Well, Christmas is just a week from tonight.  Unbelievable. I’ve expounded before about the Stillwell Theory of Seasonal Relativity. 
 
In brief, for the uninitiated, this theory states that time progressively accelerates, relative to an observer’s proximity to the Christmas Holidays.  In other words, time subjectively seems to speed up from around April, through the rest of the year, hitting a peak from August through December. 
 
I mean, once you reach Halloween, you blink, and it’s Thanksgiving. Blink again, it’s Christmas, then New year’s Eve. 
 
Then suddenly, on January first of the New Year, it’s like the brakes were thrown on–time is suddenly slowed to a crawl, not to speed up again until late Spring and Summer. Just look at how long it takes to arrive at Valentine’s Day. Seems like it takes forever.
 
And of course, the older you get, the faster and faster it all seems to go. Well, it seems that way to me, anyway. But math was always my worst subject…. 
 
There really is a scientific explanation for this subjective phenomenon, though. The older you get, the smaller the fraction of your entire life experience is each new experience. That’s why the two month summer vacation you enjoyed as a kid seemed to stretch forever, but it flashes by as an adult. Two months is a whole lot bigger fraction of the whole when you’re only ten years old, than when you’re fifty.
 
But now that we’re in the week before Christmas, it’s all going at warp speed. And it doesn’t help that I’m spending a lot of time running up and down the East Coast, to prepare the Northern Command and transport our cats. I STILL have to get all that last minute shopping done, even though I DID start during the summer.
 
With all the extra stresses of the Holiday Season, many people have emailed me with their complaints of sore backs and aching knees. Not surprising, though, is it? Everyone is running around, on their feet longer, shopping, going to office parties, shopping, and more shopping, despite the economy. 
 
And the physical stress is compounded by the extra mental and emotional stress, which transforms into biological stress. This kind of stress makes any inflammation in the body worse and reduces the body’s immune system, as well.
 
So, what to do? Well, even though it’s very tough this time of year, you have to keep up with your exercises.  If you have knee pain, my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM (click here:  http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html )  is ideal for this, because it provides a MENU of proven, effective exercises, from which you can choose.
 
But when time is of the essence, I’d recommend that you concentrate on HACK SQUATS, with the heaviest weight you can handle, to meet the criteria that I outline, and the specially modified HINDU SQUATS I describe at  http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
You can also do simple isometric QUAD SETS, while standing in line at stores, or at every red light, if driving. If you’re at a train station, lean against the columns and do WALL SITTING–effective, but inconspicuous in public.
 
And to boost your immune system and increase your strength and stability, try the life-enhancing topical cream that increases your own endogenous growth hormone,  safely and within physiological limits, like I do:   http://drbillsclinic.com/trans_d_tropin.html 
 
If you try to do these few things, every day, despite being in the very midst of the Christmas Countdown, you will feel better, be less likely to get colds  and flu, and will relieve your knee pain. Try these methods and see what I mean.
 
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

The day after Thanksgiving, often called “Black Friday,” because it is the first time all year that merchants make enough so that they are finally “in the black” (as opposed to being in debt, or ”in the red”). This is supposed to be THE biggest shopping day of the year and, of course, the start of the Christmas Season.
 
I just heard on the radio, this very morning, that one 34 year old guy was KILLED at a Wal-mart here on Greenacres Road in Long Island, when crazed shoppers stampeded through the doors (which they actually BENT) at opening, knocked the poor man onto the floor and trampled him. No joke. He was pronunced DOA at the local ER. Helluva way to start the Holidays.
 
How could this happen? Simple. People are nuts.
 
And, though I don’t KNOW this, I’ll bet that he had weak or trick knees that buckled under him, when hit with a surge of unexpected force. Poor guy was an employee of Wal-mart and couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. A pregnant woman was knocked down too, but she (and her unborn baby) are reportedly OK. I thought we were in a deep recession. Just imagine what would’ve happened had we had a record year in the GNP….
 
You know, one of the things I would tell my patients about their knee pain, during my years in practice, is that it is often not realized just how dangerous a condition it could be. Now, a torn meniscus, or an unstable knee from a chronic ACL deficiency, or a painful kneecap, from quadriceps weakness or patella maltracking, won’t kill you directly. They’re not considered life-threatening injuries or disabilities–that’s why many people put off getting active treatment. They’re not sick; they’re “broken.”  Not as high a priority, as other things going on in their lives.
 
