근막통증증후군 한의표준임상경로 개발과 임상 적용: 사례 수집 연구 = Development and Clinical Application of Clinical Pathway for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Case Collection Study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of a multi-center clinical trial protocol developed for myofascial pain syndrome by implementing it in clinical practice, with a focus on promoting standardization and enhancing treatment efficiency.
Methods A multi-center case collection study was conducted, involving a total of 60 adult patients aged 19 to 70 years diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome. Clinical applicability of the Korean medicine clinical pathway was evaluated through patient performance, patient importance, and staff performance, while changes in patient pain levels were analyzed to verify its effectiveness.
Results Overall performance with the clinical pathway was high, with particularly favorable evaluations for herbal medicine treatment and acupotomy. Perceived importance was also reported to be high, especially for chuna therapy and acupotomy. Importance-performance analysis indicated that a reallocation of resources from herbal medicine treatment toward physiotherapy, acting (cupping & moxibustion) was required. Pain reduction showed a mean difference of 3.68. Staff performance was also reported to be generally high.
Conclusions The clinical pathway for myofascial pain syndrome was found to be effective in reducing patient pain, with high levels of importance and performance, indicating its applicability in clinical practice. To further validate these findings, larger-scale studies applying standardized treatments across broader age groups and ensuring clearer survey procedures are required. (J Korean Med Rehabil 2025;35(4):191-207)