Hollywood star Tom Hardy battles knee surgery, lumbar disc, plantar fasciitis...What about oriental medicine treatment?

Jun 03, 2025

Tom Hardy Photo Capture=Movie 'Mad Max'

Hollywood star Tom Hardy (47) drew attention from many when he confessed his health condition in a recent interview with a magazine. Having performed intense action in a variety of films, including the films 'Mad Max', 'Venom'Venom', 'Revenant', he became a world-renowned action actor, but confessed to chronic pain and accumulated physical damage caused by repeated filming.

He has undergone two knee surgeries and is suffering from lumbar disc, sciatica and plantar fasciitis"I feel like I'm getting sick, and I don't think I'm going to get any better."

However, the diseases mentioned by Tom Hardy can be improved with non-surgical treatment depending on the progress. In particular, there are cases in which related diseases have been improved through integrated treatment of oriental medicine, a representative non-surgical treatment. With the help of Hong Soon-sung, director of Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital, we summarized the characteristics of related diseases mentioned by Tom Hardy and oriental medical treatments that can improve them.

◇"Lumbar disc", when pressed, it leads to sciatica

Lumbar disc (lumbar intervertebral disc exodus) complained of Tom Hardy is a spinal disease in which the disc (intervertebral disc) located between vertebrae escapes or protrudes, compressing adjacent nerves and causing pain. At this time, if the disc stimulates the sciatic nerve extending from the waist to the leg, the pain may appear together with 'sciatica' that extends from the hip to the thigh, calf, and foot. Therefore, most sciatica is considered a representative symptom of lumbar disc rather than an independent disease.

The lumbar disc and sciatica can lead to neurological symptoms such as sensory abnormalities or muscle weakness beyond simple discomfort, causing major restrictions in daily life. In particular, in the case of actors and athletes who repeatedly put pressure on the spine, such as action shooting or exercising, if the symptoms are left unattended, disk regression can progress rapidly and the prognosis of treatment can deteriorate.

In oriental medicine, the spine arrangement is corrected through Chuna therapy, and pain and inflammation are calmed by acupuncture and acupuncture treatment. It also helps stable recovery through herbal medicine. In fact, according to a study by Jaseng Oriental Hospital published in the SCI(E)-level international journal Journal of Clinical Medicine, the integrated treatment of oriental medicine performed on patients with lower extremity radiation pain reduced the average pain number evaluation scale (NRS; 0-10) from 6.11 before treatment to 2.03 after treatment and back pain from 6.25 to 2.45, showing greater improvement than drug treatment such as injection treatment.

◇ Two knee surgeries for intense action scenes...I can't guarantee joint health

In addition, Tom Hardy revealed that he recently had knee surgery twice, expressing the difficulties of joint health care. This appears to be the result of repeated knee overuse, trauma, and cartilage damage during action acting. The problem is that even though they have already undergone two surgeries, they still have to continue intense filming, raising concerns about joint health in the future.

If you are in an environment where repeated damage is unavoidable, care should be taken, especially in the knee joint 'menoracic cartilage' rupture. The meniscus cartilage plays a role in absorbing shock and stabilizing the joint within the knee joint. However, damage to the area is accompanied by pain as well as symptoms such as joint locking and exercise restrictions. Depending on the degree of rupture, non-surgical treatment alone can improve, but if left unattended, it can worsen into degenerative arthritis, so early treatment is important.

Oriental medicine's acupuncture and acupuncture treatment, a representative non-surgical treatment, relaxes the tense muscles around the knee and improves blood flow, promoting inflammation and pain relief, and recovery of damaged tissues and nerves. In addition, Chuna therapy is combined to correct gait imbalances or posture distortions to reduce secondary pain in related areas such as hip and waist. According to a case report of Daejeon Jaeseng Oriental Medicine Hospital published in the journal 『Hanbang Rehabilitation Medicine』, the average pain (NRS) and osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) were significantly improved as a result of integrated oriental medical treatment for patients with meniscus cartilage damage and cruciate ligament damage.

◇Inflammation of the fascia of the foot floor, in severe cases, is difficult to walk

Tom Hardy said he also suffers from plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a disease that causes inflammation due to repeated minor damage to the plantar fascia that extends from the heel to the toe. It usually occurs when standing for a long time or continuing excessive exercise, and it is a disease that can be frequently expressed even in occupations with a lot of action acting, such as Tom Hardy.

Plantar fasciitis is characterized by intermittent pain, so it is easy to mistake it for simple muscle pain. However, if left untreated, damage can accumulate and inflammation can worsen, and in severe cases, it can become chronic enough to make it difficult to even walk normally.

Fortunately, plantar fasciitis can also be improved with non-surgical treatment without surgery. Oriental medicine helps relieve pain and recover from acupuncture and acupuncture treatment. In particular, acupuncture treatment on the main blood spots of the foot and lower extremities, such as fetal blood and lotus blood, relaxes the tense muscles and ligaments around the plantar fascia and promotes blood circulation to reduce pain. Acupuncture treatment injects herbal medicine ingredients into pain-site acupuncture to quickly suppress inflammatory reactions and help recover damaged tissues. The synergy effect is great in that it can utilize the physical stimulation of saliva and the pharmacological action of herbal medicine at the same time.

Hong Soon-sung, director of Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital, said "The musculoskeletal damage accumulated by repeated shocks or exercises may become more difficult to recover over time."Instead of overcoming the initial pain lightly, the cause should be accurately diagnosed, and pain relief and function recovery should be promoted together through integrated oriental medicine treatment." he advised.