During my years working in private practice, I have often been asked to do home visits throughout the Lower Mainland.

More recently, I traveled to the Sunshine Coast. But when I was asked by a client of mine to travel to China to continue her physiotherapy treatments that she had started at my clinic here in Vancouver, I was taken aback!

A home visit to the other side of the world.

Wuhan, China by Matt Neale/Unsplash.

And so, last month, I traveled to Wuhan, China and there I put my physiotherapy skills to use. For 2 weeks, I saw about 6 patients a day in a makeshift clinic that was run out of the mezzanine floor of a large family home. Most issues I saw were orthopedic in nature.

When first arrived, I was admittedly nervous because for one, I do not speak fluent Mandarin (only Cantonese). This was particularly rattling as I was told by my client that she and the other patients were quite eager to see me. In fact, some were to travel from several hours away. Were they expecting a miracle worker?

Nevertheless, the treatment approach I took was educational with an evidence- and exercise- based approach, so that when I left, I knew they would still have things they could work on on their own. What a relief it was to hear at the end of the trip that they all had reported experiencing improvement and benefit from the physio.

Upon my return, I received an email from one of my translators (the comment was unsolicited):

“After watching your treatments, I realize that you, a representative of Western-educated professional physiotherapist [sic], are more likely to seek the original source of the problems before implementing any treatment, whereas in China, doctors now are just used to dealing with the symptoms only. The gap of attitude, reflecting the difference of education quality, shapes the gap of living standards between Canada and China.”

From my understanding, physiotherapy is not an established profession in China, although one might find it in international hospitals that serve mostly ex-pats and wealthier nationals.

Working in an emerging country like China was fascinating. There was an openness amongst the people I encountered, and even a hunger for more evidence-based practice. Perhaps this is because of the prevalence of the so-called “quack medicine” that my patients reported experiencing in the past. Or perhaps the openness to western medicine and physiotherapy is simply a reflection of the nation’s emerging wealth and its openness to the west and everything it has to offer.

Either way, opportunities are emerging for physiotherapy in China and I am grateful for my brief professional foray into Asia.

Grace Cheung is a physiotherapist who specializes in treating musicians and performing artists. She is also a musician and plays violin, piano, guitars and is now learning the cello. Grace is co-owner of Go! Physiotherapy Sports and Wellness Centre.