Chinese woodcut: Orthopedic technique to treat prolapsed disk

Woodcut from Shangke buyao (Supplement to Traumatology) by Qian Xiuchang, published in 1818 (23rd year of the Jiaqing reign period of the Qing dynasty). Pansuo diezhuan ('holding a rope and standing on a stack of bricks') is an orthopaedic technique. Two lengths of rope are suspended from a height, and a stack of three bricks is placed beneath each of them, one on either side. The patient has to stand on the bricks, grasping a rope in each hand. The practitioner holds and supports the affected part, while assistants remove one brick from the stack under each foot, obliging the patient to stand upright, with shoulders back and chest out. This is done three times, or as long as the patient's feet can still touch the ground. It is considered to soothe Qi and disperse stagnations, raise up prolapsed vertebrae, and correct curvature. Subsequently, the patient is tightly wrapped in bamboo mats, to hold him or her in position, and made to lie supine, without moving to left or right, or turning onto his or her side. This technique was used to treat prolapsed disk, arising from positional distortions of the cervical or lumbar vertebrae. It could also be used in the treatment of sudden lumbar strain and pain when breathing.

PICTURE TITLE: Illustration of the procedure for pansuo diezhuan ('holding a rope and standing on a stack of bricks')