Q I have worn a brace for a long time but it hasn't been effective. Is Korean traditional medicine treatment different?
A Braces alone are ineffective because they cannot correct the angle of deformity and fail to resolve the joint adhesions and surrounding muscle imbalances that cause pain. Korean traditional medicine addresses the root cause of pain by directly manipulating the tissues surrounding the joint using moxibustion, acupuncture, and pharmacopuncture. You can expect better results when combined with a brace.
Detailed Answer
Night splints alone are difficult to change bone angles and cannot resolve soft tissue adhesions or synovitis. Therefore, if the cause of pain is joint capsule inflammation or contracture of the adductor pollicis brevis, using a brace alone has limitations. The success rate of conservative treatment increases when combined with manual therapy or injection therapy.
Perspective of a Korean Traditional Medicine Clinic
In Korean traditional medicine, when a brace is ineffective, it is considered that local adhesions have already progressed due to blocked Qi and blood circulation. In this case, adhesive tissues are directly separated using needles and moxibustion, while new tissue regeneration is induced through fire acupuncture and thread embedding. Simultaneously, herbal medicine tailored to the patient's constitution is used to improve the constitutional environment where dampness and blood stasis accumulate, thereby supporting the maintenance of the external treatment effect.
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