'Folded man' who spent 28 years bent over can now stand up straight

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Li Hua, from Yongzhou, China, spent nearly 30 years hunched over due to a rare bone condition called ankylosing spondylitis. After a series of surgeries in 2019, he can now stand and walk straight.

China's 'folded man' Li Hua spent 28 years of his life bent over. | Image: Shenzhen University General Hospital

Yongzhou: A man who spent almost 30 years of his life bent over can now stand and walk straight. Li Hua, from China's Hunan Province, lived with his face pressed against his thighs for 28 years.

Li was diagnosed with a rare bone condition called ankylosing spondylitis when he was 18 years old. Ankylosing spondylitis is a rare type of arthritis believed to be caused by a faulty gene.

Folded man

Li's type of spinal curvature looks like a forward-hunching posture and is called kyphosis. He was completely dependent on his mother.

Li underwent life-changing surgery to fix his hunched back. He was able to stand straight for the first time after he underwent a series of operations in 2019.

Folded man China

Li sought medical help in 2018 but was refused surgery as it was dangerous. However, Professor Huiren, who works at at Shenzhen University General Hospital in South China's Guangdong Province, decided to take up Li's case.

Medics broke Li's spine into sections and straightened it out. They also fixed his thigh bones.

The surgery was conducted in four phases. After the operations, Li was able to lie flat, sit up and even stand straight.

He can walk around with a walker. He won't be able to do anything too extreme like boxing or playing tennis but can do all regular bodily movements, Professor Huiren was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.