Chongqing - Since February of last year, Chen Junyu, a physician in the Rehabilitation Department at Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopedic Hospital, has traveled extensively as a team doctor with the Chinese women's beach volleyball national team to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
At the Olympics this year, the Chinese women's beach volleyball team consists of the duo Xue Chen and Xia Xinyi.
"Xue Chen, an experienced player, has a shoulder injury and previously underwent surgery on her right shoulder, so special care is needed for protection. Xia Xinyi, a younger player, primarily needs to maintain her competitive condition," said Chen.
Over the past year, he has become very familiar with both athletes' conditions. He performs acupuncture on Xue Chen every three days and provides manual therapy to relax her muscles after training or matches. For Xia Xinyi, he focuses on local muscle relaxation.
"I never expected to become a team doctor for the national team," said Chen.
The 37-year-old is from Chongqing's Wanzhou district. He graduated from Chengdu Sport University with a degree in Sports Medicine in 2011 and began working at Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopedic Hospital in 2013.
In February 2023, China's National Volleyball Administrative Center under the General Administration of Sport launched a nationwide search for a team doctor to support the women's beach volleyball national team in preparation for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics. Taking a chance, Chen submitted his resume, and to his surprise, he was accepted for a trial period.
Chen Junyu provides rehabilitation treatment for a women’s beach volleyball national team player. (Photo/Chen Junyu)
Beach volleyball players often experience injuries, with shoulder, waist, wrist, and leg injuries being common.
During the week-long trial period, Chen thoroughly examined the eight players and created injury records for each. After each day's treatment, he recorded their feedback to ensure follow-up and monitoring. His dedication and professionalism impressed both the coaching staff and the athletes.
Thus, starting from the Hangzhou Asian Games, Chen officially became the national team doctor. He explained that his background in sports medicine was a perfect fit for the team's needs, and his skill in non-medicinal treatment for injuries is well-recognized, which also won him some awards.
"A team doctor is responsible for managing common conditions like colds, fevers, and both external and internal injuries," Chen noted that his signature skill is acupuncture.
Before the Paris Olympics, as Chen traveled with the Chinese women’s beach volleyball team around the world for matches, athletes and referees from other countries recognized his excellent skills and sought his assistance.
Chen recalled that he was approached by players from the Australian men's beach volleyball team for help with injuries in Latvia and Mexico, respectively.
Chen Junyu provides rehabilitation treatment for foreign athletes. (Photo/Chen Junyu)
Traveling the world with the national team might sound like a glamorous job, but Chen stated that most of the time, he is there to support the athletes during their training.
The daily training is monotonous and demanding: it starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 9:30 a.m., then resumes at 3:00 p.m. and finishes at 5:00 p.m. After dinner, athletes receive treatment from the team doctor and rehabilitation therapist. Chen is always nearby during training and ready to step in at any moment.
"Sometimes, when an athlete's wrists get hurt, and fascia wrapping tape needs to be applied, the team doctor must quickly determine the direction of the wrap and carefully monitor the time to avoid restricting blood circulation," said Chen. Behind the athletes' impressive performances often lies the silent suffering from injuries, he added.
In Chen's luggage, along with acupuncture needles, electroacupuncture devices, kinesiology tape, fascia compression bands, and ultrasound equipment, he also carried two books about sports injuries and acupuncture.
"These two books are like dictionaries for sports medicine doctors," Chen explained. Whenever he has free time, he reviews these books.
"Traditional Chinese Medicine is an expansive ocean, always with more to learn," said Chen. He believes that, since he has chosen this profession, he must make it his life's work to master and perfect his skills.
A Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopedic Hospital representative stated that Chen Junyu is the first TCM doctor from the hospital in its over 60-year history to serve the national team. The hospital will continue to leverage its specialties in TCM orthopedics, muscle care, and rehabilitation to increase awareness of TCM, promote its benefits, and advance its practice.
Li Zhifeng, a reporter from Chongqing Daily, contributed the Chinese version of this report.
(Qi Xiaofang, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)