Home-based traditional Korean medicine for managing musculoskeletal pain in older adults: A cross-sectional pre–post study

Abstract

With South Korea’s elderly population projected to reach 20.6% by 2025 and 46.4% by 2070, managing chronic pain in older adults has become essential due to its impact on mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, which reduce quality of life. This growing demographic shift necessitates a transition from institutional care to home-based healthcare services. A single-group pre- and post-survey was conducted among 91 out of 128 individuals who received home-based traditional Korean medicine (TKM) services in 16 regions participating in the government community care pilot project and consented to participate in the survey. Among them, 46 individuals who completed both pretreatment and posttreatment surveys were included in the final analysis. Participants consisted of 17 men (37.0%) and 29 women (63.0%), with a mean age of 76.3 ± 10.2 years. Data were collected through online surveys before and after treatment, measuring pain levels using the numeric rating scale, condition-specific indices including the Oswestry Disability Index for back pain, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index for shoulder pain, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index for knee pain. Quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D. Participants experienced significant reductions in pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale: 7.61 ± 1.73–4.67 ± 1.76, P < .001) and improvements in quality of life (EQ-5D: 0.472 ± 0.281–0.602 ± 0.237, P < .001) after receiving TKM care. Condition-specific analysis revealed a notable decrease in Oswestry Disability Index scores (0.610 ± 0.192–0.477 ± 0.201, P < .001) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores (0.696 ± 0.108–0.477 ± 0.162, P < .001). However, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities’ Osteoarthritis Index scores for knee pain showed no significant improvement (86.1 ± 12.7–75.4 ± 19.7, P > .05). Home-based TKM care demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating chronic musculoskeletal pain and enhancing quality of life among older adults. These findings support integrating TKM into community care programs targeting South Korea’s aging population. Further large-scale studies are recommended to validate these results and explore the potential mental health benefits of such interventions.