Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Use in Pediatric Dislocations, Sprains and Strains.
Dislocations, sprains and strains are common childhood musculoskeletal injuries, requiring medical attention. We investigated the characteristics associated with using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for children suffering from these injuries.



From a nationwide representative insurance database of Taiwan, this cross-sectional study identified 50,769 children with dislocations, sprains and strains under 18 years of age, newly diagnosed between 1999 and 2009, without previous TCM experience. Children who initiated treatment with TCM (n = 24,063, 47.4%) were defined as TCM users, others were in the non-TCM group. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) of TCM use.



Girls and children living in central Taiwan (vs. northern) were associated with higher TCM use. The adjusted ORs (95% confidence interval (CI)) of TCM uses were 1.60 (1.42-1.79) for patients of 3-5 years, 2.20 (1.99-2.42) of 6-12 years and 1.82 (1.64-2.01) of 13-17 years, compared with those of the <2 years group. TCM users were less likely to have outpatient visits for Western medicine care and hospitalizations in the previous year. The TCM group was nearly twice more likely than the non-user group to receive treatments at local clinics (99.1% vs. 53.3%,p< 0.001).



This study reveals important demographic and medical factors associated with TCM uses for children with dislocations, sprains and strains. Interestingly, local clinics are the main healthcare facilities providing TCM services. Further studies are needed to evaluate the outcomes of TCM treatment for these musculoskeletal injuries.
Department of Sport and Health Management, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 51591, Taiwan. chungyen@mail.dyu.edu.tw.|Department of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, New Taipei 24213, Taiwan. chungyen@mail.dyu.edu.tw.|School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. chungyen@mail.dyu.edu.tw.
Chung-Yen
CY
Lu
School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. tcmchh55@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. tcmchh55@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan. tcmchh55@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Hen-Hong
HH
Chang
Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan. fcsung1008@yahoo.com.|Department of Health Services Administration, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. fcsung1008@yahoo.com.
Fung-Chang
FC
Sung
Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. peichun@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan. peichun@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Pei-Chun
PC
Chen
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000628:therapy*; D013624:Taiwan
dislocations; pediatric; sprains; strains; traditional Chinese medicine