The symptoms of common peroneal nerve (CPN) entrapment are similar to the symptoms of lumbar herniated intervertebral disc. We present the successful treatment of CPN entrapment masked by acute lumbar disc herniation. A 49-year-old man presented with low back pain and numbness in his left leg. Following admission, patient history, physical examination, and radiology findings, the patient received integrated Korean medicine (KM) treatment (acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture, moxibustion and cupping, herbal medicine, and chuna therapy) for lumbar disc herniation. Outcome measures included the numeric rating scale, the European quality of life five dimensions, and the Oswestry disability index. Symptoms persisted, and CPN compression was consequently suspected. On Day 12 of 23, in addition to KM treatment, an ultrasound-guided Shinbaro2 pharmacopuncture (4 mL) was performed on the CPN entrapment site. Significant symptom relief resulted after CPN treatment on Day 12. Improvement was particularly evident in the lower leg and ankle, areas where the pain had previously been misattributed to symptoms of lumbar disc herniation. His low back pain and radiating pain to the back of the left femur started to improve from Day 20 and were mild at discharge. This case highlights the importance of considering peripheral nerve entrapment in patients presenting with symptoms similar to lumbar disc herniation. It also suggests that combining traditional KM with modern diagnostic techniques such as ultrasonography, may be beneficial in the precise location for pharmacopuncture treatment. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings and explore the broader applicability of this approach.
Background Acupoint CV23 is one of the most commonly used acupoints for the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia and tongue pain. However, care must be taken during the procedure to consider the position of glands and blood vessels in the subcutaneous space of the acupoint. Needling depths to the geniohyoid muscle reportedly range from 0.4 to 3.3 cm. Using ultrasound imaging, we aimed to observe the anatomical characteristics around acupoint CV23 to derive a safe needling depth.
Methods Ultrasound images of acupoint CV23 accessed from the Standard Ultrasound Image of Acupoint database were retrospectively analyzed for 30 participants aged in their 20s and 30s (15 male, 15 female), and the depth from the skin to the geniohyoid muscle was measured. Correlations between the needling depth and anthropometric factors (such as neck circumference) were analyzed.
Results The average needling depth to the geniohyoid muscle was 1.59 ± 0.49 cm (male; 1.43 ± 0.52 cm, female, 1.75 ± 0.42 cm, p = 0.03). The geniohyoid muscle, anterior digastric muscles, and genioglossus muscle were observed in the subcutaneous area of acupoint CV23, and a risk of sublingual gland damage needs to be considered for oblique insertion of the acupuncture needle. No statistically significant correlations between the needling depth and anthropometric factors were observed.
Conclusion Acupoint CV23 has a relatively shallow needling depth, and considering the presence of blood vessels and glands in the sublingual space, visualizing the surrounding anatomical structures using ultrasound was helpful to ensure safe needling practice.
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Survey on the current usage of ultrasound-guided procedures in Korean Medicine Clinics and Hospitals Ju Yeon Kim, Jung Min Yun, Sook-Hyun Lee, Yoon Jae Lee, Dong Kun Ko, In Heo, Woo-Chul Shin, Jae-Heung Cho, Byung-Kwan Seo, In-Hyuk Ha Medicine.2024; 103(14): e37659. CrossRef