He couldn't understand McCardel's decision, but that didn't interfere with Chen Yu's treatment.
Besides, he had only come this time to deal with McCardel's swelling. As for the damaged meniscus, synovial membrane, and cartilage—even if he were asked to treat them, Chen Yu wouldn't dare to touch them.
All those parts were like a dilapidated house. For some unknown reason, they had achieved a strange equilibrium, keeping the structure from collapsing.
Chen Yu was genuinely afraid that if he tried to treat it, McCardel's knee would be completely ruined.
So the safest approach was to leave it alone. After all, McCardel himself had said that aside from the pain, he didn't have any other issues.
And he could endure the pain.
'What a tough guy!'
First, Chen Yu performed an Acupuncture treatment on McCardel.
Chen Yu had specifically saved the Bronze Level treatment effect he'd obtained from Monty, planning to use it on McCardel.
He needed to win over a new client, after all. Hill could wait a little longer.
A 20% boost from the Bronze Level effect, plus 5% from his treatment skill, totaled a 25% bonus.
The effect should be significant.
As for the subsequent massage, Moxibustion, and cupping, Chen Yu wasn't in a hurry to use them.
Since he was already here, he might as well do what he did last time: farm some experience from the medical staff who trusted him.
If he managed to obtain another treatment effect, it wouldn't be too late to use it on McCardel.
And just like that, not only had Svenson arrived, but a crowd of people had already started peeking in from outside the hospital room.
Soon, in a break room, Chen Yu set up his free clinic once again.
A long line formed, snaking like a dragon.
The first patient looked somewhat familiar to Chen Yu.
"Dr. Chen, my constipation is back," she said shyly.
Chen Yu remembered her.
'This woman is my lucky star! It was from treating her that I got the Basic Level Acupuncture skill.'
'Of course, it might have had nothing to do with her. It's like getting a skill after ten thousand treatments, and she just happened to be the ten-thousandth patient.'
But obtaining treatment effects was all about probability and luck. So, Chen Yu suppressed the urge to just prescribe her a couple of enemas and cheerfully performed an Acupuncture treatment.
While selecting an acupoint on her arm, Chen Yu noticed a lump on the back of her wrist.
He pressed it. It was soft.
"You have a superficial ganglion cyst. Why haven't you had it treated?"
The blonde nurse looked helpless. "I'm too busy with work. It requires scheduling an outpatient surgery, and the wait is too long."
Chen Yu understood.
Outpatient appointment wait times were notoriously long. In her case, she wouldn't even be able to get surgery right after the first appointment. She'd have to get tests done, wait for the results, and only then could she schedule the actual procedure. The whole process was a hassle.
"If you'd like, I can just pop it for you," Chen Yu offered casually.
In the past, Chen Yu would have performed a minor surgery to remove something like this.
But the system's [Sports Rehabilitation] entry mentioned that small cysts like this could be popped directly, a technique considered a form of therapeutic massage.
The blonde nurse paused, obviously unaware that it could simply be popped.
Chen Yu explained, "After it's popped, the fluid will be gradually absorbed by your body, and your wrist movement won't be restricted anymore. Of course, the cyst wall remains, so there's a chance it could come back. This is only a temporary solution. To get rid of it for good, you'd still need surgery for complete removal."
After a moment of thought, the blonde nurse nodded in agreement.
'Popping it won't cost a dime. Surgery would take who-knows-how-long and cost money. And what if it doesn't come back?'
"Okay, I'm going to pop it now." Chen Yu moved his hands into position, then suddenly glanced behind the blonde nurse.
Thinking someone was behind her, the nurse instinctively turned her head. In that instant, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist.
She cried out, "AH!" and when she turned back, Chen Yu had already released her wrist. "All done."
The blonde nurse stared, dumbfounded. She looked down, and the lump was indeed gone.
"That was it?" She was stunned. 'I thought it would hurt a lot more.'
A nearby resident, astonished, quickly jotted down a note in his notebook: *Small ganglion cysts can be popped.*
'Another new piece of knowledge learned!'
