Weekly treatment

When he started work 10 years ago after getting his bachelor's, Chen Shuo, 33, a civil servant in Beijing, soon began experiencing pain in his neck and lower back.

"The pressures you face at work and school are different. You need to take charge of all the things by yourself and compete with your colleagues," he said.

"When I was younger, I could adjust my living habits when the pain occurred, and it would be relieved to some extent. However, the problem always came back and there was no overall cure."

He gets up at 6 am every day and often works overtime, sitting in front of a computer for several hours at a time to deal with a heavy workload. Sometimes he doesn't get home until 11 pm.

The pain in his lower back means Chen cannot stand for more than 10 minutes during the 40-minute subway journey to work and home every day. Most of the time, he has to lean against the wall of the car or squat in a corner, then stand up slowly and carefully.