Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine Confirms Effectiveness of Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment for Pediatric Traffic Accident Patients

91.3% of Survey Respondents Reported "Satisfied" or Higher

The Spine and Joint Research Center at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine announced on November 5 that the results of its study on the effectiveness of integrative Korean medicine treatment for pediatric traffic accident patients have been published in the SCI(E)-level international journal "Healthcare" (IF=2.7).

Yoonjung Lee, Oriental Medicine Doctor at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine Spine and Joint Research Center. Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine

Yoonjung Lee's research team at the Spine and Joint Research Center, Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, conducted an analysis and evaluation of the treatment outcomes for 64 pediatric patients aged 0 to 6 who received treatment for traffic accident injuries and whose guardians provided consent at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine (Gangnam, Gwangju, Daejeon, Bucheon, Bundang, Ulsan, and Haeundae) from January 2019 to June 2023. Fifty-seven guardians responded to the survey.

The average age of the patients was 4.8 years, and the average treatment duration was 19.2 days. The integrative Korean medicine treatment included herbal medicine prescriptions, acupuncture, and cupping therapy. The most commonly administered treatments were herbal medicine (82.8%), acupuncture (45.3%), and cupping therapy (6.2%), in that order.

The most frequently reported symptom among patients was neck pain, followed by psychological symptoms such as anxiety and nightmares, as well as lower back pain. Digestive and neurological symptoms-including loss of appetite, nausea, headache, and dizziness-were also observed.

The analysis confirmed significant improvements in both pain relief and functional recovery following traffic accidents. According to the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10), neck pain decreased from 4.2 before treatment to 1.9 after treatment, while lower back pain decreased from 4.27 to 2.0. Leg pain also improved from 4.11 to 1.78, indicating that musculoskeletal pain was alleviated by more than 50%, moving from a moderate to a mild level.

Neurological symptoms also showed substantial improvement, with headache scores dropping from 4.0 to 1.0 and dizziness from 3.27 to 1.36. Psychological symptoms, including post-traumatic stress and nightmares or crying, decreased from scores in the 5-point range to 1-2 points, indicating a reduction by more than half and significant recovery.

In the treatment satisfaction survey, 91.3% of all respondents reported being "satisfied" or higher. In particular, acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments received the highest satisfaction ratings due to their effectiveness in alleviating anxiety, psychological symptoms, and pain. Long-term follow-up showed that the quality of life for all patients returned to the level of healthy children.

Yoonjung Lee, Oriental Medicine Doctor, stated, "This study confirmed the effectiveness and safety of integrative Korean medicine treatment not only for musculoskeletal pain in pediatric traffic accident patients, but also for neurological, digestive, and psychological aftereffects that may arise following such accidents. We hope that research on Korean medicine treatments for pediatric and infant patients will continue in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.