I was notified by my email account that my account was in danger of becoming completely filled and was advised to purge some of the emails that I had let accumulate. In the process of winnowing those that I still wanted to save from those that could be safely eliminated, I came across a few that I thought might be instructive for you.
 
Every so often, I get emails from some poor souls who are suffering with persistent, or progressive knee pain. They ask for help in relieving their pain and in many instances, are fearful of knee surgery. This is one such exchange, which I pass on for the lessons it entails. I have deleted any reference to the author’s origin or identity, for reasons of privacy, and some products this person was using, but otherwise the emails are as they were written. 
 
I’ll have a few comments after you read this:
 
“Dear Dr Bill
 
I came across your website and am writing to ask your advice on which of your books would help me the most (I have spent $$$$$ on lots of so-called self-help measures, like anti-inflammatories, painkillers, etc).
 
I have what surgeons call very “mobile” knee caps. It stems from being very slightly knock-kneed. About 15 years ago (when I was in my twenties), my right knee was operated on,­ after it started to track incorrectly as a result of a fall. 
 
I had a “lateral release” arthroscopy. I was advised to have another on the left knee (I never did). Today, both my knees are extremely sore and painful. I used to do yoga, but stopped two months ago, as it was too painful for my knees.
 
The last month or so, both my knees have buckled and collapsed at the same time on two separate occasions, leaving me to collapse in a heap and barely able to walk. My right knee (the one operated on) is by far the worst. It is sore, inflamed and very painful. My left knee is not so inflamed, but is also very sore and painful.
 
I swim about once a week and exercise on steps in the pool to try to build the strength up in my legs. My knee surgeon once told me we generate four times our body weight to get up the stairs! The pain in my knees prevents me from exercising more, ­even walking. When my knees collapse, I am forced to use a cane to get around for a few weeks.
 
More recently, a GP suggested getting the meniscuses in my knees trimmed so that I can walk better. Given the experiences of my last knee operation, naturally I am not inclined to have more surgery!
 
I would welcome your advice and especially advice on which of your books may help me the most.
 
And I am a vegetarian, so fish oil is out of the question.
 
Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Kind regards…”
 
Here was my response:
 
“Sorry to hear of your problems. Your story is a common one, though. Your pain is coming from chondromalacia patellae, a degenerative softening of the cartilage in back of the kneecap. This is caused by the loose (hypermobile) patellae, which in turn is due to lax ligaments and weak muscles.
 
The best value book of mine that will help you is the newest one: HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
That includes herbs, alternative measures, and a selection of exercises that should improve your condition, by strengthening the VMO muscle.
 
Instead of fish oil (given that you’re a vegan), try FLAX SEED OIL, as a source of omega 3 fatty acids. Other herbal anti-inflammatory measures are in the book as well. 
 
Good luck. Hope this helps.
 
Best wishes,
 
Dr. Bill”
 
Well, she took my advice and this was her follow-up email:
 
“Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly (and in the middle of the night??) with useful information and advice.
 
I’ll definitely order the book – although I’m inclined to order the Little Green Book, as well
 (http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html ).
 
I don’t know much about your background, but from what I’ve read so far, you truly appear to be an ethical doctor with the highest level of integrity and one that is willing to readily share his knowledge: that in itself is remarkable as well as highly reassuring.
 
This morning, I tried the leg raises you suggested in one of your articles (with one knee bent) and immediately felt the legs were stronger. 
 
Everyone else who has told me to do leg raises in the past has suggested raising both legs at the same time (which I would do for a while, but then give up because of the strain on my back). One physician suggested raising the legs with the head held up (which then puts a strain on the neck!) You are the only one who recommends bending one knee, while raising the other leg.
 
For the first time in a long time, I have confidence that – thanks to you – I can beat this problem, without knee surgery.
 
I will keep you posted of my progress and hope you won’t mind if I contact you again should I have any questions. And of course, I’d be more than happy to provide a testimonial in due course!
 
Thanks again for your help and advice.”
 
And if you have knee pain ruining your life or the life of a loved one, don’t suffer. Help me to help you. Get my new program. Click here, NOW:   http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
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

Just yesterday, I came across an article on one of the sports blogs about the various knee injuries seen with a number of sports, including basketball, soccer and football. With the Olympics in full swing, it’s easy to focus on the more dramatic sports that get much of the press, when it comes to knee injurues, acute and chronic.
 
