• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.167-176
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the improvement of acupotomy in patients with partial tear of supraspinatus tendon. Methods : We treated 4 patients having shoulder pain due to partial tear of supraspinatus tendon with acupotomy combined with oriental medical treatments. We checked visual analog scale(VAS) and range of movement(ROM). Results : There are remarkable improvement in VAS and ROM. Conclusions : This report shows acupotomy has a effectiveness on partial tear of supraspinatus tendon. Follow-up study is needed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.163-172
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• 2009

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to report the improvement after oriental medical treatment of partial tear of supraspinatus tendon. Method: We treated 2 patients having shoulder pain due to partial tear of supraspinatus tendon with Oriental medical treatment, including Sa-am acupuncture DaeJang-Jeonggyeok, A-shi point(阿是穴) and herbal medicine. We checked visual analog scale (VAS) score and range of movement (ROM). Results: We treated shoulder pain. Thereafter ROM improved and V AS score dropped to the level of 2 to 4 points from 10 points at onset. Conclusion: This report shows Oriental medical treatment has effectiveness on partial tear of supraspinatus tendon. Follow-up study is needed.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effects of Korean medical treatments combined with Embedding acupuncture on patients with supraspinatus tendon partial tear. We reviewed the medical records of 1 patients with supraspinatus tendon partial tear at Pureunsan oriental medical clinic from Oct, 2017 to November, 2017. The patient received embedding acupuncture therapy and oriental medical therapy. To evaluate the efficacy of the treatments, the patient was asked to complete a Visual analogue scale(VAS) and the Shoulder pain and disability index during treatment period. The VAS of the patient decreased more than the screening period. The SPADI change of the embedding acupuncture group were greater than non treatment period. Embedding therapy combined with Korean medical treatment might be effective in reducing pain and improving the life quality of patients with supraspinatus tendon partial tear. We hope that further studies will be done to produce more clinical data and ensure effective application of these results.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.89-101
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the effect of Korean medicine treatment combined with active release technique on supraspinatus tendon partial tear. Methods : Two patients with supraspinatus tendon partial tear were treated by Korean medicine treatment in combination with active release technique. Visual analog scale(VAS), range of motion(ROM) were used to measure changes during treatment. Results : After treatment, shoulder pain and limited range of motion were improved significantly. Conclusions : Korean medicine treatment in combination with active release technique is proved to be helpful to improve the symptoms of the supraspinatus tendon partial tear patients. And, further studies will be needed.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.426-430
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• 2020

Magnetic resonance imaging and static ultrasound imaging do not indicate some cases of partial thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon. The authors observed a partial thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon that was not found using other imaging tools but was observed by resisted scaption in shoulder extension position dynamic ultrasound in several cases. This paper outlines this technique is reported by describing two cases.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tendon healing of arthroscopic repair in full-thickness supraspinatus tears. We evaluate the effectiveness of the arthroscopic repair of full-thickness supraspinatus tears by assessing functional improvement. Materials and Methods: Thirty consecutive full-thickness supraspinatus tears were repaired arthroscopically in 19 patients with a one row of anchor and 11 patients with two rows of anchors. Patients ranged in age from 51 to 79 years (average 63 years). Average follow-up was 16 month (range, 12 to 28 months). To evaluate the effectiveness of the arthroscopic repair of full-thickness supraspinatus tears by assessing functional improvement, we calculate the Constant, ASES, UCLA scores. The 30 patients had either an MR Arthrogram (25 cases) or an MRI (5 cases), performed between 5 months and 20 months (mean 10 months) after surgery. Results: The cuff was healed in 21/30 cases (70%) and partially torn in 3 cases (10%) after the arthroscopic repair of full-thickness supraspinatus tear. Although the supraspinatus tendon was totally torn to the tuberosity in 6 cases(20%) after the arthroscopic repair, the size of the tear was smaller than the initial in 5 cases. The Constant score improved from an average of $55.7{\pm}7.1$ points preoperatively to $77.7{\pm}9.7$ points at the last follow-up (p<0.001), and the average ASES score improved from $39.2{\pm}7.4\;to\;72.4{\pm}12.6$ (p<0.001), and the average UCLA score improved from $17.9{\pm}2.2\;to\;26.8{\pm}5.0$ (p<0.001). Strength of elevation was significantly better $(7.1kgs{\pm}2.4)$ in the shoulders with a healed tendon that in those with an total or partial re-tear tendon $(4.5kgs{\pm}1.0)$ (p<0.05). Factors adversely affecting tendon healing were increasing age, Only 41.7% of the repairs completely healed in patients over 65 years (p<0.05). Conclusion: Arthroscopic repair of isolated full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus leads to completely healing in 70% of the cases. Total or partial re-tear of the repaired rotator cuff is associated with a decreased strength. Older patients had significantly lower healing rates.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.216-219
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• 2019

