The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

The examination in the clinic is just as crucial as the treatment itself.

Not only does an accurate diagnosis form the foundation for treatment, but it’s also essential to gain the patient’s trust and compliance.

Since Kim Yijin mentioned her cruciate ligament, I began by checking for tears in both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments.

“I’ll need you to bend your knee slightly. I’m going to push and pull; let me know if it hurts too much.”

“Alright.”

I performed the Posterior Drawer Test, Anterior Drawer Test, and Lachman Test in sequence.

Despite their complex names, these tests simply involved pulling the tibia back and forth.

“Ouch.”

Unfortunately, when I pulled forward, the ligament failed to hold the bone firmly in place and gave way.

“As you mentioned, there’s indeed an issue with the cruciate ligament.”

“I thought as much…”

“I’ll perform one more test called the Pivot Shift Sign to determine the extent of the damage.”

I conducted another brief physical examination.

With my left hand, I pushed on the outer side of Kim Yijin’s knee while fully extending her leg. Then, holding her ankle with my right hand, I lifted it off the bed, maintaining internal rotation as I gradually flexed her knee.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it feels a bit strange, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“So it feels unnatural?”

“Yes.”

Based on this test, I assessed it as Grade 1.

“Do you feel very unstable when walking?”

“Hmm… To be honest, I’m not sure. But I’ve always had a high pain tolerance.”

“You seemed to be limping slightly when you came in earlier. Could you walk to the door and back for me?”

Kim Yijin did as I asked, walking to the clinic door and back.

“I was wearing a brace, and the previous hospital told me to avoid using it as much as possible, so I’ve been trying to walk with my leg straight.”

As she said, when I observed her gait without the brace, the instability wasn’t particularly severe.

“Does it hurt when I press here?”

“A little. Oh, that spot hurts.”

I completed palpating around the patella in the front of the knee and the back of the knee.

Considering my visual assessment, the sensations I felt during the examination, and Kim Yijin’s account, I concluded:

“As the previous hospitals diagnosed, a partial tear of the cruciate ligament seems most likely.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Please have a seat here and look at this diagram. This is the cruciate ligament, and you’re experiencing pain in the front of your knee, correct? The cruciate ligament itself doesn’t have sensory nerves. When it tears, it puts stress on other structures, causing pain in the areas we just palpated.”

I pulled up an image on the computer screen showing the kneecap, muscles, and ligaments as I explained.

“The pain should improve within a week. However, we need to treat the root cause thoroughly, especially since you’re an athlete.”

“Oh, that’s why it hurt on and off at first.”

Kim Yijin nodded in understanding. She showed no doubt when I said I could quickly alleviate the pain that hadn’t improved until now.

“So please rest until I say it’s okay to exercise, and come in for daily treatments. Don’t overexert yourself even if the pain subsides.”

“Understood! How long will it take?”

“It shouldn’t take too long.”

The cruciate ligament’s location makes it trickier to treat with acupuncture compared to the medial or lateral collateral ligaments.

Normally, it might be wiser to suggest waiting to see how the body responds rather than making definitive claims about treatment success.

“I’ll have you feeling better within a month. You should be able to participate in both training and the athletic competition.”

However, I felt certain I could treat Kim Yijin, at least.

‘It’s partly due to my skill, but her physical condition is on par with Murim practitioners. She’ll recover incredibly fast!’

Some patients recover from month-long treatments in just 1-2 weeks, while others might need over three months. Acupuncture ultimately relies on the patient’s own vital energy and healing ability, so there’s always variation outside of very minor treatments.

Patients like Kim Yijin are a triple bonus for a physician’s reputation.

Successfully treating such a patient with a challenging condition often earns you comparisons to the legendary physician Hua Tuo.

“I’ll be in your care, Doctor,” Kim Yijin said with enthusiasm.

Her eyes brimmed with determination to recover.

“Alright, let’s head to the treatment room.”

◆◇◆◇◆

‘Huh?’

Kim Yijin tilted her head in confusion upon entering the treatment room.

Unlike the previous hospitals she’d visited, there wasn’t a single other patient in the room.

‘Perhaps they treat everyone individually?’

Unfamiliar with hospital practices, she naturally interpreted this in a positive light.

“We’ll start with physical therapy.”

A staff member with a neutral expression attached a device to her knee.

Shortly after, she completed a physical therapy and heat treatment session similar to what she’d experienced at the orthopedic clinic.

Finally, the doctor arrived.

“Have you ever had acupuncture before?”

“No, this is my first time.”

“Really? I’m honored. When you become a national athlete someday, will you mention that you received treatment from me?”

Kim Yijin chuckled at the joke. National athlete… Somehow, it reminded her of when she first met the senior who encouraged her to start playing basketball.

Was it because their charisma was similar?

As if entranced, Kim Yijin nodded.

“These dips that appear on either side when you bend your knee are called the inner and outer ‘eye of the knee.’ Interesting name, isn’t it? The needle will go quite deep, reaching the joint capsule, but it should make your knee feel more flexible.”

“Okay.”

The indentation did indeed look like it was meant for a needle. Kim Yijin felt as though touching that spot through the depression would instantly relieve the problem area inside her knee.

“Ah!”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it feels… congested?”

She could only describe it vaguely, but it felt as though something had pierced through the uncomfortable sensation she’d been feeling inside her knee.

The inflammation, torn ligament, tangled muscles – the needle must have reached all of that, right?

“Like Alexander cutting the Gordian knot?”

The story of Alexander the Great she’d once heard in history class suddenly came to mind.