But surprisingly enough, one of the most frequent causes of chronic and acute knee problems is… GOLF! Now, golf is a gentleman’s (or gentlewoman’s) game, no doubt about it. And it looks like the players mainly walk around, when they’re not riding in their electric golf carts. They don’t even carry their own golf bags–a caddy does that for them. But if the knee problems generated by this sport aren’t as dramatic as some, they’re no less real. 

You see, golf applies more subtle forces across the knee joint, that are often internal. Walking on uneven terrain, rolling hills, even sand traps, induces the same irregular joint forces as walking on a beach. And the torque, or twisting forces, imposed on the knees with every drive are tremendous.  In fact, it’s that twisting stress, with full body weight on the knee, from every swing of the driver that’s responsible for most of the injuries.
 
You normally don’t even think in terms of golf injuries until some high profile player, like Tiger Woods, is knocked out of competition by his bad knees, or some specific knee injury. But the danger is always there, maybe especially for the average player, who isn’t conditioned as well as the professional athletes.
 
You go into any golf club or country club locker room and all you’ll hear about is aches and pains of shoulders and knees. Well, part of that is simple aging. Lots of boomers and seniors play golf, which aggravates dormant conditions, like arthritis, or synovitis, or chondromalacia patellae (for a complete run-down of the many problems of the knee, in layman’s language, see my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html ).
 
But part of it is newer injuries, like ligament sprains or ACL tears, or especially torn menisci, caused by that repetitive twist. Pain in the knee is so common in this sport that I call this chronic knee pain “Golfer’s Knee.”
 
While Tiger had a completely ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament, as well as a meniscus tear and articluar cartilage damage, all of which require surgery, in many cases, proper conservative treatment of Golfer’s Knee can avoid knee surgery. As it happens, my latest publication provides golfers and anyone else with all the tricks, tips and effective techniques from across the entire medical spectrum, conventional, alternative and complementary. It’s called HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY  http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
Acute pain is treated first by anti-inflammatory measures and joint stabilization, while long term treatments focus on specialized exercises and stretches, to improve strength and stability. These are supplemented by nutritional measures, herbs and nutriceuticals, to enhance healing and retard the development of arthritic changes. 

Yes, there are situations where surgery is needed. But my goal is to teach you how to prevent an UNNECESSARY surgery, of which there are far too many. So, if you have knee pain, from Golfer’s Knee, or any other source, learn how to relieve your pain and restore your function, with the best conventional and alternative non-surgical methods. Go see how at   http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
You’ll be glad you did. 

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

Well, here we are in Orlando, where it’s cloudy but not even raining yet. And the press has worked itself into a lather over the approach of Fay, a tropical storm with hurricane potential. Now, it is true that Fay has spawned some tornados, apparently killed ten people and should be taken seriously. But so far, virtually nothing that has been predicted has happened.
 
I’m well aware that meteorology is an inexact science. That’s rather like saying King Kong is a large monkey. I mean, these guys are wrong so often that they could probably do better if they flipped a coin. They know it’s raining when they look out the window. For all the sophisticated computer models, specialized radars and scientific analysis, they are clueless about what’s going on in the real world.
 
See, the problem is the computer models. The models are accurate ONLY if the premises on which they’re based are valid. Wrong assumptions, wrong results. Since the facts on the ground (or rather, in the air) are always changing, it makes it tough to accurately predict what’s actually going to happen. You see, I understand their limitations, but talk about your overpaid guys!  They get paid whether they’re right or wrong! In fact, most people expect them to be wrong. Meanwhile I was supposed to be perfect–any deviation from perfect is assumed to be defacto evidence of malpractice. Feh! Makes me sick!
 
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we don’t have to deal with a major hurricane. It’s just annoying that every prediction these guys make is presented with a certitude that keeps us all in a state of fear. That was the premise of a very good book by Michael Crichton, he of Jurassic Park fame, of the same name (State of Fear). His theme was the constant “state of fear” that the media tries to keep the public in, with one dire prediction after the next. And it’s absolutely true.
 