Background: Progression of the tear size and erosion of the greater tuberosity (femoralization) in the supraspinatus tear makes it difficult to repair or increases the risk of a re-tear. This study examined the proximal articular surface and greater tuberosity of the humeral head in plain radiography. Methods: Two-hundred forty-seven cases, whose anteroposterior (AP) radiographs were taken correctly, were included from 288 cases, in whom the status of the supraspinatus had been confirmed by surgery. After downloading the plain AP radiograph as DICOM, the radius of the circle apposed at the superior half of the articular surface of the head, and the distance between the circle and the farthest point of the greater tuberosity ('height' of the greater tuberosity) were calculated using the software (TechHime, Korea). MRI checked the number of torn tendons and degree of muscular atrophy. Results: The following were encountered: 93 intact supraspinatus, 50 partial-thickness tears, and 104 full-thickness tears. In the analysis using the 93 intact cases, the average radius of the rotation center was 25.3 mm in male and 22.3 mm in female. The average height of the greater tuberosity from the circle with the same rotation center was 4.3 mm in male and 4.2 mm in female with no statistical significance. The correlation between the reparability of supraspinatus and height of the greater tuberosity, fatty infiltration, and muscular atrophy was confirmed. Conclusions: The height of the greater tuberosity from the circle with the same rotation center was 4.3 mm in male and 4.2 mm in female. This height was strongly correlated with muscular atrophy and fatty infiltration of the supraspinatus tendon.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2022

Background: Chronic subscapularis tendon tear (SBT) is a degenerative disease and a common pathologic cause of shoulder pain. Several potential risk factors for chronic SBT have been reported. Although metabolic abnormalities are common risk factors for degenerative disease, their potential etiological roles in chronic SBT remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for chronic SBT, with particular attention to metabolic factors. Methods: This study evaluated single shoulders of 939 rural residents. Each subject undertook a questionnaire, physical examinations, blood tests, and simple radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations of bilateral shoulders. Subscapularis tendon integrity was determined by MRI findings based on the thickness of the involved tendons. The association strengths of demographic, physical, social, and radiologic factors, comorbidities, severity of rotator cuff tear (RCT), and serologic parameters for SBT were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. The significance of those analyses was set at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of SBT was 32.2% (302/939). The prevalence of partial- and full-thickness tears was 23.5% (221/939) and 8.6% (81/939), respectively. The prevalence of isolated SBT was 20.2% (190/939), SBT combined with supraspinatus or infraspinatus tendon tear was 11.9% (112/939). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, dominant side involvement (p<0.001), manual labor (p=0.002), diabetes (p<0.001), metabolic syndrome (p<0.001), retraction degree of Patte tendon (p<0.001), posterosuperior RCT (p=0.010), and biceps tendon injury (p<0.001) were significantly associated with SBT. Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome is a potential risk factor for SBT, as are these factors: overuse activity, diabetes, posterosuperior RCT, increased retraction of posterosuperior rotator cuff tendon, and biceps tendon injury.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.94-97
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• 2004

Herpes zoster presents clinically with cutaneous vesicular eruption and pain along the dermatome, but it can sometimes cause muscular paralysis. When the disease involves cervical root, it is included in the differential diagnosis of shoulder diseases. A sixty-six year old patient, complaining of severe pain and weakness of his left shoulder, was referred to the authors as having a partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon on MRI. However, the authors found out a paralysis of the sixth cervical root in the patient by electrophysiologic studies, noting that the patient had been affected with a herpes eruption in the neck and arm two months before. Zoster paresis has been reported to be associated with the cutaneous eruption within two weeks of its onset, making its diagnosis not so difficult. The authors report a case of delayed-onset muscular paralysis after cutaneous herpes zoster, which presented just like a rotator cuff tear.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 2013

A painful pseudoarthrosis will develop due to a delay in diagnosis and treatment, and surgical care is required. Treatment of pseudoarthrosis is really difficult because the acromion is a thin flat bone that is difficult to be fixed firmly. A 52-year-old woman with multiple trauma had an acromial fracture that was not detected until it had caused pain after ambulation. Open reduction and internal fixation with a variable angle locking compression plate for distal radius and autogenous iliac bone graft were performed. At nine months after the operation, there was partial tear in the supraspinatus tendon, and arthroscopic repair of the supraspinatus tendon was performed. At nine months after the operation, radiographs showed a complete union. At three months after tendon repair, the patient had excellent function of the shoulder. We have reported a case of a successful treatment of nonunion and pseudoarthrosis of acromial fracture that is difficult to be fixed.