Archive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Here I am freezing my butt off in Southampton. We flew in last night on Southwest Airlines. Decent enough flight, nice and smooth, and
touched down without incident. But man, was it cold! I had just left Florida at 81 degrees, pleasant, not humid. Here, it was 31! When you’re used to balmy temperatures, it feels colder than it actually is. I should be grateful–it was supposed to be 18 degrees!
Now, a reasonable person might ask, “Why in the world are you going to a freezing area, in the middle of winter, when you hate the cold?”
Answer: my bride LOVES the cold. She has always been heat intolerant. We worked her up for thyroid problems–all normal. She just has a hypothalamic (area of the brain that sets metabolism) set point that is higher than everyone around her.
Ahh…the things we do for love.
Anyway, we’re here to work on the house, adding this and that, in preparation for the summer season in the Hamptons. I even brought my knee pads, so I can do some work. When you have chondromalacia, like I do, it’s really important not to try to do any work on your knees without padding.
I can’t tell you how many people I treated over the years who were masons, bricklayers, tilemen, roofers, plumbers and carpet installers. And all of them do work on their knees–most without any protection, at all. The carpet guys, especially–they whack a thing called a stretcher, to stretch carpet and remove wrinkles, with their knees. WHAM! WHAM! It’s a wonder they don’t all end up in the hospital.
Anyway, even if your knees don’t hurt NOW, be sure to use knee pads, or a pillow, or a gel pad, something to cushion the joints from the hard, unyielding surface of the floor. You may be able to stave off the onset of degenerative changes, if you do. And you’ll be a whole lot more comfortable, too.
Learn more about these and other methods to prevent knee pain in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK at
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
BTW, I got an email from my friend with the injured foot, who did go to the hospital. He sent me a scan of his x-rays and, sure enough, he had exactly the fracture of the proximal 5th metatarsal I had predicted. Nice to know I haven’t lost my touch (better lucky than smart, eh?) He’s in a cast now, and should heal quickly, within the next three weeks, or so, since the fracture’s not displaced.
Well, my friend, tonight’s the night. We’re in the final countdown of my big HALF PRICE SALE for my magnum opus, THE ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE, which includes a FREE copy of THE LITTLE GREEN BOOK and the FREE BONUS CD, too. Go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
But, it’s over at midnight. So ORDER NOW.
Til next time, my friend, be well.
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
January 30, 2008
“Doctor Bill! Doctor Bill! Where’s Dr. Bill?”
The manager of the recent meeting I attended snapped me out of a reverie, thinking about the information I had just heard from one of the
speakers. Since her voice had some urgency to it, I stuck my head up to see the source of the call. Across the room, I saw the manager with one of the other attendees, sitting in a chair, with his leg up on the table. I went over to see what was the matter.
This new member to the group had his shoe and sock off, with an ice pack on his left ankle and foot. It seems he was running through the halls and suddenly, his foot twisted and bent inwards, under his ankle. Boom! Down he went. And he couldn’t bear weight on it, without severe pain. I took the ice pack off to get a look at it. Sure enough, the top of his foot was already puffy and swollen, with that faint blue tinge under the otherwise white skin, that signals a pool of blood beneath the surface. The ankle itself was not tender or swollen, though.
He was tender right at the proximal end of his fifth metatarsal bone, closest to the ankle, on the outside edge of the foot. That made me think that he may have what is called an avulsion fracture of the bone. “Avulsion” is a term that refers to a tendon, pulling so hard on the bone it’s attached to, that it quite literally pulls the bone apart.
In this case, the tendon would be the peroneus brevis tendon, that normally helps to support the arch of the foot and pulls the foot in a lateral tilt, what we in the trade call “eversion.” This is a classic inversion injury, seen when a foot is suddenly twisted inward, onto the edge of the foot, with body weight on the foot. That sudden movement causes the tendon to pull on the end of the metatarsal bone closest to the ankle, literally pulling the bone apart. No way to tell for sure without an x-ray, though (after all, my name isn’t Clark Kent). But I was pretty sure that’s what he had, because what he did and how he looked was like he stepped out of an orthopaedic textbook.
