Tuina Therapy

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine is the only National Clinical Research Base for Traditional Chinese Medicine in China featuring acupuncture, tuina, rehabilitation and other non-pharmacological therapies. With support from the Tuina Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Tuina Teaching and Research Section of the Yueyang Clinical Medical College of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Department of Tuina of Yueyang Hospital is currently the Regional Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; the lead institution for the pilot project for national clinical collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of major and difficult diseases; a key discipline of the Ministry of Education; a key discipline of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; a national clinical key specialty of the National Health Commission; the Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina Medical Center of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; a key Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina specialty of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; the institution serving as secretary-general of the Tuina Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine; a Shanghai municipal key clinical specialty of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and a Shanghai municipal key discipline.

The Department of Tuina of Yueyang Hospital is acclaimed as “the cradle of modern Chinese tuina” and “the Whampoa Military Academy of the tuina community.” Under the leadership of successive department directors and through the efforts of numerous predecessors, the Department of Tuina has developed into a leading tuina department in China. It has achieved notable therapeutic results in treating cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar osteoarthritis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, sacroiliitis, cervicogenic vertigo, periarthritis of the shoulder, acute lumbar sprain, knee osteoarthritis, post-fracture rehabilitation, acute and chronic soft-tissue injuries, sarcopenia in older adults, chronic fatigue syndrome, dysmenorrhea, coronary heart disease, pediatric torticollis, diarrhea in infants and young children, cerebral palsy and other diseases. It received the 2017 Shanghai Quality Gold Award.

The Department of Tuina has undertaken numerous research projects, including the Ministry of Science and Technology’s “973” Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and industry-specific projects of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. “The Meridian-Sinew Mechanism and Clinical Application of Tuina in Treating Cervical Spondylosis” and “Construction and Clinical Application of a Diagnosis and Treatment System for Characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapies” won the First Prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award in 2009 and 2014, respectively.

The Department of Tuina carries on the distinctive Ding-style Tuina school (including the Yizhi Chan Tuina school and the ?-method Tuina school), the Neigong Tuina school and other distinctive traditions; has established specialist teams for spinal tuina, Healthy Walking and pediatric tuina; established studio teams including the Yan Juntao Famous Senior Traditional Chinese Physician Studio, the Cao Renfa Famous Senior Traditional Chinese Physician Studio, the Jin Yicheng Famous Senior Traditional Chinese Physician Studio and the Shen Guoquan Famous Senior Traditional Chinese Physician Studio; and developed and innovated the spinal micro-adjustment manipulation system and Shanghai-style pediatric tuina.

The Department of Tuina has China’s earliest doctoral degree-granting site and postdoctoral mobile station for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina specialty. It currently has four doctoral supervisors, including Yan Juntao, Shen Guoquan, Fang Min and Sun Wuquan, and 14 master’s supervisors, including Zhang Qinming, Feng Yanhua, Jiang Shuyun, Gong Li, Zhang Xilin, Lü Qiang, Gu Fei, Wu Jiarong, Chen Zhiwei, Yan Zhen, Liu Kunpeng, Li Jianhua, Kong Lingjun and He Tianxiang. In 2018, “Equal Emphasis on Inheritance and Development, and Pursuing Both Distinctive Features and Leadership”—the Establishment and Reform Practice of China’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina Education System—won the First Prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award for Higher Education.

The Department of Tuina of Yueyang Hospital is the Shanghai Research and Diagnosis and Treatment Center for the Inheritance of the Ding-style Tuina School, the Shanghai Clinical Base for Traditional Chinese Medicine Spinal Diseases, the lead institution of the Tuina Quality Control Group of the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Quality Control Center, the lead institution of the expert group for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina Department in Shanghai’s standardized training of resident and specialist physicians, the lead institution of the expert group for the periodic assessment of acupuncture and tuina specialists in the Traditional Chinese Medicine category of the Shanghai Medical Doctors Association, and the lead institution of the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Tuina Specialty Alliance. In 2019, the Department of Tuina received the title of Advanced Collective of the Shanghai Health and Family Planning System for 2015-2017 and was shortlisted as one of the third batch of 30 “Innovative Medical Service Brands” in Shanghai; in 2021, the Department of Tuina was awarded the Shanghai “Worker Pioneer” title.