Accompanied by her cousins, 46-year-old Pranom Tiangtrong arrived at Muang Rayong Police Station in a wheelchair at about noon yesterday to demand justice for her broken pubic bone. Broken at the hands, she says, of a young Thai masseuse.
The Nakhon Ratchasima native told police that she had traveled to Rayong province to receive a traditional Thai massage treatment for her leg and hip pain from 21-year-old Kiatisak Chaiwimol twice last December.
Pranom, who owns a restaurant, said she put her trust in Kiatisak because he is the son of 72-year-old Boonmak Atchathai, a renowned traditional Thai masseuse known amongst locals as the “angel doctor,” according to Channel 7 News.
Pranom didn’t come to the police station empty-handed, she brought a video of her second “treatment” — the one she said led to her broken pubis.
In the chilling clip, which we don’t recommend watching with the sound on if you’re squeamish, Pranom can be seen lying on the floor in various positions as Kiatisak manipulates her body.
He steps on her legs twice and yanks on one violently before ordering her to get up.
Every time Kiatisak would step on her, Pranom yelped loudly, obviously in pain, the yelps accompanied by loud cracking sounds.
“That’s enough. Please no more, it hurts so much,” she can be heard whimpering at one point.
“No, flip over… come on, hurry!” Kiatisak replies aggressively.
Pranom told Khaosod that she was in a lot of pain after the treatment, but initially assumed it was normal and would soon go away.
However, it didn’t, and a few days later, the pain reportedly increased to the point where she could no longer walk.
Unable to go to work due to the pain, Pranom decided to get a check up at the hospital. That’s where she was told that her pelvic bone was broken — a condition that would require a THB150,000 (nearly US$5,000) surgery to resolve.
Lacking the cash to cover the hefty price, she’s reportedly only received band-aid treatments and has been living in pain ever since, unable to return to her usual daily routine.
Local media has reported that she was eventually forced to close her restaurant.
Meanwhile, Kiatisak, the masseuse, told reporters he’s been studying the craft from his father since the fifth grade and has never had a problem while treating patients for the past five years.
Kiatisak added that he and his father only charge patients THB7 (22 cents) for each treatment. (Editor: Oddly, that does not set our minds at ease.)
He said that the pain is Pranom’s fault, because she did not continue her treatment.
“If she comes back to me, I can fix it for her. I also want to see if her bone is actually broken like she claims,” he told Morning News.
Kiatisak added that his father was so shocked by Pranom’s claim that it sent him to the hospital. As of press time, Boonmak is reportedly still being treated at Rayong Hospital.
Called for comment, Kwanchai Wisitthanon, director of the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine, told local media that Kiatisak’s method of treatment has not been approved by the institute and that Kiatisak is not a licensed practitioner. He added that traditional Thai massage does not include methods that require stepping on the patients as seen in the viral video.
He believes Kiatisak could be charged with providing medical treatment without a license and causing serious harm to others.
Kwanchai also relayed a warning to citizens that, if they experience pain, they should seek medical treatment from licensed doctors before getting a massage, since it could end up exacerbating the problem.
As of press time, Pranom has been sent to Rayong province for a medical check-up. Officials are trying to determine if her pubic bone was broken before or after the treatment.
We will be sure to keep you updated with this bizarre case.
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