{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T15:30:17Z","timestamp":1788449417430,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,29]],"date-time":"2025-10-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761696000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease, and most cases can be satisfactorily treated with conservative therapy. Chuzhen therapy, a non-surgical, non-pharmacological, and non-invasive therapy, can be performed at home, making it more acceptable to patients. However, evidence supporting the efficacy of this therapy for the treatment of acute LDH is limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Case presentation<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We report a 50-year-old male who presented with lower back pain, persistent radiating pain, and numbness in the lower extremities. Computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a large right-sided protruding nucleus pulposus (PNP) at the L5\/S1 level, compressing the nerve root. The patient experienced significant symptomatic relief after 1 month of outpatient Chuzhen therapy followed by 3 years of home-based Chuzhen therapy. Follow-up imaging conducted 3 years later showed a remarkable regression of the herniated nucleus pulposus, with a substantial 64.8% reduction in its size. Concurrently, the patient's LDH classification was downgraded from MSU3-AB to MSU2-A.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We report for the first time a case of LDH treated at home with Chuzhen therapy, which resulted in disc retraction. In this case, Chuzhen therapy was safe and effective as a monotherapy, but more conclusive and effective evidence is needed to elucidate its specific therapeutic mechanism.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1674464","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,29]],"date-time":"2025-10-29T05:30:18Z","timestamp":1761715818000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Case Report: Spontaneous regression of extruded lumbar disc herniation following Chuzhen therapy over 3 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