Professional Acupuncturist Toshi Yamamoto's Story of a Healer's Life - Independence Chapter 7

A case of saving a knee joint from pain after meniscus surgery

An injury to a corporate league soccer player

One day, Mr. S, a 27-year-old male corporate league soccer player living in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, was referred to my clinic. Mr. S is a corporate league soccer player who suffered a right knee meniscus injury during a match. He said with a deeply troubled face, 'I had surgery at a sports clinic at a Tokyo medical university to shave down the crack in my meniscus using an endoscope. After the surgery, water began to accumulate in my right knee, and I developed pain so severe I couldn't even kick a soccer ball. I am scheduled to have a full-scale surgery again in the middle of this month, but my schedule is packed with matches and other commitments, and I cannot afford to be off the field right now, nor can I cause trouble for my team. Even if the surgery is successful, I will definitely be unable to play in matches for 6 months to a year due to rehabilitation and other factors. Also, even if the surgery is successful, there is no guarantee that my knee will return to being able to kick a ball like it used to. I cannot give up on my soccer life for another 4 to 5 years. After much deliberation, I consulted friends and acquaintances, and they referred me to you. If I can't get better at your clinic, I will give up and have the knee surgery.'

The condition of the knee after surgery was poor, and his lower back was also injured

When I visually inspected Mr. S's right knee, it was clear that water had accumulated. When I had him flex and extend his knee on the spot, his movements were sluggish, and he winced in pain. People with knee injuries often hurt both their lower back and their knees because they put a strain on their lower back to compensate for their knee while walking.

Starting with treatment for the lower back

Since Mr. S also said he had pain when performing forward bending movements of the lower back, I started with treatment for the lower back before treating the knee joint. I selected six points: the left and right Sanjiaoshu, Shenshu, Qihai-shu, Dachangshu, Zhishi, and Yaoyan points, and applied needles for 20 minutes. As he is an athlete, to let him understand the effect of the treatment, I had him stand up from the bed when the lower back treatment was finished, and after having him fully perform forward bending and twisting of the lower back, I asked how he felt. He said, 'The dull, heavy pain that I felt in my lower back after standing for a while has become negligible.'

Next, the main event: knee treatment. What will the effect be?

Once I confirmed that his lower back movement had become lighter, I performed full-scale treatment on the knee joint. For the points on the front of the knee, I selected eight points: Xuehai, Liangqiu, Dubi, Ququan, Yingu, Yinlingquan, Yanglingquan, and Zusanli, and applied needles for 10 minutes. Next, for the points on the back of the knee and behind the knee, I selected four points: Weizhong, Weiyang, Weishang, and Heyang, and applied needles for 10 minutes. As with the lower back pain treatment, when I had him perform knee flexion, extension, and rotation immediately after the treatment, he opened his eyes wide and said, 'Bending and stretching my knee is much easier than when I arrived, and the catching sensation is gone. There is still some pain, but it doesn't bother me as much.'

Mr. S is surprised and convinced by the effect of his first acupuncture treatment

Mr. S repeated the flexion and extension of his knee over and over again as if to check the sensation, and nodded to himself as if convinced. Since he had almost given up on his soccer life due to the surgery, he went home very moved by the results of the first treatment.

The situation one week later

When I asked about the condition of his knee one week later, he replied with joy: 'Before the first treatment, I felt pain in my lower back even during daily movements, but now the lower back pain has subsided. However, I do feel a slight discomfort when I do exercises that involve arching my back during warm-ups. I resumed light practice on the sixth day after the first treatment, and I only felt a little knee pain in the second half. Still, compared to the knee pain before the treatment, it is much easier. Besides, the water that had accumulated in my knee has gradually disappeared.'

The healer is alive, and the patient's cells and muscles are also alive.

It is not the case that everything should be cured in one go. It is necessary to perform treatment so as not to strain the cells and muscles, while still allowing exercise to be resumed. If the healer controls their consciousness, the patient's cells and muscles will respond honestly. The healer is alive, and the patient's cells and muscles are also alive; recovery awaits on the extension of that.

The second treatment and its aftermath

For the second treatment, I selected the same points and, along with the knee treatment, treated the lower back, which is the pivot of the body. With the second treatment, the discomfort he felt during exercises involving arching his back disappeared, the flexion, extension, and rotation of his knee became even smoother, and the water that had accumulated in his knee had decreased to about half of what it was during the treatment a week earlier.

The third treatment and its aftermath

Five days after the third treatment three weeks later, I received a phone call from him about the progress after the treatment. 'First, regarding my lower back, the pain is completely gone even after I do thorough warm-up exercises. As for the knee I was worried about, when I started the treatment, you could see that water had accumulated in the knee, but now the water has drained, and it is no longer visible to the eye. Even when I kick a ball during practice, I no longer feel anxious about my knee. I have started to find joy in my life again,' he said with a bright, bouncing voice. 'My soccer teammates are worried about whether it's okay for me to move that much, but I'm doing well. I intend to move while holding back a little, but from my teammates' perspective, it seems like my play is no different from before I hurt my knee and lower back,' he continued in a happy voice. By the third treatment, as he reported over the phone, the water that had accumulated in his right knee had recovered to the point where it was not visible to the naked eye.

Feedback from the patient one month later

About a month later, I received a fax from the patient, and I will share the original text here.
“I am writing to report that I had a check-up at the Tokyo G Medical University Sports Clinic in late April.
The diagnosis was, 'We will hold off on surgery and monitor the situation. You may play soccer as usual.'
I told the doctor, 'I was too busy with work to undergo surgery, so I rested, and the knee pain went away, so I wanted to have it re-examined.'
As for my current condition, I have a little pain in my right knee for a day or two after days when I practice kicking fast balls repeatedly, but there are no signs of fluid buildup.
My training schedule is: Tuesday/Thursday = practice, Monday/Friday = weight training, Wednesday/Saturday = off, Sunday = match.
When there is a futsal (mini-soccer) match, I participate in those games.
I thought about reporting this by phone, but I didn't want to disturb you if you were in the middle of treating patients, so I sent a fax instead.
I apologize for the delay in reporting this.
I would like to have a check-up in May, so thank you for your continued support.”
That is how it concluded.

At the hospital where the surgery was supposed to take place...

The patient, who had resigned himself to the end of his soccer career due to the knee surgery, says that after only three acupuncture treatments, the fluid stopped accumulating in his knee, and the knee's range of motion returned to almost exactly what it was before.
He says that even in subsequent soccer practices and matches, there were no signs of fluid buildup in his knee, even when playing at full capacity.
Since Tokyo G Medical University is the team's designated hospital, he apparently didn't mention the acupuncture treatments to his doctor during the check-up, and the doctor was reportedly puzzled by his miraculous recovery.

Should you tell your doctor that you received acupuncture treatment?

When I first started practicing, orthopedic surgeons would make a sour face if I told them a patient had been cured by acupuncture.
Although this has become less common recently, it seems that patients like this one still feel hesitant and use white lies with their primary care physicians.
Some people say you should just tell your doctor the truth, but since everyone has their own personal relationships to navigate, I think either way is fine.
The point is that the patient should be freed from pain and suffering as soon as possible, and I am merely helping them achieve that.

Afterword

Thank you for reading once again.
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