Hospital uses ancient TCM method in treatment of curved spine in children
The ancient Chinese practice of tuina can be effective in the intervention and treatment of curved spines in children and prevent the spine from deteriorating to a stage that is too serious for surgery, local traditional Chinese medicine experts said at a health lecture on children's curved spine prevention and control on Sunday.
Over 100 local residents attended the lecture and took their children for screening and consultation.
The incidence of curved spine is up to 3 percent among Chinese primary and middle school students. There are over 5 million children with curved spine and the quantity is rising by 300,000 annually. Following myopia and obesity, curved spine has become a third leading health risk to children, thus bringing it to the awareness of the government.
Parents take their children to the Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for a lecture and consultation on curved spines.
Genetics, movement, disease, nutrition, and environment are all causes of curved spine, and many parents fail to identify their children's curved spine early or seek medical help until the symptoms are serious, which can impact on the child's development, impose heavy mental pressure, and hamper their social abilities.
"So high awareness, early screening, and proper intervention are extremely important for curved spine prevention and control," said Dr Sun Wuquan, director of the tuina department of the Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. "Apart from surgery, TCM can have very positive effects."
"There is a long history of using tuina to treat curved spines in the history of TCM. Our department started such research and practice over 30 years ago. Now we have teamed up with multiple departments such as spinal surgery, rehabilitation, acupuncture, pediatrics, nutrition, and imaging to set up a curved spine diagnosis and treatment center through integrated Western and TCM therapy to help children with curved spines."
The hospital, which received sponsorship from the city government for a curved spine prevention and control project, goes to local schools to screen for the problem and has set up a free curved spine screening clinic from Mondays to Saturdays for parents to take their children for early screening.
A doctor from Yueyang Hospital checks a girl with a curved spine.
