differ from person to person,
but we check the progress with ultrasound at each visit
and adjust the plan accordingly.
"Does pharmacopuncture hurt a lot?"
Depending on the area, there may be a slight pain.
However, because we administer it while watching the precise location with ultrasound,
unnecessary stimulation tends to be reduced.
After the procedure you may temporarily
feel a dull ache,
but for most people it gets better within the same day or about a day.
"Do I need to get an MRI or X-ray
beforehand and come in?"
There's no need to do that.
Ultrasound alone is sufficient to confirm the condition of soft tissues
such as muscles and ligaments.
Rather, there are quite a few cases where the MRI came back normal
but the pain continued,
yet a problem is confirmed when viewed by ultrasound.
However, if a fracture is suspected
or we judge that additional examination is needed,
we may guide you separately on that.
What we consider important in treatment
is not simply reducing
the pain you feel right now.
Starting from short-term pain relief,
calming the swelling,
restoring weakened function,
and going all the way to preventing recurrence
proceeding step by step
is the treatment direction of our clinic.
If the same area has hurt you repeatedly,
we recommend confirming with ultrasound
exactly where the problem is.
For any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments
or via Naver TalkTalk.
If you make a reservation, you can be seen right away without waiting.
This was Director Seo Se-wook of Kyunghee Yakson Korean Medicine Clinic in Icheon.
Thank you.
[Go to Naver TalkTalk]
[Hours]
Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00-20:00 (registration closes at 19:00)
Tue, Thu 9:00-18:00 (registration closes at 17:00)
Lunch break (13:00-14:00)
Saturday 09:00-14:00 (registration closes at 13:00)
Closed every Sunday.
[Directions]
Address: 1F Baeyoung Building, 178 Yeongchang-ro, Icheon
Silver Intersection (former KEB/Hana Bank site)
Across from NC Department Store,
the building right next to Davich Optical Icheon Jungang branch
About 100m toward
Shinhan Bank/Kookmin Bank
[By public transport]
Gwango-dong bus stop:
Go straight about 200m toward Shinhan/Kookmin Bank
Shinhan Bank bus stop:
Go straight toward Gwango Market
then it's across from the central intersection
[Parking]
When using the Gwango Market public parking lot
1 hour of free parking is available.
Kyunghee Yakson Korean Medicine Clinic in Icheon
Kyunghee Yakson Korean Medicine Clinic
178 Yeongchang-ro, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Check-in of this blog
Other posts about this place
