"If I am lucky, there will be 8 to 10 years or only 5 to 6 years in the future. I just want to do more things in a limited time." When he was diagnosed as a frozen man, Zhang clearly knew that his condition was unknown and his condition invaded all the functions of his body step by step. "No radical cure" and "poor prognosis" are many people's predictions for people who are gradually frozen. With the mentality of giving it a try, on June 65438+1October 65438+April 2020, Zhang entered Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and began to try traditional Chinese medicine massage and other treatments.
Tuina Department/Rehabilitation Department of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a key specialty in state administration of traditional chinese medicine. The hospital integrates massage department, rehabilitation medicine department and pain department, organically combines traditional massage therapy, functional rehabilitation concepts and methods of modern rehabilitation medicine and minimally invasive technology of pain medicine, and is unique in rehabilitation training and treatment of spinal column, bone injury, pain diseases, cerebral palsy, hemiplegia and paraplegia. It is a leader in the field of massage and TCM rehabilitation in Hubei Province.
Zhao Yan is the academic leader of this department. In the course of 30 years of clinical massage, he summed up the treatment method of "Tai Chi Massage", which has achieved good results in treating various spinal diseases and painful diseases for many years, and the rehabilitation of gradually frozen people is one of them.
Zhao Yan said frankly that when he first took over the treatment, he was under great pressure in the face of the disease of "gradually frozen people" with unknown causes, limited treatment methods and no radical cure. However, after trying to rehabilitate some gradually frozen people, some patients did not continue to develop after treatment, and the effect was good; Some early patients returned to normal life, married and had children. This gives Zhao Yan confidence in the Chinese medicine massage therapy for patients with "gradually frozen people".
"Traditional Chinese medicine divides such diseases into spastic syndrome and wilting syndrome." Zhao Yan said that through syndrome differentiation, Zhao Yan analyzed that Zhang was mainly spastic and focused on relieving the patient's muscle stiffness in treatment.
At the beginning of the initial treatment, Zhang was just holding a try attitude. "Impossible, it's not that easy," Zhang said to Zhao Yan.
After repeated research and discussion, Zhao Yan's team initially worked out a set of treatment plans based on Chinese massage, supplemented by hyperthermia, electrotherapy, ultrasound and other treatment methods, and at the same time integrated gait training, drafting training, strength training and so on.
"Zhang Zhiyuan Ding is a doctor who studies anesthesia. At first, he just experienced it with a try. " Zhao Yan said frankly, "Zhang Zhiyuan Ding Yu is too busy to complete a set of treatment plans originally formulated by our team." Later, in order to better adapt to Zhang's treatment practice, the simplified scheme was mainly massage, and some strength training could be done at home.
Zhang was the first to perceive the changes in his body. After five days of Chinese massage treatment, Zhang found that his thigh and leg circumference increased by 2 cm when measuring. He and his wife were very surprised
"The 5-day-old leg circumference is 2 cm thicker, which is a good start." This gave Zhao Yan and the team confidence. According to the treatment effect of Zhang, Zhao Yan continued to trace back, analyze and summarize the reasons for the effective treatment, and put forward the treatment objectives for the next stage more pertinently.
"The thickening of the leg circumference is a good start for the treatment of patients, because the muscle fibers become full, and after the muscles increase, the leg strength and walking function will gradually improve." Zhao Yan said that Zhang Zhiyuan and Ding Yu are also very persistent, insisting on training to the letter at home. Now he walks much more smoothly and his legs are stronger than before. At the World Congress of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine held in June 5438+February, 2020, Zhang also shared his personal experience of Chinese massage.
"He chose our Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment. We will strive for a fundamental breakthrough in treatment and strive to open a window for more patients like Zhang." After seeing the initial effect, Zhao Yan thought more about why the leg circumference can be thickened by 2 cm after 5 days of treatment, what has been changed by TCM massage, and through what mechanism?
At present, Zhang has been treated in Tuina Department of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than 4 months. In order to make a fundamental breakthrough in treatment, it is far from enough to be satisfied with the improvement of clinical symptoms. We must understand the underlying principle behind the change of symptoms.
"From June 5438+this year 10, we increased visceral massage and cooperated with Chinese medicine treatment, but now the progress is slow and the ideal treatment effect has not been achieved." Zhao Yan said that now she has returned to the first treatment plan again.
"This kind of exploration is full of uncertainty. In the past cases, some patients who were gradually frozen were effectively delayed, but many patients developed rapidly after diagnosis and died of respiratory muscle paralysis or lung infection within a few years. " Zhao Yan said frankly, what is the reason why massage therapy works? What is the underlying principle behind the change of symptoms? At present, according to Zhang's therapeutic effect, we are constantly tracing back, analyzing and summarizing the reasons for effective treatment, and putting forward the next stage of treatment goals more pertinently.
"Cervical massage can improve the patient's posterior circulation. Recently, we are taking this as a starting point to improve Zhang's spinal cord blood supply, hoping to repair his spinal cord function. Although we are not sure yet, we think we can explore along this route. Improve the patient's posterior circulation, and then further relax the patient's leg muscles, waist muscles, hip muscles and abdominal core muscles, and get through the Du meridian and bladder meridian massage treatment. " Zhao Yan told the Health Times reporter that Chinese medicine massage can relieve pain, better repair and activate the patient's muscle tissue, and relieve the patient's muscle spasm. The team is trying to treat the Du meridian around the patient and realize the repair of the spinal cord through Du meridian treatment.
"My goal is that Zhang can walk freely." Zhao Yan said that in the next stage, functional improvement will still be the main treatment goal, while continuing to explore pathology.
"gradual freezing is a motor neuron disease, which is easily misdiagnosed as cervical spondylosis in the early stage. There is no clear medical basis for the pathogenesis of the disease and it cannot be cured. " Zou, deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology, Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, told the health reporter that there are data showing that there are about 200,000 patients with gradual freezing in China, and this number is increasing year by year. About 80% patients will die within five years after onset, which is listed as one of the five terminal diseases with the same name as cancer and AIDS by the World Health Organization.
For patients with gradual freezing, the most painful thing is not that they can't exercise and eventually die, but that they always keep a clear brain and good skin sensory ability throughout the course of the disease. As long as he is alive, the patient will have perception and intelligence. Zou said that although gradual freezing can not be cured at present, it can delay the course of disease and improve its function through drug treatment and rehabilitation treatment.
"It is easy to be misdiagnosed in the early stage of freezing people." Zou said that weakness of both lower limbs began on 20 17. Fortunately, up to now, the muscles of upper limbs and oropharynx have not been significantly affected, which is suspected of flail leg syndrome or hereditary spastic paraplegia. Flail leg syndrome is a relatively benign motor neuron disease. Patients may only have weakness of both lower limbs within a few years after onset, but most patients will have weakness of both upper limbs and tongue with the progress of the disease. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is relatively benign, mainly manifested by increased muscle tension of both lower limbs and no obvious muscle atrophy.