Usage Status and Regional Variations of Acupotomy in a Korean Medicine Clinic: A Single-Center, Retrospective Analysis of Medical Records

Background: Acupotomy is a type of acupuncture where a scalpel-shaped needle (miniscalpel needle) is used instead of a normal acupuncture needle to exfoliate adhesion sites or to relax entrapped regions. This study aimed to identify the descriptive characteristics of patients who received acupotomy treatment at a single Korean Medicine Clinic. Methods: This retrospective review analyzed the medical charts of patients who had received acupotomy at least once from August 2017 to December 2019 at a single Korean Medicine Clinic. The demographic characteristics, chief complaints, acupotomy treatment sites, and principal diagnosis codes were analyzed. Results: We identified 551 outpatients; the average age was 52 ± 14.26 years and 49.9% were male. The patients underwent an average of 8.47 sessions of acupotomy. Altogether, 35.91% of the acupotomy treatments were administered to the spinal regions, of which 60.01% were in the lumbar region. The codes related to the lumbar spinal condition/disease which were used most frequently. The chief complaints were dizziness, lumbar spinal stenosis, and Dupuytren's contracture in patients over 60 years of age. Conclusion: This is the 1st analysis of acupotomy treatment patterns in Korea to date. Acupotomy is primarily administered in the treatment of spinal conditions/diseases, especially for those involving the lumbar region. Future studies are necessary to determine the clinical outcomes of patients who receive acupotomy treatment and the safety of this treatment.