China evolved from slave society into feudal society during the period of the Warring States and Qin-Han dynasties. Remarkable progress had been made in political, economic and cultural fields. The academic thinking was very active. There came a situation of "various schools of thought and their exponents’ content". This had promoted the development of medicine, and as a result, orthopedic and traumatological theory initially came into being.

During the period of the Spring-Autumn and Warring States, Huangdi Neijing (Huangdi’s Canon on Medicine), the earliest extant medical work in China, came out. It comprehensively and systematically expounded the basic theories of the human anatomy, physiology, etiology, pathology, diagnostics, and therapeutics, establishing theoretical system of TCM. Such basic theories in the book as the liver dominating the tendons, the kidney dominating the bones, the spleen dominating the muscles, qi impairment causing pain, and body injury causing swelling, have continuously guided clinical practice in orthopedics and traumatology. In the book there were also records about etiopathogenesis, clinical manifestations and principles of treatment based on syndrome differentiation of the diseases of soft tissues, bones and joints, and general hematogenous pyogenic infection as well. The methods of acupuncture-moxibustion, hot medicated compress, massage and medication were already taken in treatment.

In the third century B. C., Cang Gong, a famous doctor at that time, recorded two complete cases in orthopedics and traumatology. One is about strain caused by weight lifting, the other is trauma caused by fall from horse riding. Distinguished surgeon Hua Tuo of the Han dynasty could treat diseases with medication and acupuncture-moxibustion, and was still expert in surgical operation. He applied Mafu Decoction as anesthetic to do sequestrectomy and laparotomy. He also created five-mimic-animal exercises, emphasizing the function and importance of physical therapy.

In the early East Han dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing wrote the work Shanghan Zabinglun (Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases), took the six-meridian theory to expound exogenous febrile diseases, and visceral theory to expound miscellaneous diseases. He summed up medical achievements before the Han dynasty, creating the method of treatment based on syndrome differentiation, in which the theory, method, prescription and drugs are expounded in combination. In the book, he also recorded artificial respiration and resuscitation by closed cardiac massage.