A Clinical Analysis to Study Effectiveness of Korean Medicine for Medial Collateral Ligament Injury of the Knee

Objectives : This study aimed to review clinical studies on traditional Korean medicine treatment for medial collateral ligament injury of the knee. Methods : Clinical studies on Korean traditional medicine treatment of medial collat- eral ligament injury were conducted. We used five Korean online databases (OASIS, KISS, RISS, DBPia, and ScienceOn) and three foreign databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CNKI). Out of 99 studies that were found, we excluded repeated articles, studies that were not related to Korean medicine, and those not relevant to the topic of the study. Results : Ten randomized controlled trials and 20 case studies were selected. Eight traditional Korean medicine treatments, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, chuna, and herbal ointment, were used in these studies. The most commonly used treatment was found to be acupuncture. Conclusions : Our study showed that traditional Korean medicine for medial collateral ligament injuries was effective. However, there were some limitations. Further clin- ical studies and randomized controlled clinical trials are needed for more evidence on Korean traditional medicine.