Meanwhile, Chen Yu was also stunned.
[Congratulations. Through long and repeated practice, you have gained a preliminary grasp of sports massage therapy. You have acquired: Basic Level Sports Massage Skill.]
[Basic Level Sports Massage Skill: The efficacy of your massage treatments is increased by 5%.]
'I actually got another skill from her!'
Chen Yu stared at the blonde nurse in disbelief. 'Is she possessed by the Emperor of Europe or something?'
An idea flashed in his mind, and Chen Yu's smile grew even wider. "By the way, would you like to try Moxibustion and cupping as well? They're very good for you. I noticed you have a slight issue with your lumbar spine. Does it hurt sometimes? Both Moxibustion and cupping can help relieve that pain."
"Really?" The blonde nurse was pleasantly surprised, but also a little embarrassed. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
'Dr. Chen has already saved me so much money.'
"It's no trouble at all." Chen Yu got up with a wide smile and gestured for the nurse to lie facedown on a nearby bed. As he took out a moxa stick and lit it, he asked, "By the way, I never got your name. How long have you been a nurse? It's a busy job, isn't it? Have you ever considered changing hospitals? Maybe to a clinic where the work is a bit more relaxed?"
'My clinic is in desperate need of a nurse just like her.'
The blonde nurse looked at Chen Yu, feeling both flattered and overwhelmed. She discreetly touched her cheek; for a split second, she started to wonder about her own attractiveness.
Moxibustion. Cupping.
Still not ready to give up, Chen Yu even applied a medicinal plaster.
Alas, he still came up empty-handed.
'Does this lucky streak have a cooldown?' Chen Yu grumbled inwardly.
Still, obtaining the massage skill was more than good enough.
This trip hadn't been a waste.
"Think it over and give me a call." Chen Yu finally handed a business card to the nurse, whose name was Julian Koppelk.
Julian nodded blankly, clutched her stomach, and hurried away.
Chen Yu went back to farming experience.
Perhaps his lucky streak had run out, because he didn't obtain any treatment effects from the subsequent patients.
'But a one-time treatment effect is nothing compared to a skill with unlimited uses.'
The massage skill, on the other hand, could be used repeatedly, and multiple applications should have a cumulative therapeutic effect.
He went to finish the full course of treatment for McCardel, prescribed him some medication, and reminded him to get plenty of rest.
Just as he was preparing to leave, the middle-aged man who had been watching him earlier called out.
"Dr. Chen, do you have a moment? I'd like to ask for your professional opinion on something." He offered a business card with both hands.
"Go ahead."
Chen Yu noticed the man had his own sports agency. 'Does that mean he manages other injured players?'
The two of them stepped outside the room. Boston asked, "For a knee injury where the cartilage has already been removed, is there any way to make a full recovery?"
Chen Yu crossed his arms, pondering for a moment before replying, "First, I haven't seen the patient, so I don't know the specifics of their condition. But if, as you say, the cartilage has been completely removed, then a full recovery would be extremely difficult."
Cartilage has very poor self-healing capabilities; even minor damage is difficult to treat.
If it's been completely removed, expecting it to grow back is asking for the near-impossible.
"However, there is one possible method." Chen Yu's tone shifted. "It's called microfracture surgery. To put it simply, you drill many tiny holes into the bone where the cartilage was removed. This allows some bone marrow and blood to seep out, and the stem cells within the blood can then form a replacement cartilage structure."
"The surgery itself isn't the difficult part; the challenge is the post-operative rehabilitation. It takes a very long time for the cartilage to grow, and the resulting fibrocartilage is significantly inferior to normal hyaline cartilage in terms of both mechanical and biological properties."
When Hill damaged his cartilage, Chen Yu had considered this emerging surgical technique, which has only been around for about two decades. However, if performed, it would absolutely be a season-ending procedure because the recovery period is so long—at least six months.
Boston nodded repeatedly.
Even though Chen Yu was using a string of medical terms he didn't understand, it sounded incredibly professional.
Besides, if he weren't a top professional, why would the prestigious Mayo Clinic specifically invite him for a consultation?