‘Folded boy’ stands up straight for the first time after spine was contorted at 180-degree angle most of his life

After spending most of his life bent over at a 180-degree angle, a young man has stood up straight for the first time.

Jiang Yanchen, from China's Shandong province, suffers from a rare a severe form of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a long-term condition in which the spine and other areas of the body become inflamed.

As a result, Jiang's neck increasingly bent backwards over time, causing his body to fold into the shape of the letter 'Z.'

At its worst, his head and bottom were just inches apart.

The now-21-year-old was left in constant agony. AS made it difficult to walk, eat and even breathe, with his lung capacity performing at just 20 percent of an average healthy adults. And he was forced to kneel or lie in a prone position while at school.

Jiang Yanchen, known as the 'folded boy,' underwent four surgeries to correct the 180-degree deformity in his spine (YouTube/South China Morning Post)

But, due to a lack of medical resources, he was unable to receive proper treatment.

That was until 2023. Over the past two years, Jiang has undergone four major surgeries to realign his spine, with doctors breaking bones in his lumbar and cervical spine as well as his hips and chest.

His last operation was in June and took a whopping 12 hours.

Immediately afterwards, he could lie completely flat on his hospital bed, with the Global Times reporting that his spine had been corrected by approximately 170 degrees.

And, after two months of intense rehab and physical therapy, he took his first upright steps during a livestream.

Jiang's medical team, which was led by orthopaedic surgeon Liang Yijian, called it 'the world's first successful 180-degree spinal orthopaedic surgery'.

Two months after his final surgery, Jiang took his first upright steps (YouTube/South China Morning Post)

Liang said the treatment had also brought his heart and lung functions back to normal, adding that Jiang 'showed persistence much greater than that of an ordinary human being'.

Following the surgeries, Jiang said: "All the pain is worth it when I see myself more like an ordinary person," adding that he 'felt reborn.'

He is expected to return to university this month.

After Jiang's story was shared on Reddit, users were quick to share their awe for both him and his medical team.

One user wrote: "I can’t imagine the pain this guy went through before and after and especially the recovery. Mad props!" as another said: "Modern medicine is magnificent despite a very loud minority trying their absolute best to undermine it."

A third commented: "It’s mind blowing what we can do," meanwhile a fourth put it simply: "Hell yeah medical science."