So, first thing, I told him to keep his foot elevated. He kept trying to lower it, but that would only worsen the bleeding and swelling. Next, we got an elastic Ace bandage and I wrapped his ankle and foot, to apply compression, to minimize swelling and bleeding. We kept an ice pack on his foot to constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling. And I insisted that he get to the nearest hospital for x-rays. He reluctantly agreed.
They took him out in a wheelchair to transport him to the hospital. Luckily, this was the end of the meeting.
The tip in all this is to keep an injured extremity well elevated, and that means, above the heart. This is because water (ie., blood) runs downhill, and you want it to run AWAY from the injury, to minimize bleeding and swelling.
Just yesterday, a mutual friend, who ran the meeting called me: x-rays showed he was indeed fractured. It seems I was right. So he’ll need a few weeks in a cast, but at least he’ll heal, and without needing surgery.
Just a reminder, the HALF PRICE SALE on my big ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE is over in two days. If you have any interest, don’t wait, ORDER NOW at
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html and I’ll throw in a copy of my LITTLE GREEN BOOK and the FREE BONUS CD, too!
Til next time, my friend….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
January 29, 2008
During the meeting I attended this past weekend, I was asked to make an impromptu presentation about THE LITTLE GREEN BOOK. It seems a number of people still didn’t quite understand what it was and why they need to have it. So, I told them, “Look, let’s say you have a pain right in front of your knee. Maybe you fell on it, or maybe it just sort of came out of nowhere. You know there’s a reason for it, but you don’t know what it is. All you know is that your knee hurts.
“Now, you don’t want to run right out to the doctor, so, what are you gonna do? If you have the LITTLE GREEN BOOK, you won’t have to guess–you’ll KNOW. And, you’ll know what to do to relieve it.”
I went on to explain how knowing what was likely to be causing your pain made it easier to get rid of it. And it also makes you a better patient if you DO need to see the doctor. But most of all, it gives you options–treatments from all across the treatment spectrum, so you can try several different ones, til you find the one that’s right for you.
You could see the lights go on over a number of heads in the audience: “Oooohh. THAT”S what it is…”
Naturally, I referred them to my website, at http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html for further information.
Well, after that session, I was surprised at how many people came up and said that they had a knee or hip, or leg, or back problem. Now, you’d never know it to look at these people, but they all had various orthopaedic problems that were still plaguing them.
That’s the thing about orthopaedics–people aren’t really sick, like with medical diseases; they’re “broken,” to a greater or lesser extent, kind of “walking wounded.” I was always struck by that during my years of practice.
For that reason, it’s harder to make them stop doing things that may make them worse, or do things that will make them better. They just
don’t make the connection, because, except for that nagging knee pain, or whatever, they feel OK. That was one of the toughest and most
frustrating parts of trying to treat them. I’d prescribe a course of medication, or physical therapy and they’d come back in three weeks or so,
not having done anything I told them to do, and demand to know why they weren’t better! Duh!
Some of my colleagues would read them the riot act. Not me. I would smile gently and say, “Hey, I make my living giving you advice. If you choose to pay me, only to ignore me, but keep coming back, it’s OK with me. If you would rather have a surgery I’m trying to help you avoid, it’s OK with me. That’s what I do.” That would usually get the message across.
So the tip for today is that if you’ve paid for professional advice, for God’s sake, take it! If you don’t, you’ll never know whether or not it
might have worked and you might end up with a surgery you might have avoided. It’s just common sense. But of course, “common sense ain’t common.”
Well, we’re in the countdown: only three more days for my HALF PRICE SALE on the ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE (http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html), with a FREE copy of the LITTLE GREEN BOOK and the FREE BONUS CD, too. Midnight, January 31st, it’s over. So, if you want it, ORDER NOW.
All the best my friend. Be well….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Monday, January 28th, 2008
January 28, 2008
I had a great time this past weekend. I went to a meeting with friends from all walks of life, who are all interested in helping other people
through the internet. It’s like an exclusive club for highly motivated, positively oriented individuals, who want to compare notes and help
each other achieve more in their lives.
