The nemesis of neck, shoulder, lumbar and leg pain – acupuncture The Navy General Hospital has treated more than 50,000 patients since the opening of the acupuncture clinic in 1988, with a clinical efficiency of more than 90 percent. Director Qiao Jinlin has conducted animal experimental research on the mechanism of acupuncture treatment and the effect of acupuncture on soft tissue injury in activating blood circulation, resolving blood stasis and regulating immunity, which is leading in the military and advanced in China. According to the national health department statistics, the incidence of soft tissue injury diseases such as neck, shoulder, lumbar and leg pain has risen to the third place, more than 80% of the population has at least one low back pain in their lifetime, only osteoarthritis China has nearly 60 million patients. Faced with these heavy figures, Qiao Jinlin, director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy at the Naval General Hospital, resolutely chose to work on clinical medical treatment and research of soft tissue diseases. Director Qiao introduced, more than ten years ago, the first contact with the treatment of soft tissue diseases is from acupuncture, after several years of clinical practice, found that many diseases are still recurrent after treatment, the efficacy is unstable, the heart is very distressed. So he used his spare time to systematically study the latest theories of soft tissue injury, learn new techniques such as acupuncture and pain therapy, and apply them in the clinic, achieving remarkable results. A foreign dignitary had to resign from his high position as an entrepreneur because of long-term chronic headache and spasm of half of his face with muscle atrophy, which caused unbearable pain every day and affected his image. After consulting Director Qiao, he was diagnosed with severe cervical spondylosis with subluxation of the annular pivot joint and returned home after five times of treatment. An elderly patient who suffered from back and leg pain for more than ten years, repeatedly failed to recover from multiple treatments, and was diagnosed with posterior lumbar nerve compression by Director Qiao, and was cured once by needle knife release treatment under 3D CT guidance. Similar difficult cases are encountered by Director Qiao every week at the specialist clinic. On November 6, 2008, when visiting the “Army TCM Achievement Exhibition”, Deputy Director Yu Wenming of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Assistant Zhou Dengfeng of the Ministry of Health of the General Logistics, and President Yang Minghui of the Army TCM Society, Director Qiao Jinlin received the director kindly. Director Qiao introduced to the leaders that his team, after several years of continuous exploration and innovation, has gradually realized the application research of “visual acupuncture” by closely combining acupuncture and modern imaging diagnosis and treatment technology. Yu Mingming, deputy director, highly praised the important role of acupuncture and knife medicine in the cause of military health care and maintenance of people’s health, and put forward guiding advice. Needle knife is from the ancient “nine needles” in the “sharp needle” improved, the tip of the needle is flat with an edge, the needle body diameter of 0.8 ~ 1.2mm. needle handle for a gourd-shaped handle. The length of the needle knife is divided into Ⅰ to Ⅳ type, according to the depth of the lesion to choose the model. Therefore, the needle knife has the nature of a milli-needle, but also has some of the functions of a scalpel (such as cutting separation). The combination of Chinese and Western medicine is a perfect blend. Needle knife medicine is a new branch of Chinese medicine based on small needle knife therapy, which is the inevitable product and academic achievement of the innovative development of Chinese medicine. Needle knife can directly release the myofascia, bursa and other soft tissue adhesion scar at the lesion, release the vascular nerve compression, improve local blood circulation, promote the absorption of inflammation, and relieve spastic pain. The late Professor Shang Tianyu, a leading orthopedic surgeon, pointed out, “Acupuncture medicine as a new theoretical system of medicine has been formed and is an innovative system, how much impact it will have on the world of medicine can not yet be blindly predicted, but it will certainly have an impact, which is foreseeable.” Pain and dysfunction are often twin demons. How to restore the body’s activity and function as soon as possible after relieving pain, without creating sequelae, and consolidating the long-term effects is the topic facing rehabilitation medicine. In recent years, Director Qiao has proposed a holistic treatment plan based on acupuncture and pain treatment, supplemented by medication and exercise rehabilitation, and created the triple therapy of “acupuncture and knife release – pain treatment – rehabilitation work”, which has received remarkable results in clinical practice. Up to 2008, the team led by Director Qiao has treated more than 20,000 cases of soft tissue injuries in the neck, shoulder, arm, waist, hip and leg mainly by acupuncture. In the past ten years, he has published forty-nine papers and monographs, and his representative monographs include “Clinical Outline of Holographic Embryo Acupuncture”, “Hand Acupuncture Therapy”, and “Chinese Acupuncture”; he is also the deputy editor of “Acupuncture Medical Knife Technique and Manipulation”, a planning textbook for higher Chinese medicine colleges and universities. His current research interests are in the areas of the therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture for soft tissue injuries and the prevention and treatment of military training injuries. In addition to his busy clinical and administrative work in the department, he also holds academic positions such as deputy director of the Acupuncture and Knife Medical Association of the Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine; director of the All-Army Acupuncture and Knife Professional Committee; deputy director of the All-Army Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Professional Committee; and executive editor-in-chief of the Journal of Acupuncture and Knife Medicine. He presided over or participated in 5 projects of the Ministry of Health and the National “973” Program, which are in full swing. With the support of the higher leadership and the Society, the Acupuncture Committee of the All Army Chinese Medicine Society was formally established on May 16, 2008, and the first All Army Acupuncture Symposium was held. The General Assembly elected 47 members of the Acupuncture Professional Committee, who represent more than 1,800 acupuncture workers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Armed Police Force. When mentioning the development direction of acupuncture medicine, Director Qiao said, acupuncture medicine has become a branch of Chinese medicine and innovation system is not easy to come by, founder Mr. Zhu Hanzhang and the old generation of acupuncturists exhausted efforts, and even pay the price of life! The development of acupuncture medicine must follow the guidance of the basic theory of Chinese medicine, the application of modern science and technology, especially the imaging technology of Western medicine, for the diagnosis of acupuncture and operation technology standardization of solid work, while in accordance with the clinical evidence-based medicine method, screening out acupuncture suitable diseases; of course, acupuncture education and training of personnel is the foundation of the foundation. Recently, the outline of the development of acupuncture medicine and the standardization of acupuncture in the army is in the process of intense and orderly work. In short, the work task is busy and there are many, many things that need to be done. At the end of the interview, Director Qiao said with deep emotion: “If studying medicine was my choice by chance, then studying soft tissue injury diseases is my lifelong pursuit! I am willing to relieve the pain and add more health for the people and the army officers and soldiers on the platform provided by the hospital.”