"Tree bumping exercise," a popular way of fitness among Chinese elderly that is believed to ease backache, has resulted in the vision loss of a 70-year-old man in Wuhan. Photo: screenshot of a video posted by The Paper on Sina Weibo.

A 70-year-old man in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, has suffered from retinal detachment after hitting trees with his body, a popular way of fitness among Chinese elderly that is believed to ease backache.

Zhang was told by the doctor to stop his wrong "tree bumping exercise" after diagnosed with retinal detachment.

"Soon after the exercise, I began to feel uncomfortable with my eyes," Zhang noted, adding that the color of things that he saw "changed."

The doctor said Zhang's vision loss had a "direct relation" with the tree bumping. "The retina of the elderly is rather fragile to bear too much physical impact," the doctor said.

Zhang's case soon got widespread on China's social media platforms. "Every morning in our nearby park, I see elderly people station themselves by trees hitting with their head, back and legs," said one netizen.

Global Times