That persistent, unresolvable feeling that had bothered her for so long.

The doctor’s single needle had satisfyingly dispersed it.

“Heh, it went in well.”

The doctor smiled as if he’d heard an amusing joke.

After the inner eye of the knee, he inserted a needle into the outer eye as well. Kim Yijin wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it felt like the two needles were penetrating her knee, unraveling something that had been tightly knotted inside.

“Since you’re responding well, I’ll do a bit more. This will go deep, reaching the ligament.”

“Yes, please undo everything.”

Kim Yijin nodded vigorously. Her eyes were both solemn and resolute.

“…!”

Several needles were inserted decisively from front to back. Though it wasn’t particularly painful, she flinched each time a needle tip made contact.

“This will release adhesions in the soft tissue and improve blood flow in the surrounding area. By stimulating your body’s healing power to concentrate here, even the partially torn ligament should recover.”

A cool sensation gradually spread. It felt as though the vague inflammation she had imagined was being washed away.

“We’ll leave these in for 20 minutes.”

With that, the doctor left the treatment room.

“…Okay.”

As if all her body’s energy was being drawn to her knee, Kim Yijin drifted off to sleep.

◆◇◆◇◆

Ten full days after Kim Yijin began receiving treatment at the Korean medicine clinic.

“You’ve really recovered completely?”

She demonstrated the free movement of her knee, which previously couldn’t bend properly, earning her coach’s amazement.

“Yes. I should have gone to the Korean medicine clinic from the start.”

Although he had firmly prohibited her from participating in training, the coach had been deeply worried.

How could he not be, when there had been no improvement for over a month?

If she had needed surgery, he would have found it difficult to bear the guilt of not noticing his student’s injury until it reached that point.

“Did the doctor say it’s okay for you to play basketball?”

“Yes. It hasn’t hurt at all since the first acupuncture treatment, and after a few more days of therapy, I’m really fine now. He gave me permission to exercise as much as I want.”

She didn’t appear to be lying. The coach allowed her to participate in club activities.

Still, just in case, he kept his eyes on Kim Yijin throughout the entire session.

From warm-up exercises to running, training, and the final practice game.

There was no sign of the instability he had noticed before.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Kim Yijin dribbled the basketball, crossing the court from end to end.

With just 10 seconds left in the game.

She charged forward, dribbling relentlessly. She weaved through the opposing team’s defenders, changing her stance this way and that, but her knee showed no signs of trouble.

Whoosh!

Countdown, 3 seconds.

Kim Yijin leaped as if she would soar into the sky.

‘Gasp!’

The coach couldn’t take his eyes off Kim Yijin for even a moment.

2 seconds. Her arm bent, and she took the shot.

1 second. The basketball left Kim Yijin’s hand, cutting through the air.

Zero. At last, it settled into the hoop.

“Woohoo!”

“As expected of our captain! She’s fully back!”

“Incredible. At this rate, she might even start dunking!”

She announced her spectacular return with a successful buzzer-beater.

Even her landing posture was perfection itself.

‘Her jumping ability has really improved?’

He wasn’t seeing things. Despite resting for over a month, the condition of her legs was even better than before.

The vice-captain had joked about dunking, but could it actually be possible?

“It’s all thanks to you guys.”

She high-fived her teammates, and today’s training came to an end.

“Yijin, are you going for treatment again today?”

The coach caught Kim Yijin as she was about to change and go home.

“Yes. The doctor said I only need to come once every two weeks for maintenance now, but I feel like I improve every time I go.”

“What’s the name of the Korean medicine clinic?”

He then asked.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere, Coach?”

“Not me, my wife.”

“It’s called Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic. It’s on the hill behind our apartment complex.”

“Thanks.”

In fact, he had a family member who concerned him just as much as Kim Yijin had.

Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic. The coach immediately wrote down the name he had been told.

◆◇◆◇◆

Wow, this doesn’t make sense. What kind of heavenly body is this?

She recovered far too quickly.

I couldn’t help but marvel at Kim Yijin’s knee condition, which improved noticeably day by day.

If I just taught her some basic martial arts… No, that wouldn’t be right, would it?

I had absolutely no desire to appear on a program like “Believe It or Not.”

I suppressed my recurring temptation as I finished Kim Yijin’s treatment.

Opening her meridians means she’ll be even stronger than before? Hehe.

“Now you can exercise!”

Two days after giving her the all-clear.

Ding~

Someone entered the clinic at the usual time.

‘Is she here for maintenance again today?’

But the energy I sensed was slightly different.

“Hello.”

I heard an unfamiliar man’s voice. He had an energy just a bit stronger than Kim Yijin’s.

‘A Murim practitioner… No, of course not. Probably an athlete?’

His next words indeed suggested a connection to her.

“I’m here on Kim Yijin’s recommendation. Is Dr. Han Yeowon seeing patients today?”

Eureka! This adorable girl brought in a referral patient!

Excited, I used my qi sense to eavesdrop on the preliminary examination at the front desk.

“Yes, she is. Who will be registering for treatment?”

The man answered the receptionist’s question.

“Both of us. My back is a bit stiff, and my wife wants to consult about her severe menstrual cramps.”

There were even two of them.

Moreover, menstrual cramps are my specialty, aren’t they?

When I was with the Tang family, I treated well over a hundred cases of menstrual pain.

Many of those women had suffered for years, even decades.

“I’m fine… Just treat my wife.”

Women who were reluctantly dragged in by friends, saying things like that, invariably became my devoted followers.

I smiled victoriously as I recalled those past experiences.