One stay in China: your spine treatment, a full health checkup and TCM care alongside it

Common options include physiotherapy and exercise, pain medicines and spinal injections. Which of them suits you is a decision for a spine specialist who has seen your scans and examined you. In China, TCM is part of hospital care and is used alongside them: a physician may suggest acupuncture, tui na massage, moxibustion or a herbal formula, usually as a course of sessions. The physician reads your tongue and pulse first, so two people with the same scan may get different treatment, and results differ from person to person. TCM works alongside medical care in China, not instead of it.

An epidural steroid injection places a steroid medicine close to an irritated nerve in the spine to reduce inflammation and pain. How much it helps and for how long varies from person to person, and whether it suits you is decided by a spine specialist after reviewing your MRI. If you come to China, the surgeon can discuss injections, physiotherapy and surgery with you during the same consultation.

Not always. Surgery is usually considered when a specific problem, such as a disc pressing on a nerve, is seen on the scan and matches your symptoms, or when other treatment has not helped. A spine surgeon decides after reviewing your MRI and examining you. Send your scans and history first, and a Chinese spine surgeon will say whether surgery or other treatment suits you before you plan any travel.

It depends on the cause of your pain, so ask a physiotherapist or doctor for exercises chosen for your condition, especially if you have both a disc problem and spinal stenosis. Stop and get advice if an exercise makes leg pain, numbness or weakness worse. During a stay in China, a rehabilitation or TCM physician can see you in person and adjust the plan with your spine doctor.