Chengdu doctor helps his patients stand tall

Doctor Liang Yijian returned to his office on Thursday afternoon after operating on a patient with a bent spine, only to find two other patients waiting for him.

They wanted to take a photograph with him.

“Doctor Liang is famous but very nice to patients. We believe he will improve our condition,” said Feng Cheng, 24, from Anhui province, who also has a bent spine, or scoliosis.

Liang, head of the orthopedics department at Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu in Sichuan province, achieved national fame in February when he was honored during CCTV’s annual “Touching China” awards.

His department is recognized nationwide for its unique methods that have helped almost 1,000 scoliosis patients to walk tall again.

Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a patient’s spine has a sideways curve. It can damage the heart and lungs if the curvature exceeds 100 degrees, and a bend of that much or more is difficult to treat. Three-fourths of the patients who come to see Liang suffer from a curvature of at least 130 degrees.

China has 5 million scoliosis patients.

In Liang’s department, corrective measures involve inserting four metal rods into a patent’s torso to help straighten the back before a surgeon removes the most protruding bone without touching the spinal cord.

A scoliosis patient’s height may increase dramatically after the procedure.

Wu Cailin, a farmer in Yanyuan county in Sichuan’s Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, was less than 1.3 meters tall because his spine curved nearly 120 degrees. His chest almost touched his thighs and he could only look down while walking.

After the operation, he is 1.78 meters tall and owns a rural resort in his home county.

Dong Lan contributed to this story.