China's Top Departments: Acupuncture, Tuina & Traumatology at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital

If you are living with chronic low back pain from a herniated disc, recovering from a stroke, or struggling with a frozen shoulder or chronic neck pain that has not responded to rest and medication, the Department of Acupuncture, Tuina & Traumatology at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital offers an approach built almost entirely on non-surgical, non-pharmacological treatment.

This is the only TCM-related national key specialty across the entire hospital — a reflection of how seriously a major Western-style academic medical center takes traditional Chinese medicine.

Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital was founded in 1904 and is a large tertiary academic medical center. It hosts the National Medical Center for Orthopedics (established 2022), is a national demonstration unit for TCM services in general hospitals, a flagship hospital for integrated Chinese-Western medicine in Shanghai, and a national demonstration department of TCM in a general hospital.

At Medora, we help international patients navigate this department. Here's what you need to know.

Academic Platforms

• NATCM Key Specialty (National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
• Lu Shouyan Acupuncture Inheritance & Research Center
• "Lu's Acupuncture" Heritage Museum
• National demonstration unit for TCM services in general hospitals
• Flagship hospital for integrated Chinese-Western medicine in Shanghai
• National demonstration department of TCM in a general hospital
• Clinical teaching base for TCM in a general hospital (SJTU "Acupuncture" quality course)

Core Strengths

1. Home of "Lu's Acupuncture" (陆氏针灸)

The department is the home of "Lu's Acupuncture", a renowned modern Shanghai acupuncture school listed on the national intangible cultural heritage register. It serves as the key inheritance base for the school and hosts both the Lu Shouyan Acupuncture Inheritance & Research Center and the "Lu's Acupuncture" Heritage Museum.

Several senior physicians are fourth- and fifth-generation inheritors of the tradition. Their signature needling techniques are used to treat insomnia, facial palsy, frozen shoulder, lumbar disc herniation, cervical spondylosis and knee osteoarthritis.

2. Specialized Clinic for Lumbar Disc Herniation

The department runs a Specialized Clinic for Lumbar Disc Herniation, its signature program of integrated Chinese-Western diagnosis and treatment. Patients are evaluated jointly from both a Western orthopedic and a TCM perspective before a treatment plan is set.

3. Main Conditions Treated

• Lumbar disc herniation
• Post-stroke sequelae
• Neck-shoulder syndrome
• Adhesive (frozen) shoulder

4. Techniques Used

• Acupuncture, tuina (therapeutic massage) and TCM traumatology manipulation at the core
• Oral and topical herbal medicine
• Pestle needle (杵针)
• Comprehensive TCM protocols for spinal and osteoarticular conditions

5. Academic Focus and Complementary Role

The department's academic focus is the integrated Chinese-Western treatment of spinal disease. It works alongside the hospital's orthopedics department in a "Western surgery + conservative TCM treatment" model — meaning patients who need surgery can still receive TCM rehabilitation, and patients who can avoid surgery have a genuine conservative pathway.

Expert Team

Prof. Wu Yaochi serves as Chairman of the Shanghai Community TCM Health Service Research Center, Chair of the Shanghai Acupuncture Clinical Medicine Professional Committee, Chair of the Appropriate Technology Branch of the Shanghai Association of Chinese Medicine, Director of the Lu Shouyan Acupuncture Inheritance & Research Center, and Curator of the "Lu's Acupuncture" Heritage Museum. He is also a Shanghai Famous TCM Physician and the supervising instructor for the seventh batch of the national academic-experience inheritance program for veteran TCM experts, and leads an NATCM Key Specialty.

Research and Honors

Prof. Wu has led 31 research projects, published 17 monographs and 305 papers, held 53 patents, and received 12 awards, including the China TCM Science & Technology Award and the Shanghai Science & Technology Progress Award.

His honors include:

• "Shanghai Construction Meritorious Figure"
• "Silver Snake Award"
• "Shanghai Top Ten Outstanding Young Medical Managers"
• "Shanghai Award for Outstanding Contributions to TCM"
• "Benevolent Physician · Shanghai Outstanding Specialist Physician Award"

The department hosts the SJTU "Acupuncture" quality course and serves as a clinical teaching base for TCM in a general hospital. Through its community outreach, "Lu's Acupuncture" clinics also operate in Changning and Fengxian districts.

Clinic Information

Address

• Xuhui Campus (main): 600 Yishan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
• Lingang Campus: 222 Huanhu West 3rd Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Shanghai is served by two international airports — Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) — and the Xuhui Campus is in the city center.

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This guide is prepared for Central Asian and international patients. If you need assistance with medical consultation, appointment booking, or travel arrangements to Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital's Department of Acupuncture, Tuina & Traumatology, contact Medora for personalized support.