I always learn so much at these meetings–not only about them, but about me too. You see, everyone’s got a different perspective and it
really expands your own mind, when you open it up to the thoughts of others.
Anyway, throughout the course of the meeting, a number of people in the group came up to me to ask about a host of personal orthopaedic
problems, and I noticed a few more from their characteristic limps. Quite a few had questions about their knee pain, or other problems, like
giving way, or snapping. I was happy to help them all, and answer their questions, but I told all of them that for, real understanding, at a
minimum, they need to get my LITTLE GREEN BOOK (at http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html).
Got some positive feedback, too, from a couple of guys I had advised last time. They actually did what I told them to do and, lo and behold, their pain went away! “Living proof!,” as my old Junior High School teacher used to say. Now both of them are doing the knee exercises I teach at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html/. And they swear by them.
Hey, why not? They’re the best exercises for what ails them–the best ones I’ve found in my nearly quarter century of orthopaedic practice. And they’re available both at the link above, as well as an intrinsic part of the ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE
( http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html ). Speaking of which, the BIG HALF PRICE SALE on the BIG Advanced Masters’ Course is still going on. But it’s OVER at midnight, January 31st. So, if you want the last word on eliminating knee pain, ORDER NOW! And I’ll even throw in a copy of my LITTLE GREEN BOOK, as well as my FREE BONUS CD, if you order NOW. You’ll be glad you did.
That’s it for today, my friend. All the best….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Jamuary 25, 2008
Over a decade ago, when my practice was in full swing, I was called to the ER to see a huge guy that the ambulance brought in from The City. (If you’re not a native New Yorker, you need to know that “The City” always refers to New York City, unless otherwise qualified.) According to reports from the scene, the guy went down in street, and, just like that old TV commercial, cried out: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
Well, this guy turned out to be an IRS Special Agent, who had been amassing evidence on organized crime, when he slipped off a curb and fell onto his knee. And he was HUGE–well over 300 pounds–with a swollen painful knee that he couldn’t straighten out against gravity.
I diagnosed him as having a complete rupture of the quadriceps tendon, just above the kneecap. My clinical impression was confirmed by an immediate MRI (Take note, fans of the Canadian Health Care Sysytem: their wait for an MRI is 32 days!) This was a case where surgery was absolutely necessary. All the herbal supplements, acupuncture, and alternative treatments in the world are utterly useless in this situation. As I’ve said here many times, now, if you have a mechanical problem, you need a mechanical solution.
So I took him to the OR and sutured the torn edges of the quad tendon together. He ended up doing really well and in gratitude, gave me a few tips to avoid falling afoul of the IRS. But that’s another story….
Any middle aged person who suddenly falls on a flexed knee and tries to catch him/herself is liable to rip the quadriceps tendon apart. The quads fire, trying to catch the falling body, but the knee is forceably flexed. Something has to give. If you have osteoporosis, you might pull apart your kneecap instead. Whatever is the weakest part is what will give way.
To prevent this you need to keep your muscles and tendons strong and flexible. And the best way to do that is to start and maintain regular knee exercises, like those at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
Another element in tendon and muscle strengthening is to boost your body’s own production of growth hormone. Now, there’s a new, safe way to do that, by rubbing a cream on your skin. I’m meeting this weekend with the doctor who produces this miracle, and with luck, I’ll have a link for you to get it soon. Stay tuned….
Finally, remember that my HALF PRICE SALE on THE ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE is over on the 31st. You’ll be sorry if you miss it. Get on over to http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html/. Order NOW and get a FREE copy of THE LITTLE GREEN BOOK, too.
Til next time, my friend….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
January 24, 2008
One of my subscribers wrote to ask about gout and its effect on the knee. Seems he has a family history for the disease, as well as knee pain, and he wanted me to tell him a bit about it–specifically, if it could be the source of his pain.
