Traumatology in Chinese Medicine Department Doctor Yu-An Yeh

Mr. Zhong, 57 years old, started experiencing hip pain on the right side since August 2016 and was diagnosed with Ficat and Arlet classification of avascular necrosis of femoral head: Stage II. He has been receiving Chinese medical treatment since then and not only does he not need to rely on painkiller but the disease progress has been slowed to postpone the schedule for artificial hip joint replacement.

【Cause of avascular necrosis of femoral head】

Attending physician of Traumatology in Chinese Medicine Department of China Medical University Hospital, Doctor Yu-An Yeh described the cause of avascular necrosis of femoral head is mostly divided into “traumatic” and “non-traumatic.” “Traumatic” cause usually refers to the avascular necrosis due to dislocation of the hip or fracture neck of femur. “Non-traumatic” cause in Taiwan often refers to the osteonecrosis, as a result of the use of alcohol and steroid causing damage and degeneration to local vascular endothelium, fat buildup, and thereby blocking blood flow. Moreover, some are idiopathic osteonecrosis that could not be found with any cause and is currently considered to be related to genetics (physique).

Doctor Yu-An Yeh and Doctor Cong-Li Lin from Department of Orthopedics, analyzed the data over a 10-year period compiled from National Health Insurance Research Database. The findings show that patients of osteonecrosis, after calibrating factors such as age, sex, social-economic status, companying disease, western medicine, and surgery, receiving Chinese medical treatment significantly lowered the probability of artificial hip joint replacement, compared with those without receiving Chinese medical treatment. The research results have been published on Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

【Joint care with Chinese and Western Medicine】

Doctor Yu-An Yeh believes that osteonecrosis in the process of disease progression, regardless of the cause, could cause local “stasis,” “humidity,” “phlegm,” “drink,” and other deposits of pathological products. Moreover, the strength of “Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang” in human body also determines the “capacity of osteogenesis” or “capacity of blood perfusion. In addition, Chinese medical treatment removes pathological products generally through means of “blood circulation, stasis removal, drying, and phlegm dispel,” according to the personal physique of the patients and phase of disease. The patients will be provided with mild nourishment or fever removal treatment depending on the physique of “Mildness, fever, coolness, and coldness,” as well as strengthening the so-called “kidney” in charge of bone marrow, “spleen” in charge of blood circulation and transport, “liver” in charge of storing blood and dispersion, “heart” in charge of blood vessel, “lung” in charge of Qi, and other capacities in Chinese medicine, based on individual conditions.

Doctor Yu-An Yeh pointed that Chinese medical treatment not only alleviates discomfort but slow down osteonecrosis. Before accepting hip joint replacement, Chinese medical treatment aims to stretch the body, ease joint movement, and promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis through Chinese medicine, acupuncture, cupping, manipulative, and laser acupuncture treatment, in order to avoid deterioration of disease condition. After the joint hip replacement, Chinese medical treatment can also assist with post-operative swelling reduction and pain easing and prevent the necrosis on the other side of hip joint.