BUT…
 
Now imagine that their knees suddenly give way at the head of a tall flight of stairs; or unexpectedly buckle on the train platform, just as the express flashes by; or crumple beneath them on a curb, causing them to fall forward into the street, right in front of speeding traffic. All of a sudden, these “benign” lesions, that all result in a sudden fall, literally become life-threatening problems.
 
And the worst thing is, that this type of knee instability may or may not be accompanied by pain. In general, people are a whole lot more likely to address something that causes them pain. This is why acute pain is said to be a survival mechanism–it tends to demand attention.
 
But when instability is intermittent, people tend to disregard the warning. They don’t realize the danger. So they put off treatment, sometimes until it’s too late.
 
The Hospital Administrator came to see me for knee pain and giving way, only a few months after I arrived in Smithtown. He snuck in late at night, so no one would see him coming to see the “new kid,” instead of one of the old “warhorses” on his hospital staff. After examining him, I determined that his only problem was weakness of his quadriceps. He could not resist me, when I pushed down on his straightened leg with my  hands. Now, THAT’S abnormal.

The thigh muscles should be stronger than my hands, stronger than ANY hands. If they’re not, then the knee is “hanging in the breeze,” with no dynamic stability. This leads to patella maltracking, which may lead to pain, and knee instability, as that joint cannot maintain a stable stance, if suddenly attacked by an abnormal force, because of muscular weakness.
 
These symptoms have led many to have knee surgery, when it really wasn’t necessary. Once you have knee pain, of course, you DO need to treat the inflammation, the pain and then, the muscular weakness. Measures for eliminating pain and inflammation are detailed in my newest program, HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN. See it here at http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
Once the pain has been controlled, restoring function becomes the priority. That means exercise, especially exercise to strengthen the quadiceps, such as specially modified Hindu Squats, or my personal favorite, Hack Squats, which are among the best to improve knee pain and are just part of my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM. See it here at http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
BTW, if you get the AVOID KNEE SURGERY program, you DON’T need the PAIN-FREE PROGRAM, as many (but not all) of the exercises are included in that. But you might want to get the LITTLE GREEN BOOK instead,  http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html  to learn about your symptoms and signs, so you know what’s wrong with you.
 
And of course, keeping your weight down will help, as well. After all, if you lose a pound, that’s almost the same as having your muscles grow in strength enough to support, or lift one more pound (It’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea).
 
What’s that?  You say you ate too much last night,  ’cause it was Thanksgiving?  Fear not.  I understand.  And as a compassionate orthopaedic authority, who happens to love food as much as you do,  I absolve you all.  Now go and sin no more….:)
 
Til next time, my friend, be well and have a great weekend. 
 
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, today is it. At about 9 AM, the bride and I are going to pack the Prius with six of our “babies” and make the long haul to Southampton, New York. Since it’s early October, and the weather in Orlando is just beginning to cool, ever so slightly, in preparation for the best time of year in Central Florida, naturally it’s time for us to leave.
 
Actually, this is an experiment. While in New York to supervise the buildout of the Southampton house to add more living space, my wife was adopted by a local feral cat, who she named Sarah. As any cat lover knows, they pick you, not the other way around.
 
Anyway, Sarah has become very comfortable and very affectionate toward my wife. And quite accustomed to being “Queen of the Castle.” She has no idea what’s about to happen, but she has a lot of brothers and sisters to meet (And one poor old dog, if she hangs  on long enough to make the trip).
 
So this is a staged invasion, if you will. We’ll see if she’ll accomodate to the most docile and sweetest of the cats. If she does, then the rest can come. If she can’t, well…we may have to get her another home, or return her to the great outdoors. We’ll see…
 
So, we’re about to embark on the longest road trip that we’ve been on in many years. Maybe the longest ever…probably two, maybe three days, depending on how well our critters tolerate it (and us, too). Well, at least with the Prius, I’ll get great mileage! 
 
What does this have to do with orthopaedics? Quite a bit, actually. Over the years, I took care of many people who had retired to Florida or the Carolina coast, Myrtle Beach, etc., but who came back for their orthopaedic care and followups to my office. Most of them drove. And all of them had hip and knee problems–that’s why they were in my office to start with, right?
 
