Dr Jang Se-in, Member of Society of Sports Korean Medicine

 

1. What do you mean by treating musculoskeletal disorders through movement analysis?

Simply, the treatment for musculoskeletal disorders through movement analysis does not focus on the treatment of a lesion only, but looks for the functional pathology before proceeding with treatment. For instance, when treating a patient with supraspinatus tendonitis, this approach does not focus only on the treatment of the inflammation of supraspinatus tendon, but looks for shoulder curves or improper movements when abducting a shoulder and improves the area through acupuncture or manual therapy.

2. Please elaborate the mechanism of treating musculoskeletal disorders.

All sorts of joint movement require a series of coordination of various muscles with a regular movement pattern. For example, when we extend our right hip joint while lying prostrate, the right hamstrings are activated followed by the right gluteus maximus, lower left erector spinae, and lower right erector spinae. In a regular joint motion, the joint moves in a specific range. However, when this pattern becomes irregular, the joint axis slowly moves out of the range, causing problems. In this matter, this treatment aims to guide normal muscle movementand improve joint mobility.

3. What are the processes and effects of the treatment for musculoskeletal disorders?

I conduct Janda’s six movement assessments first, and then perform additional examinations on the joints of the painful areas. I also pay attention to the concordant signs of patients. I look for the signs before treatment, analyze the joint movements for treatment, and then reexamine the signs after treatment to check if the symptoms have gone away immediately. For patients with problems in the muscles and fasciae, they experience quick pain relief and improved joint mobility after this treatment is involved.

4. What is the competitiveness of Korean Medicine seen from the aspect of treatment for musculoskeletal disorders?

Korean Medicine values the balance of the whole body. It does not focus only on a lesion, but observes and treats the overall system of the body. I believe more precise diagnosis and treatment will be possible for musculoskeletal disorders if a whole-body observation is conducted in addition to a diagnosis on movement. Whenever I perform the treatment, I recall a quote from Karel Lewit: “He who treats the sites of pain is often lost.”

5. What reactions did you get from foreign experts when introducing the treatment for musculoskeletal disorders, and how do you plan to globally promote the treatment?

It was when I participated as a team doctor for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. After seeing how I performed and the immediate improvement the treatment had on Korean athletes, some doctors of other nationalities asked me to perform the treatment on them, and then eventually transferred their national athletes for treatments. Acupuncture therapy on musculoskeletal disorders through movement analysis does not require a special trick; it is an approach based on the synthesis of various publications. I hope this would be benefit the people in treating musculoskeletal disorders.

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