A few days ago, a Swiss expert, Mr. C, was transferred to the PUMCH Winter Olympic Ward due to severe low back pain. After receiving Dr. Jo’s TCM massage treatment, the pain was relieved quickly, which prompted him to write a letter of profuse praise and thanks to the ward. Dr. Jo is Dr. Zhou Ban from the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, PUMCH. As early as in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Zhou Ban provided medical services in the tennis venue and his superb TCM massage skills impressed Federer, Gonzalez and other athletes. He is indeed a “dual-Olympics doctor” in the true sense.

Mr. C visited PUMCH this time at Mr. D’s strong recommendation.

Mr. D suffered from trauma when he was young, which still causes him discomfort when he is busy with work; during the Tokyo Olympics, he had already developed symptoms of aggravated low back pain and tried many therapies. This time, he had a severe attack of low back pain again and was transferred to the PUMCH Winter Olympic Ward for further treatment. Informed by a joint evaluation of the Department of Orthopedics Surgery, Department of Anesthesiology, and Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the ward decided on a treatment plan combining “drugs + nerve block + physiotherapy”, and Zhou Ban performed the TCM massage therapy for the patient.

After getting the assignment, Zhou Ban did for Mr. D a 20-minute massage therapy. He applied traditional massage methods of pressing, rubbing, and rolling to the patient’s affected area to relax the muscles, activate blood, and smooth the joints. He also hit the patients’ acupoints on the waist and back in the traditional way to activate the meridians, stimulate the muscles, and achieve the effect of local relaxation. After 20 minutes, the patient felt warm all over the body and also much more flexible physically. “I’ve had a lot of massage therapies, but the TCM massage is truly amazing!”

Mr. D immediately recommended his friend Mr. C to PUMCH, who also profusely and enthusiastically praised Zhou Ban as “amazing”.

In the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics 14 years ago, Zhou Ban provided medical services as a volunteer in the tennis venue. Federer, the world-renowned Swiss tennis player that claimed the gold medal in men’s doubles, after Zhou Ban performed the TCM massage on him for the first time, exclaimed that “I am as happy as a fairy now” and brought his coach to pick Zhou Ban’s brain. Gonzalez, a famous Chilean tennis player, suffered a lower back injury after completing the quarter-finals of men’s singles and was almost unable to participate in the next round. Zhou Ban also performed massage therapy for him for about an hour, and Gonzalez finally won the silver medal in men’s singles. In the tennis venue, many tennis players were fascinated by the effect of TCM massage, and often went to massage therapists like Zhou Ban to “relax their muscles”.

In PUMCH, a designated hospital for both the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, there are many other “dual-Olympics doctors” like Zhou Ban. Speaking of his “dual-Olympics” experience, Zhou Ban is humble but also very proud. “The Olympic Games are a great stage for us to showcase the Chinese culture and highlight the features of TCM. It gives me great pleasure to provide medical services at the two Olympic Games and receive recognition and compliment from different people for my TCM massage skills.”

Dr. Jo is Dr. Zhou Ban from the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Journalist: Chen Mingyan

Picture: The PUMCH Winter Olympic Ward

Translator: Liu Haiyan

Editor: Wang Yao