Gout is a metabolic disease that can have an association with a family history. In this disease, you have a genetic deficiency of an enzyme that helps to break down uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is itself a breakdown product of the metabolism of a class of food called purines. Foods that are high in purines include organ meats, like kidneys or liver, bacon, veal, wild game, and alcohol, as well as beef, pork and ham, chicken, turkey, duck, shellfish, oily fish (like cod), scallops and some vegetables, like mushrooms, too. Hell, that’s mostly what I like to eat!
Pretty rich fare–and that’s why gout was called the “Disease of Kings.” In olden times, they were among the only ones who could eat well enough to get it. Anyway, once excess uric acid builds up in the blood, a condition called “hyperuricemia,” crystals of uric acid can form in the soft tissues around the joints, especially the joints of knee and the the big toe (which is called “podagra”). This works like the sugar crystals you made as a kid to grow rock candy.
These crystals provoke a severe and very intense inflammatory reaction, that causes pain, swelling and redness. This is an acute attack of gout. It really hurts.
Over many years, an accumulation of these uric acid needle deposits (called “tophi”) next to the joints can cause bone erosions and arthritis. This form is chronic gout. Kidney damage can result, as well.
Lifestyle changes, like gradual (NOT sudden) weight loss, diet modifications, incresased water intake (to flush the kidneys),avoidance of alcohol, and specific drugs are used to treat gout. Colchicine is a special anti-inflammatory that is used to abort an acute attack of gout. Allopurinol is a drug that reduces uric acid production, and is used for long term control.
Obviously, diagnosis and treatment MUST be under the care of a physician. And someone with this disorder is NOT a candidate for a low carb/high protein diet.
Similar to the presentation of gout is another crystalline arthropathy (say that five times, fast!), called Pseudogout or “False Gout.” These crystals are made of calcium pyrophosphate and look different under a microscope than the uric acid crystals of true gout. They also, for some reason, DON’T attack the big toe, the way gout tends to. But they can cause knee pain. Again, diagnosis and treatment MUST be by a physician.
So there’s a brief primer on gout and pseudogout–less common, but real causes of knee and joint pain. To read more about them, see THE LITTLE GREEN BOOK at http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
That’s all for today, my friend. Be well. Til next time….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
January 23, 2008
I just left a thread on Tribes, a forum for herbal medicine, where there was a lively discussion about a woman who had a self-described “floating body” in her knee. Though there was no apparent history of injury, she had apparently developed this condition wherein she had this “floating body” emerge to the surface of her knee capsule a few times a month.
She was asking the other members of the forum to give her advice about what she should do. The responses were all quite interesting. Remember that this was an herbal medicine forum. So the default assumption among all the participants was that all “MD’s are knife-happy.”
Although several members of the group advised a medical evaluation, only one member of the group had any real sense of the problem and its consequences. But he alienated the woman with the problem with a bit more assertiveness than was called for. Had one of my kind done so, we’d have been said to have a bad bedside manner.
The woman, in response, was completely turned off and rejected his advice, which ironically, was correct. It finally degenerated into a flaming contest, with each telling the other that they were being rude.
I took several things from this, which I’d like to share with you.
First, there is a wealth of opinion on the web and most of it is based on complete ignorance. Only one guy had the right idea and he was so hamfisted in his approach that the person who needed that correct information, rejected it. It was astounding how the preconceptions of this herbal medicine community colored their advice–mainly that surgery needs to be avoided at all costs, even to the extent of avoiding even evaluation by someone who could help. To be fair, several members gently tried to suggest that an evaluation couldn’t hurt and might help, but I got the sense that the woman wasn’t buying it.
Second, there was a complete lack of appreciation that this was a MECHANICAL PROBLEM, that will have mechanical consequences (arthritis), if not corrected by a mechanical solution (surgery). I mean, one well-meaning soul was even talking about using braces, for cryin’
out loud! Clueless.
Third, the fear of the unknown and the medical profession was palpable. Suboptimal and bad surgical results have a way of becoming the norm among this crowd. The assumption is that all MD’s have an “if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” attitude. Their meaning, that docs try to push everyone into surgery, because that’s what they do, is insulting. No respectable surgeon wants to do ”phantom” or unnecessary surgery. The best surgeons are the ones who avoid it, unless it’s really necessary.