So I plan to apply the very lessons that I taught them to minimize their discomfort on long car (or plane) trips. You may find them pretty useful, too.
 
First, sit on a gel pad or a nice, fluffy pillow. That keeps your butt from getting sore or numb from loooong hours of sitting.
 
Next, get a pad or folded towel to support the lower back. On long trips, especially, that’s very important to minimize fatigue. This can be combined with one of those curved bead-filled neck pillows, commonly seen at Airports. But this has to be adjusted so it doesn’t interfere with your peripheral vision.
 
Next, push the seat back to comfort and slip into the “European Driving Position,” which allows you to give your knees a break and reduce any kneecap pain. Full details are revealed in my magnum opus, HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL! THE ADVANCED MASTERS’ PROGRAM, which you can get at   http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
 
But before you even get into the car, put on some elastic stockings. These will give counter pressure on your legs, to promote deep circulation.  And take a baby aspirin, every day of the trip (if you don’t already), to “thin” the blood (promote mild anticoagulation) and therefore make a deep clot in the veins (deep vein thrombosis) less likely. Fish oil will also minimize this risk, by a different mechanism.
 
Finally, while on the trip itself, break up the driving into two to three hour intervals. Each time, get out of the car and do some Hindu Squats and leg stretches, like those I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM (which you can see at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html ) as well as some walking for a few minutes. This will relax all your muscles, mobilize any accumulated fluid retention in your legs, allow the tension of driving to dissipate and give all your joints a break, too. If you’re driving with someone else, as I am, switch off with the other driver, every time. If you’re by yourself, take longer breaks, more frequently.
 
And above all, throttle down your testosterone! There are always going to be idiots on the road. Avoid them. Don’t let them goad you and stay away from them. Sooner or later, they’ll get theirs–and you don’t want to be involved when that finally happens.
 
So, we’ll see how well I take my own advice. We’re off, as soon as I finish loading up. Talk to you soon from the “Northern Command.” Til then, my friend, be well, and have a great weekend.
 
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, today I’m heading back to Florida, the Land of Sunshine. It’s been cloudy and drizzly for the past few days in Southampton–nothing serious, but gray.  This grayness is typical of Long island in the winter,  and is any excellent arguement for being elsewhere during that season. 

Besides being gloomy and chill, after a while, that absence of sunshine can have health consequences, due to lack of vitamin D (which is generated in your skin by sunlight), which helps to prevent osteoporosis, as well as colon and other cancers, according to some studies. Absence of sunlight can also affect your mood after a while: SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

You can combat both of these by vitamin supplements and full spectrum light bulbs, but, let’s face it, it’s just better to get the real thing from Mother  Nature, if you can. About 20 minutes a day should do it.
 
My big problem is my wife: she hates heat and bugs–and Florida is nothing, if not buggy and hot!  Of course, right now is the very best time in Florida. The winter is pleasant, warm in the daytime, cool at night–just about perfect. Problem is, this doesn’t last but for about three months. Then, it’s really, really hot again. And humid. And it stays that way until next winter.
 
So until we can sort this out, we’ll continue being nomads, going back and forth, back and forth….
 
With all this travelling, lucky I can do my exercises pretty much anywhere I happen to be. The specially modified Hindu Squats are my mainstay, since I have chronic knee pain myself, if I don’t stay on top of it. If I get some aching due to overuse, or to a  specific injury, I like to do Hack Squats and Sumo Squats, generally with some resistance, in addition.  But that’s just me. Everyone is different, so it’s best if you have a wide range of exercises, from which you can choose what works best for you. 

As it so happens, my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM is just such a resource. These are the best exercises I’ve found in all my years of practicing orthopaedic surgery — ones  I’ve used personally, and ones I’ve found worked best for my patients, too. See what I mean at
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
All of these are specially modified for those who have knee pain, and those who want to avoid it. Try them out.  You won’t be sorry.
 
Meanwhile, the groundhog reportedly saw his shadow,  indicating it’s six more weeks of winter, according to tradition. So, it’s back to Florida for me. I’ll  think of all of my friends stuck in the snow and ice, and try to stay warm for them. And soak up that sunshine, while I can.

All the best, 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