Blog & Columns
Useful information about health and Korean medicine.
Total 207 posts
Does Exercise Help with Spinal Stenosis?
Exercise can't widen the narrowed space. But exercise really does help increase how far you can walk and lengthen the time between rests. There's a reason we make this distinction first. When people hear "treat it with exercise," they expect the narrowed passage to widen. That doesn't happen. What changes is the conditions under which the nerves pass through that narrow space.
What Are the Early Signs of a Herniated Disc in the Lower Back?
Numbness running down into the leg is a more important sign than back pain. If the numbness runs from the buttock down the back of the thigh to the calf, we suspect a pinched nerve. This is where simple lower back muscle pain and a herniated disc part ways. When it's muscular, the pain stays in the lower back; when a nerve is pinched, it travels down along the path of that nerve. When sitting
I Had Surgery. Why Do I Need Separate Rehabilitation?
Surgery repairs the damaged area; rehabilitation makes that area usable again. Even after repair, if you don't use it, it stiffens, and once it stiffens, it hurts again. Many people think everything is done once surgery is over. But for a few weeks after surgery, pain makes you move less, and moving less means muscle loss and stiff joints. Once that state sets in, surgery
Can I Cut Down on Sleeping Pills?
Cutting down can be set as a goal. But the pace and method of cutting down need to be decided with the doctor who prescribed them, and stopping on your own is risky. There's a reason we put this sentence first. When some people hear "quit sleeping pills with Korean medicine," they think they can stop taking them starting today. Stopping suddenly can actually make sleep even harder
My Knee Still Hurts After Surgery. What Should I Look At?
Surgery dealt with the problem inside the knee. The outside conditions that made force land on the knee the wrong way aren't changed by surgery. We look at whether those conditions are still there. This doesn't mean the surgery went wrong. If the inside of the knee has been fixed but the way you use that knee stays the same, the same force lands on it again. Whether the foot arch has collapsed, whether leg length or pelvis height
Can Bunions Get Better Without Surgery?
It's hard to reverse the angle of a toe that has already bent without surgery. However, the pain and how fast it bends further can be managed without surgery. There's a reason we make this distinction first. If you take "it can be corrected without surgery" at face value, you'll expect the shape to go back to normal. That doesn't happen. As the big toe bends toward the second toe,
Do Flat Feet Always Need to Be Corrected?
No. Many people have flat feet and no discomfort at all. If it doesn't hurt and doesn't get in the way of walking, we don't intervene. We don't recommend treatment just because your feet are shaped differently from other people's. What we go by is discomfort, not shape. If we don't hold to this line, we end up giving treatment that isn't needed. When there's recurring pain in the feet, knees, or back,
How Are Store-Bought Insoles Different from Custom-Made Ones?
Store-bought insoles are made to fit an average foot shape. Custom-made insoles decide which points to support, and how much, based on your own arch height and where your weight passes. Both are useful. If your feet have no particular problems and you just want to feel less tired when standing for a long time, store-bought ones are enough. If your arch has collapsed, your feet differ left to right, or there's already a painful spot
I Had Shockwave Therapy but It Didn't Help. What Should I Look At?
It's not that the treatment was wrong; you need to look at whether the conditions that caused the pain are still there. If the collapsed arch and the way you walk stay the same, the inflammation comes back even after it's calmed down. People who ask this have usually already had several sessions. They say it's a bit better during treatment, but after a while the pain returns. Then the next step isn't more of the same treatment
Why Does Plantar Fasciitis Keep Coming Back?
Because only the pain is calmed down while the way you use your feet stays the same. Even after the inflammation settles, if the same force keeps landing on the same spot, it swells again. A typical sign is a stabbing pain in the heel with your first step in the morning. After a few steps it eases and seems to be getting better, but after walking or standing for a long time, it hurts again. This cycle often goes on for months
Why Do Collapsed Feet Make My Knees and Back Hurt?
Your feet are where your body first meets the ground. When that first point tilts, the knees and pelvis above it tilt too in order to keep balance, and walking in that tilted state is repeated thousands of times a day. When people come in with knee pain and we say we'd like to look at their feet first, they're puzzled. But the knee is a joint caught between what's above and below it. If force is pushing up from below, the knee has no choice but to absorb it
Is There Evidence That Acupuncture Works for Spinal Stenosis?
There's no conclusive evidence yet. There is a study that pooled and analyzed 6 randomized studies with 582 people, but its authors concluded they could not find conclusive evidence on effectiveness and safety. That's the reason we're writing this. Some places tell people with spinal stenosis that "acupuncture will make it better," but the evidence we have now doesn't support saying that.