Boy, could this bunch use my LITTLE GREEN BOOK (go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html)!
If they had read it, they’d know that this condition is due to a LOOSE BODY, which requires removal by an arthroscopic surgery, that could be done in a half hour, as an outpatient. But first, she would need an orthopaedic evaluation and likely an MRI Scan to define the problem. If she doesn’t get this done, she could well end up with arthritis, and a much bigger surgery as a result.
So, ignorance is alive and well on the web. After all, it’s what you DON’T KNOW that will hurt you. But so many don’t know what they don’t know. Don’t you be one of them.
And if you want to really boost your understanding of your knee, take advantage of my great HALF PRICE SALE for my ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE. Not only do you get the “big” course (well over 400 pages!), but a FREE copy of the LITTLE GREEN BOOK, and the BONUS CD, too. But it’s over at the end of this month. So, ORDER NOW! Go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
Til next time, my friend….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
January 22, 2008
Last week, I read an article on training methods which a physical therapist from Australia was using for her patients. She coined a term, “wogging,” to describe a combination of walking with jogging. According to the article this was a new concept.
Well, yeah, if you call a concept several centuries old as “new.” You see, “wogging” is virtually identical to a marching technique used by the legions of Rome to cover vast distances in record time. The legions would walk 50 paces, then jog 50 paces. They knew from experience that they could cover far more territory, far more quickly, using this pacing
combination than either walking or running. And, bear in mind that the leginnaires were travelling with full packs, shields and weapons.
This was one of the great secrets underpinning Roman power in the ancient world. And it worked hand in hand with the second secret to the rapid projection of Roman power: roads.
It’s well known that the legions built roads all throughout Rome and all its provinces. There’s no way for us today to fully appreciate what a revolutionary method this was for its time. Well constructed roads allowed the legions rapid travel from one region to another, sweeping into areas at, for the time, lightning speed.
Now, this technique of alternately walking, then jogging, not only helps you cover more ground, faster, than either running or walking, but it also keeps your pulse rate higher, longer, and helps you burn more fat, faster.
It’s also easier on the weight bearing joints and spine than is running full out. But if you have knee pain, you may need to experiment to see if the minimal impact in the jogging phase makes you worse. If it does, you can try alternating between periods of slower walking and speed walking.
The cardivascular benefits will be about the same with either method, but the jogging does involve the greater impact. You just need to try it and see.
If it works for you, you’ll have a new variation to add to your training regimen for cardio and weight control.
Another reminder: my big HALF PRICE SALE on the big 3 ring binder course, and FREE copy of my LITTLE GREEN
BOOK is over on the 31st. Don’t miss out. Go to http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html and ORDER NOW! Til next time, my friend….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For the best advice on the root causes and teatment options for eliminating knee pain, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S For all the exercises you need to prevent or eliminate knee pain, see
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION. Order NOW!
Copyright, 2008 by William T. Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Monday, January 21st, 2008
January 21, 2008
As part of my program to drop some excess poundage, I’ve been walking daily, as I mentioned last week. But for real progress on the weight loss front, nothing beats hill sprints. Driving your body uphill, against the pull of gravity, makes a pretty intense demand on you heart, lungs and leg muscles. This principle is well-known and is even used by cardiologists, when they put you on a medical
treadmill for a stress test: as the test progresses, the front of the machine is raised to increase the
stress on your heart.
Hill sprints are also fairly low impact, at least on the way up (you might want to walk downhill, if
you have knee problems). I’m very sensitive to impact because of my spinal injury, but I can do these.
Unfortunately, I live in Central Florida, which is more or less flat–nary a hill to be found, anywhere.
Well, except for bunkers on golf courses and the owners and golfers take a dim view of anyone on their
courses who isn’t packing a golf club.
So, what to do?
What I do is look for a long ramp, like that used for a pedestrian overpass. You go up and down that
a few times and you’ll know it. But sometimes, these aren’t available either. But nearly everybody has
access to a staircase, either at home or at work.
OK, if you have a ranch style house, it may be a problem, but you can generally find a staircase
somewhere. If possible, look for a stairway that has lower rise steps: a six inch riser with a less
acute angle is better than a seven or eight inch step with a more acute angle, for your knees.
