British engineer returns to Wuhan for a new assessment of back and leg pain
After treatment in 2023 and follow-up through WeChat, Dean Johnson returned to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University for repeat MRI and lumbar endoscopic surgery in May 2026.
Published by CareAtlas · Editorial policy
British engineer Dean Johnson returned to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in May 2026 for assessment of lower-back and leg pain. It was his second trip to the hospital’s pain department, following treatment for a different episode in 2023 and continued contact with his doctor after returning home.
An earlier visit and continued follow-up
Johnson, 57, had experienced pain since a serious road accident in 2008. He used Pilates to relieve symptoms, but his back pain worsened in 2021 and at times made breathing painful. He said investigations and pain treatment in Britain had not provided satisfactory relief.
After meeting Chinese students through work, he asked for help finding a doctor. In September 2023, he travelled to Wuhan to see pain department director Jia Yifan. Jia and his team treated him using radiofrequency therapy combined with silver-needle soft-tissue release. Johnson reported that the back pain resolved after that treatment.
He added Jia on WeChat. After returning to Britain, he received messages asking about his recovery, and he contacted the doctor again when lower-back pain developed.
Previous scans reviewed, then MRI repeated
Johnson arrived in Wuhan on the morning of May 8, 2026. That afternoon, doctor Li Shenghong reviewed him and the MRI images he had brought. The assessment indicated a different cause from the nerve-injury explanation he had previously received, and lumbar endoscopic surgery was recommended.
Johnson asked whether the earlier needle treatment could be repeated because he was worried about surgical injury. Jia explained that the location and cause of this episode differed, requiring a different approach, although the proposed procedure was also minimally invasive.
Johnson requested a fresh MRI because his existing scans were older and he wanted to check for changes. The new images supported the clinical assessment.
Surgery on May 11
He underwent surgery on May 11. Afterwards, he reported that the pain in his lower back and left leg had disappeared. The account, published on Wuhan’s government website on May 23, records this early postoperative response following reassessment and a treatment choice specific to the new episode.