Prof Tao Huiren, who headed Li Hua’s treatment, said Mr Li suffered from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The condition causes inflammation in the spine, making the back, rib cage and neck stiff and painful.
The inflammation causes bones to wear away, and in response, the body produces extra calcium to grow more bone, sometimes in the wrong places.
This process leads to further bone formation, and the individual bones of the spine may fuse. In severe cases, this can make the spine curve forward more.
This type of spinal curvature, which looks like a forward-hunching posture, is called kyphosis.
Kyphosis is diagnosed when the spine is curved more than 45 degrees. It can be caused by poor posture, abnormal development in the womb, age and an injury.
People with AS may also have inflammation in other parts of their body, including the eyes – leading to a condition called uveitis.
Inflammation can additionally occur in the heel area as well as the knees, elbows, shoulders, and ribs.
AS is the most known member of a more broadly defined disease called axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
AsSpA is a chronic, inflammatory rheumatic disease that affects the axial skeleton, causing severe pain, stiffness and fatigue.
Symptoms typically start in early adulthood and get progressively worse.
AS affects around 1.6million people in the US. AxSpA affects one in 200 adults in the UK.
Versus Arthritis, a charity in the UK, said historically, ankylosing spondylitis frequently led to permanent spinal deformity which needed surgery.
Professor Paul Emery, the spokesperson for Versus Arthritis, said: ‘With earlier diagnosis and effective therapy, surgery is rarely required now.
‘In the unusual cases where surgery is necessary, it can dramatically improve people’s lives.
‘Physiotherapy is essential to maintain the range of movement, to ensure the back and neck do not stiffen into a fixed bent position.
‘Effective inflammation suppressing therapies, treat the pain and stiffness permitting physiotherapy to continue, even during flares.’