Anyway, try sprinting up the stairs as an exercise. If you have knee pain, especially pain in your
kneecap, this may be painful at first. But after a few days, you’ll notice that the discomfort is much less, as your muscles begin to strengthen and the cartilage behind your kneecap begins to toughen up.
If it’s really too much to bear at first, try wall sitting or the horse stance, as described at
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html/.
Or, try taping your kneecap, or using a brace, as described in more detail in The Little Green Book
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html/.
But once you can tolerate the stairs, or hills, just watch your weight melt away and your knee pain
disappear. And, you can even do stair sprints when it’s raining or snowing.
Another reminder: my big HALF PRICE SALE on the ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE runs only through the 31st of this month. You get the big 3-ring binder course, a FREE LITTLE GREEN BOOK, and a FREE BONUS CD! Don’t miss out. Order NOW!
Til next time, my friend….
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For the best advice on the root causes and teatment options for eliminating knee pain, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S For all the exercises you need to prevent or eliminate knee pain, see
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. FREE BONUS CD with any order THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION. Order NOW!
Copyright, 2008 by William T. Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
Friday, January 18th, 2008
January 18, 2008
Yesterday, we talked about how to deal with heel pain. Today, let’s move forward to the “ball” of the
foot for tips on how to prevent and eliminate the pain of METATARSALGIA.
Metatarsals are the middle bones of the foot, between the ankle and the toes, that make up the forefoot and define the arch of the foot. On their far end, away from the ankle, they have large curved lumps that support the toe bones. These are called MT heads, and they make up the ball of the foot.
Metatarsalgia is the technical term for the pain in the ball of the foot while walking, caused by one
or two of the metatarsal heads that “drop down” below the normal level of the other metatarsal heads (the bony lumps that, together, make up the ball of the foot) because the ligaments, that normally support the metatarsal heads, stretch out. This results in all the body weight being borne by just one head, leading to inflammation.
This is especially likely if you are wearing shoes without much padding, like moccasins or deck shoes.
I’ve had this myself and I can tell you it hurts.
The other way to get this is to wear high heeled shoes. Lots of women have this type of pain (cowboys
and transvestites, too). The high heel makes the foot an inclined plane, which forces all the body weight forward, right onto the ball of the foot. Once you have this condition, walking becomes very painful.
The first time I saw this in practice was a woman who had one leg quite a bit shorter than the other.
Some well-meaning, but crazy doc had given her a six inch heel on one shoe! I couldn’t believe it. Not
surprisingly, she had quite a bit of pain in the ball of that foot. The cure was as simple as levelling her
foot with a shoe lift of both sole and heel.
For those of you who don’t have a six inch leg length difference, a few simple measures can help you get fast pain relief.
First, DON’T WEAR HIGH HEELED SHOES. Wear flats, or at most, one inch pumps, until the pain is completely gone.
Next, reduce inflammation with hot soaks and OTC anti-inflammatory meds (with FOOD, please). The usual regimen > is outlined in greater detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK
(http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html). While its focus is on the knee, the principles are the same wherever there is inflammation.
Next, relieve pressure on the painful MT head by placing a small, firm pad on the insole of the shoe, just below and about one inch behind the painful head. Dr. Scholls used to make such a pad (available in any drug store), but you can make your own with folded tissue paper and tape.
This initially feels like a walnut in your shoe, but after a few days, the pain recedes and it becomes
quite comfortable. So there you have it.
Just a reminder that my HALF PRICE SALE is ongoing at http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html/. Not only do you get the big 3-ring binder course,
packed with insider secrets, but you get my LITTLE GREEN BOOK, for FREE, when you order NOW. It’s over at the end of the month, so don’t miss out.
Til next time, my friend…
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For the best advice on the root causes and treatment options for eliminating knee pain, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S For all the exercises you need to prevent or eliminate knee pain, see
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION. Order NOW!
Copyright, 2008 by William T. Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved
Posted in Dr. Bill's Blog | No Comments »
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