When a Spine Surgeon Became His Own Patient | Dr. Joshua Li’s Remarkable Journey. #health #spinesurgeon #falungong #healing

One evening in January 2025, while shoveling snow, I suddenly felt a sharp, electric pain shoot down my left leg. I could barely bend over or sit down. As a spine surgeon, I immediately knew what it was—acute sciatica. But I had three surgeries scheduled for the next day. What should I do? My name is Joshua Li. I was born in 1973 in Changzhi, Shanxi Province, China. As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a doctor to help my mother. During her early career as a scientist, she was exposed to toxic chemicals and became extremely sensitive to temperature changes. For years, she rarely went outdoors without becoming ill. When I was 12, I began practicing Tai Chi so I could teach it to my mother, but it did not help her much. In 1990, I enrolled in Xi’an Medical University in a seven-year combined Bachelor – Master degree program. I also learned several Qigong practices and taught them to my mother, but the results were equally disappointing. During a visit home in July 1997, I was surprised to see a dramatic change in my mother. She was healthy and happy, almost like a new person. It turned out that she and my father had begun practicing Falun Gong just four months earlier. My mother gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong. I was so intrigued that I read all 332 pages in one sitting. Its explanation of Qigong answered questions I had held for years, especially the concept of cultivating both mind and body. The next day, my mother taught me all five sets of exercises. Falun Gong is much easier to learn than Tai Chi, yet I felt a powerful flow of energy, stronger than I had experienced before. Tai Chi originally emphasized both physical and spiritual cultivation. Over time, much of its spiritual content was lost, and it became largely a form of physical exercise. In 1999, I came to the University of Virginia as a postdoctoral researcher. I established my own laboratory in 2004 and entered orthopedic residency in 2010 while continuing my research. In 2014, I received an NIH R01 grant worth approximately 1.3 million. The following year, while still a fifth-year orthopedic surgery resident, I was promoted to Associate Professor of Research. After a fellowship at Columbia University in 2017, I began practicing as a spine surgeon while continuing my teaching and research at UVA. I became a full professor in 2023 and an endowed chair professor in 2025. My work combines surgery and research, with one goal: to understand suffering and find ways to relieve it. I had planned to return after my postdoctoral training. But shortly before I left China, the government outlawed Falun Gong. I began to wonder whether I should continue practicing. I explored other spiritual teachings, but became increasingly convinced of the wisdom in Zhuan Falun. I decided to continue practicing Falun Gong. In early 2001, Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing visited the University of Virginia and made statements about Falun Gong that I believed were false. After his speech, I shared my own experience with him. The exchange was unpleasant, and an embassy staff member photographed me. I worried I might be placed on a Chinese Communist Party blacklist. I felt compelled to speak out for practitioners facing persecution in China. I met with lawmakers and spoke to the media to share my experiences and raise awareness. While speaking out about the persecution, I continued my demanding work as a spine surgeon. I once spent 13 hours performing a complex revision surgery. Falun Gong helped me stay calm and focused under pressure. Over the years, I rarely needed to take sick leave. Then came that January evening in 2025. The pain was so severe that I needed my wife’s help to get into bed. Early the next morning, I woke up in pain. Should I take NSAIDs or steroids, treatments I often prescribe to patients? They could reduce inflammation and ease the pain, allowing me to perform my scheduled surgeries. But my research had revealed a paradox: although inflammation causes pain, it can also help the body resorb a herniated disc. Treating inflammation too early may interfere with natural healing. This finding led to our third NIH R01 grant — a 2.8 million award to study the optimal timing of anti-inflammatory treatment. So medication might not be my best option. But how could I perform three surgeries that day? Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind: “Joshua, you have practiced Falun Gong for 27 years and often told others about its healing power. Why not give it a try?” I stood up and began doing Exercise One, which encourages gentle spinal extension without twisting or bending. I repeated it again and again. Twenty minutes later, by the seventh round, I felt warmth spreading through my body. The pain began to retreat — from my calf to my thigh, then to my buttock. In spine medicine, this is called centralization and can be a sign of symptom improvement. After my wife dropped me off at the hospital, I practiced twice more before my first operation. The pain became more manageable. By the time I finished all three surgeries, it had largely subsided. Two days later, I felt back to normal. Falun Gong has taught me that being a good doctor requires more than medical knowledge and surgical skills. It also requires compassion, patience, and consideration for others. Truthfulness reminds me to be honest with patients about their conditions and treatment options. Compassion reminds me to listen to their concerns and treat them like family. Forbearance helps me remain calm under the pressures of surgery. Looking back, I see a connection between the boy who practiced Tai Chi to help his mother, the researcher searching for better treatments, and the surgeon who suddenly became a patient. Throughout my life, I have sought ways to reduce suffering. Medicine has given me the tools to treat disease, while Falun Gong has helped me cultivate the compassion and inner discipline that guide my work. I hope more people will have the opportunity to learn about Falun Gong, experience its exercises, and discover what its principles may bring to their lives.