And here’s something else to think about: this is the same “science” that supports those who buy into the whole apocalyptic “global warming” business. Almost all of it is based on computer models, just like the day to day weather, apparently with the same degree of accuracy. 

This would explain the phenomenon of melting polar ice caps, rising seas (which, given Al Gore’s time line, should have swallowed several coastal cities by now) et al, which are a product of extrapolated computer models. Same problem: if the assumptions on which the models are based are faulty (ie. warming, such as it is, is the product of man made activity, greenhouse gases and the like), the results are, too. This is why the polar ice caps of Mars are also observed to be receding, absent ANY man-made activity (so far as we know). And it explains why our polar ice is now INCREASING, contrary to the predicted findings of the models.
 
People who are fully invested in the whole global warming enterprise are aware of these disturbing variations in the real world from the computer models. That’s why you now hear more about “climate change,” than global warming these days. Here’s a clue: the climate is ALWAYS changing–that’s what it does. And all climate is a function of the activity level of the SUN, the source of all energy on earth. The amazing thing is not that climate varies now and again, but that the narrow range necessary to preserve life on our little planet is remarkably constant.
 
So while the meteorologists and weathermen appear to be fey on Fay, I’m going to look out my window, onto the real world, and see what the weather’s doing. Still cloudy, still no rain, mildly breezy here in Orlando. But the radio says twisters were noted in Southern Florida. Which way will it go? They have NO IDEA, though they have plenty of predictions. Ah well, let’s hope it misses us. We’ll soon know…
 
Speaking of the crappy weather of the Hurricane Season, ever notice that your joints ache when it’s about to rain? Or that you feel sleepy when it’s cloudy and damp? Well, that’s a function of specialized nerve endings in the tissues around your joints that respond to a fall in barometric pressure (baroreceptors). Any inflammation, as from synovitis, arthritis, a chronic sprain or strain, a recent fracture (even if healed) aches with damp weather.
 
You can ease those aches and pains with some local heat applications and the various anti-inflammatory measures I teach in my newest program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY    http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
Using measures from across the medical spectrum, you can relieve pain, reduce inflammation and restore function in your painful knee–without surgery. 

Til next time, my friend, stay dry, stay safe, and 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

I was half way through the day today, when I realized that it’s April Fools Day. My wife caught me with a couple, but other than that, nada. So I thought about doing a clever email about April Fools Day. Then, I thought better of it. 

Then, I decided to give you a break from my lame attempts to be cute with the date. So, I am officially giving you respite and relief from any more April Fools jokes.
 
Instead, I’m going to give you a quick method for a  painful shoulder–an orthopaedic tip that’s the main reason you read my musings.
 
The most common painful condition I saw in non-athletes was acute pain in front of the shoulder, which we in the trade call bicipital tendinitis. This condition is actually two different conditions, each affecting one of the two heads of the biceps muscle. If you stick your thumb into the hollow between your upper chest muscle (pectoralis major) and the shoulder below the collar bone (ie., the deltopectoral groove), you should feel a hard lump. That’s the coracoid process, a “finger” of bone that’s a point of attachment for several muscles, including the SHORT head of the biceps. If that’s not tender, then, run your finger over the front of the head of your shoulder (humeral head), while rotating your shoulder outward and inward. If you feel a painful click, or if you feel a tender cord in the head of the shoulder bone, then you have a tendinitis of the LONG head of the biceps.
 
Treatment is the same for both. You need to put the arm in a sling, at a minimum, and preferrably a shoulder immobilizer (which has a strap to prevent outward rotation). This is the single factor that most people refuse to do–that’s why it doesn’t get better. Then, the usual regimen of anti-inflammatory measures (OTC meds, local heat, fish oil, etc.) fully described, although for the knee, in my book at
 http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html   Then, sleep with a pillow under the entire arm, lengthwise, to provide adequate support and to avoid pulling on the sore shoulder. 

These measures will be effective and will work most of the time, unless there’s a more serious problem. In that case, you will need a real orthopaedic evaluation, x-rays and all. Oh, and just so you know, the doctor is NOT trying to pad your bill–x-rays show calcium deposits and other potential pathology that may not be visible on examination alone.
 
So, I hope this series of tips for shoulder pain was helpful and more worth your while than a joke. That’s it for today, my friend. Til next time, 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