Sports Doctor in Chengdu?

[ChrisK]

Hi,

I have a mild case of tendonitis from running (iliopsoas, I believe), but I would like to have a specialist look at it. However, I haven’t been able to find an English speaking one.

Does anyone have someone they can recommend?

[Ray]

I would be cautious with a chinese doctor, cos from what i understand their approach with sports injuries is basically to stop all physical activity for 6 months/ one year/ forever, depending on the severity. I had a minor hamstring strain about 3 years ago, went to a “sports injury specialist” (no English) and the prognosis: don’t run for 6 months! I’ve also met a Chinese guy at the gym who seems to have torn his ACL few years ago. Told me the doctor warned him “never to play basketball again”!!

[ChrisK]

…which is exactly the kind of “diagnosis” I am hoping to avoid.

Any international doctors, then?

[GAVVIE]

Parkway & Global advertise in “Go Chengdoo”.Internet and mag.

[Elias]

To echo what Ray said, I have gotten some very bad advice from inexperienced doctors at the Chengdu Sports Medicine Hospital in . In early January I was diagnosed with bone marrow edema (sounds scary right, just swelling in knees) and a degenerative left meniscus in which they gave me some herbal pain spray, some weird ointments and told me to rest for 3-6 months.

Also recommended that I stopped riding my bike and take the subway, in which going up/down stairs was FFFING painful.

Thanks for no vicodin guys

Saw another doc in Huaxi who actually looked at my MRI for longer than 30 sec and told me it didnt look so bad and that swimming/biking were actually beneficial. Had some faith in this guy and he said he went the states before. But when I went back to Huaxi again by the luck o the draw I some random guy who was telling me to just take it easy and I had to practically beg for another refill of glucosamine.

The pain is gone for the most part compared to the hellish crippling feeling I had in January but my left knee has a gross grinding popping sound which makes me think the meniscus is a bit worse off than I was told. Went to the sports Uni to see the “specialist” who of course wasn’t in the day I was there so I competed for doctor time among the grannies with bad dancing hips.

(I swear these grannies fill up hospital queues b/c they have nothing better to do)

Doc did the same knee bending and ROM tests that every doc had done, said ah, no pain no problem. I asked about the persistent grinding sound, he said HE COULDN”T HEAR IT so no problem. Of course he couldn’t hear it, its not his body and there were 10 people in the clinic room chatting away. I was persistent about PT and he gave me 1 stretch to try with the help of a roomie, which basically seemed like a quad flex.

Now I can still go back to see the “specialist” at the sports uni but I feel like I get better health info from forums such as T-Nation http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum

or Livestrong.org

However the more uncertainty I have the more I self diagnose on the Net and the more anxiety I have that maybe I need an arthroscopy for minor knee surgery, something I have a vote of no confidence in when it comes to China. Thinking about taking a medical holiday and heading back to the states before my “Obama care” runs up but how can I get to the bottom of this.

moral of the story, dont trust chinese doctors, but more importantly dont play 2 hours of futball a week, commute 16km/day on small chinese bikes and Dont squat over 115kg with poor form !

[Ray]

Another option is just to get the MRI here, and then scan it or send send it back home, have a friend take it to a trusted doc, and get the diagnosis that way. I was considering this earlier this year when i hurt my bicep. My brother back home asked his physio, and he said no problem, he’d take a look at it.

Parkway and Global Doctor are ok if you can afford it, or if your insurance covers it, but they are super-pricey and will probably only take you to a local hospital anyway. That’s what Global did to me years ago.

[Elias]

Had a really bad experience with parkway in Shanghai, I wanted a test for lyme disease and they did all this other blood work I could have done for about 30 kuai at the local hospital. Then they gave me a 1800 kuai bill in which I only paid a fraction of and bounced!

Good idea about faxing the MRI. There is a great sports medicine/orthro clinic back in Providence

A guy from the consulate recommended a doc in Taibei and I’ve heard great things about hospitals in Bangkok

[ChrisK]

Self-medication it is, then. Jesus.

[Elias]

Its not all gloom and doom ChrisK the Chinese hospital experience is an essential rite of passage for all who visit the middle kingdom.

Go forth with gusto

[Brendan]

Key words are MEDICAL and INSURANCE. I’ve already had a couple of Hospital adventures, but I was lucky enough to be referred to specific Doctors on both occasions. I would not want to be dealing with anything beyond a mild training injury in Chengdu, there appears to be no consistency whatsoever.

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