Kazakhstani Child Receives Life-Saving Treatment at Peking University International Hospital

At Peking University International Hospital (PKUIH), a life‑saving story unfolded across borders. The patient was a two‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old child from Kazakhstan, diagnosed with pediatric cerebral palsy—a disorder affecting movement and muscle tone—along with neurodevelopmental delay and a congenital cytomegalovirus infection. These conditions had caused significant motor delays: the child had abnormally high muscle tone in both legs, making it impossible to sit or stand unassisted. Fine hand movements were severely limited, and the child also suffered from strabismus, or crossed eyes. Accompanied by family members, the child traveled thousands of miles to China in search of hope.

To address the child's complex condition, PKUIH swiftly mobilized its multidisciplinary team model. Specialists from pediatrics, traditional Chinese medicine, infectious diseases, neurosurgery, nutrition, ophthalmology, and rehabilitation medicine convened for joint consultations, conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the condition, ruling out potential treatment risks, and crafting a personalized care plan that integrated diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Jin Tingting from the Rehabilitation Department performed a thorough functional assessment, evaluating muscle tone, neurodevelopment, fine motor skills, and Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Based on these results, she established rehabilitation goals centered on reducing muscle tone, strengthening core control, improving fine motor skills, and enhancing independence in ADL. Rehabilitation therapist Zhang Yinghao then delivered more than 20 days of systematic, individualized rehabilitation training in line with those objectives.

During the training, therapist Zhang Yinghao addressed the child's weak respiratory muscles, poor coordination, and limited chest breathing—using the chest rather than the belly to breathe—along with a suspected secondary pigeon chest, a chest wall deformity where the breastbone protrudes outward. Following the principles of early childhood development, he introduced rehabilitation in a step‑by‑step progression:

• First, he improved breathing patterns and activated respiratory muscles through abdominal breathing exercises, playful blowing games, and rolling movements to stabilize the shoulder blades and pelvis.
• Next, core training included seated reaching, prone stretching over a roller, and kneeling‑to‑sitting transitions to open up the chest cavity.
• Then, he worked on shoulder blade control with wall pushes and prone on elbows, combined with bilateral coordination exercises to enhance hand function.
• Finally, ball kicking, obstacle stepping, exercise ball training, and brace‑assisted walking were used to reduce leg spasticity and practice separate leg movements.

Throughout the process, the difficulty was gradually increased based on the child's cooperation.

After more than 20 days of systematic rehabilitation and attentive care, remarkable improvements quietly emerged: the child's muscle tone in all four limbs significantly decreased, and fine hand movements improved dramatically. Actions like grasping, pinching, and finger‑to‑finger opposition became more flexible and stable. ADLs such as eating, picking up objects, and cooperating with dressing greatly improved. The child's overall functioning considerably improved after admission, progressing from developmental delay, limited mobility, and dependence for basic needs to achieving meaningful recovery milestones—this transformation was the result of multidisciplinary collaboration across clinics. 

Peking University International Hospital successfully helped this young patient from Kazakhstan on the road to recovery, drawing on our mature multidisciplinary diagnostic system, advanced precision rehabilitation techniques, and internationally oriented medical services. We have well‑established protocols for treating international patients, including dedicated care coordinators, language interpretation support, and streamlined admission processes.

Department Introduction
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine is a comprehensive specialty that integrates clinical care, teaching, and research, with a focus on orthopedic and sports injury rehabilitation, as well as spinal cord injury, neurorehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, postpartum rehabilitation, critical care rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, and high-end VIP rehabilitation.

The department was co-established in 2016 with experts from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital, and is currently led by Director Gao Qian and his rehabilitation team.

The department boasts a bright, comfortable rehabilitation hall and VIP rehabilitation treatment suites. It applies a clinical rehabilitation model where rehabilitation physicians, therapists, and nurses work collaboratively to deliver tailored rehabilitation programs for each patient.

Dr. GAO Qian
Chief Physician

Professional Summary

Specialised in the rehabilitation of complex and challenging bone and joint disorders, including cervical and lumbar disc herniation, various forms of arthritis, sports injuries, and postoperative orthopaedic sequelae. Main treatment approaches include thermal needling therapy, manual therapy, injections (such as ultrasound-guided therapeutic injections and platelet-rich plasma [PRP] therapy), and rehabilitation training.

Resume

Dr. GAO is the Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Peking University International Hospital. He holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Medicine and has completed a postdoctoral fellowship; he is a Chief Physician and a master’s thesis advisor. With over 30 years of experience in rehabilitation medicine, he is a senior expert in the field.

He has long been engaged in clinical practice and research on the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders and pain, accumulating extensive experience in the rehabilitation of complex and severe musculoskeletal conditions. He has conducted in-depth research on internal heat needle therapy in particular. He also possesses extensive experience in developing rehabilitation protocols for nerve injuries and managing related complications.

Academic and Professional Positions

• Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Peking University International Hospital
• Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Council Member, Rehabilitation Physicians Branch, Chinese Medical Doctors Association
• Vice Chairperson, Pain Medicine Branch, Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Standing Committee Member, Soft Tissue Pain Branch, Chinese Association for the Promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors, Beijing Society of Rehabilitation Medicine
• Council Member, Chinese Society of Rehabilitation Medicine
• Council Member, Rehabilitation Association of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation