January 8, 2010

As luck would have it, everything seems to break down, or go wrong, all at the same time. Ever notice that? We’ve just finished the stress of the Holidays, gotten past the loss of our oldest cat, Misty, had and dealt with my recovery from recent surgery and… wouldn’t you know it? The toilet breaks down and was running and running and running….and it’s only a week into the New Year.
 
Now these are old toilets, original equipment in this house, which makes them about 19 years old. So even the old bolts are rusted. Because they’re located in guest rooms, on the second floor, they don’t get much use. 
 
We only found out there was a problem when my wife decided to sleep up there, so as not to inadvertantly injure me during sleep, in my postop recovery (belly’s still pretty sore, but getting better, daily). Naturally, with me physically out of action and my wife lacking the physical strength to turn a rusted bolt, or even turn off the water, we had a problem.
 
So, we called our plumber. Normally, he would come right over. But, as we were in the midst of a true “when it rains, it pours” episode, he was tied up installing a massive water heater for a hotel, in which 4,000 people had no hot water. Figures, right?
 
So, he sent over an assistant today. Nice guy. John’s his name. He’s only 28, next month. And he’s making his living as a plumber. We took him up and showed him the problematic toilet.
 
He knelt on the marble floor, while he opened the commode and saw what was what. Turns out that, given the age of the old unit, it would be smarter to simply replace the old appliance with a new one. Figures, right? 
 
He turned off the water, so at least we weren’t still wasting it, by letting it endlessly run. But because he was a young guy and a nice guy, I decided to give him some free advice, that will make a big difference to his future comfort.
 
You see, a plumber, like a bricklayer, roofer, rug layer, or any trade that must kneel on unyielding surfaces to do their work, all have the same problem. They MUST assume that position, but it eventually causes severe knee pain. That’s the plumber’s dilemma. Here’s the solution:
 
Never, NEVER kneel on a hard floor, especially marble, concrete, brick, porcelain tile, or even wood, without a knee pad, of some kind. Here’s why.
 
The knee joint is designed to bear weight from top to bottom, NOT front to back. In other words, the kneecap (patella) is not designed to directly bear the stresses of weight bearing. This has consequences for the protective cartilage coating behind the kneecap, over time.
 
These abnormal forces may lead to degenerative softening of that cartilage coating, leading to knee pain due to chondromalacia patellae. I describe this and what to do about it in great detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, which you can get here:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html   and the specific, startegic exercises, that can relieve that knee pain over the long term, are outlined, step by step, in my newly re-written, greatly expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD, which was designed as the perfect companion to the Little Green Book.
 
http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
In the short term, knee pads are the way to go. The problem is that for some, like this guy, John, the straps of knee pads pinch and bind the backs of their knees, thereby discouraging their use.
 
So, instead, he should use a small pad upon which he can kneel, either cloth, a section of carpet, or a gel pad. In any case, the object is to spread out the body weight over a larger area. This effectively reduces the unit stress on the relatively small kneecaps, same principle as snowshoes, reducing pain and preventing compression damage to the retropatellar cartilage.
 
Simple. Easy. Cheap. And, most important, effective. And likely to keep this young man from developing knee pain and arthritis in the years to come. Keep this in mind, whenever you have a similar home care project, that requires kneeling. 
 
And be sure to take my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA,   http://www.favoriteformulas.com   an ultra pure, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with maximal omega-3 fatty acids and potent, proven anti-inflammatory properties, that reduce joint pain, back pain and have numerous heart, brain and blood vessel benefits. I take it, twice a day, every day (at least when I’m not pre-or post-surgery). You should, too.
 
Well, that’s my tip o’ the day, my friend. Have a great weekend and be well. Talk to you again real soon.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,
 
DR. BILL
 
“The Wellness Warrior” TM 
 
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 conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.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, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

Here I am back in Southampton, having delivered another batch of cats to their new digs. They were remarkably good for the entire trip–they cry a little bit at the start of each day, but then they settle down and go to sleep. All except the smallest one, who can see right out the front window, through her cage door, situated as it is between my wife and me–she looks and looks, with wide eyes. I wonder what she’s thinking, seeing all that world out there, just flashing by….
 
Anyway, for a trip of over a thousand miles, they really did do very well. Unlike my last trip down to Florida, the weather was clear and bright the entire way. But COLD! You live in Florida for a while, your blood gets “thinner.” Well, not really, but you do get much more sensitive to the cold when you’re living in a warmer clime. And of course, I didn’t realize that I had forgotten our coats until I was well on the way here, and went to look for them.
 
24 degrees it was, last night in Maryland, and I was freezing my butt off, ferrying cats into the motel room, two at a time, in their carriers. And
for about the 800th time, I said to my loving wife, “Are you friggin’ CRAZY?! THIS is what you’re dragging me back to? Are you out if your mind?”  Then I strangled her. No. Not really. But I’m confident that no jury would convict me….:)
 
I DID however, point out to her that if ever she doubted my love for her, THIS should quell any doubts. Brrrrrrrrrr!
 
On a positive note, she didn’t get any mosquito bites.
 
Well, we finally got them all packed into the car for the last leg of their fantastic voyage. And we’re driving along at more or less the speed limit  (honest) when two cars pass me at warp speed, like I was standing still, one on either side. And both were trying to occupy the same space at the same time, right in front of me.
 
Now, you don’t have to be a genius at math or physics to realize that that won’t work in the real world. I instinctively did what good sense dictated: I stepped on the brake to allow young Newton and the new Einstein to battle it out just ahead of me. Ah, the excitement and drama, when idiots (almost) collide. 
 
You see, perhaps thirty years ago, I would have stepped on the ACCELERATOR. But, hopefully, with a bit of age, testosterone levels decline a little and acetylcholine rises, so brain triumphs over hormomal urges to a pointless (and dangerous) battle. As it happens, they nearly did run right into each other. Missed disaster by a whisker.
 
Unutterably stupid. 
 
But, I’m more charitable these days. After all, if it wasn’t for clowns like these, those of us with more than two neurons firing couldn’t feel special.
 
Meanwhile, I discovered a new way to deal with aching knees while driving on long distance trips. This is especially good for cars (like mine) that don’t permit the driver’s seat to slide back far enough to allow the knee to fully extend. 
 
In these cars, you’re forced to keep your driving knee bent for hours. And if, like me, you have chondromalacia (degenerative softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap–see the full description of this, and many other knee problems, in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, at  http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html ), this forced flexion results in a really annoying ache, that builds with time.
 
So, here’s what I learned. Most cars today have a cruise control. When you’re on cruise control, you can control your speed with your fingers, while steering.  And while you’re on a long straightaway (obviously, you DON’T use this method when on a series of turns, or when you’re surrounded by other cars), I found that you can straighten your driving leg, do quad isometrics, just like those I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM, at  http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html/.
 
Again, obviously, DO NOT DO THIS IF THERE IS ANY CHANCE THAT YOU MIGHT NEED TO BRAKE SUDDENLY–because you CAN’T. So use this judiciously.
 
By tensing my quads (like any other isometric exercise), for multiple reps, then switching legs and repeating, I made a trip of over a thousand miles, without any knee pain. Simple, but effective.
 
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, 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

About seven months ago, now, I wrote you about one of the girls that works in the salon, where I get my hair cut. Her name is Nanetta, and she’s a nice, attractive, middle aged, fairly tall and big boned, broad shouldered woman, a bit overweight for her size, perhaps, but not too bad. 
 
Well, last March, I wrote about her complaints of knee pain, mainly in the anterior compartment (the front of the knee). It was my feeling that she probably had some chondromalacia patellae, a degenerative softening of her retropatellar cartilage. That’s the usual cause of anterior knee pain, though not the only cause. 
 
I had though that was what she had, though, because she also had difficulty climbing stairs, both pain and weakness. Generally, when you have weakness of your quadriceps muscles associated with kneecap pain, chondromalacia is a good bet. You can learn more about CMP and the other causes for knee pain at   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
In any case, I started her on some of the basic knee exercises that I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM at
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
Yesterday, since I had a little free time and since I was beginning to look “shaggy,” I decided to visit the local salon for a trim. As it happened, Nanetta was on duty and said she could take me right then, if I’d come straight over. So, I did.
 
After the usual pleasantries we exchanged, she got down to it. While she was restoring my tonsorial contours, we chatted about this and that. Then, I asked her, “So, how are your knees doing?”
 
And she replied, “You know, I hadn’t thought about it, but they haven’t bothered me for a couple of months now.”
 
“No kidding?’ I said. “Well did they just get better on their own, or did you actually DO what I told you to do?”
 
“No, I really DID do the exercises you gave me,” she said. “They were really tough, at first, even the basic ones. But then, they started to get easier and the pain just went away. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about the pain until you asked me about it.”
 
“Well, I guess the stuff works, huh?” I said.
 
“Yeah, it really does. Thanks so much. I feel much better now…”
 
So here we have it, my friend, “living proof” that the exercises from my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM are safe and effective. They’re specially modified to prevent or eliminate knee pain of all types. And they’re “field tested,” because they’re drawn from the same exercises I used to treat my own patients, and those I used on my own knees, too. They worked for Nanetta’s knees and they’ll work for yours, as well. Just click on this link for your own copy:    http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.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

May 8, 2008For all the many years that I served my community as The Hip & Knee Specialist of Long Island, the majority of my patients were women. Not that I didn’t see a good number of men as well, but they were outnumbered by a significant number of females. Now, I would have liked to think that this was because of my killer looks, my expertise, reputation and technical skill, or maybe my overwhelming personal charm . Yeah, I would have liked to imagine any of that. But the truth is, there were more women patients simply because, due to anatomical and physiological  factors, they have more joint problems than men do. I mean, they have a higher incidence of patellofemoral problems, like painful kneecaps, a higher incidence of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis (spinal curvature), more arthritis, both degenerative (osteoarthritis) and inflammatory (rheumatoid arthritis) and more osteoporosis. And that doesn’t even take into account the increasing numbers of young women who get involved in contact and running sports, like soccer, with itsattendant injuries. Who said, “I enjoy being a girl?” So, why is that? You would think that as the bearers of offspring, females would be better protected. Actually, a lot of knee pain is a direct result of the structural variations in female anatomy that differ from the male. Because women must deliver children, their pelvises are, in general, proportionally broader than those of men. This means their hips are wider and that results in a greater valgus (knock-kneed) angle at the knee, as the thigh bones sweep inward from the wider hips. So the knees of women tend to be more”knocked” than those of men. Since the thigh muscles follow the path of the bones, this tends to make the quadriceps pull the kneecaps more toward the outside of the knee, resulting in kneecap pain and a greater tendency to maltracking (slipping out of position). Then, there’s the tendency to get arthritic changes, both degenerative (osteoarthritis) and inflammatory (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus) that’s considerably higher in women. And, like the rest of us, women these days are getting heavier, too, which adds more stress to the knee joints. All these factors are additive, too.  I discuss all of these elements in greater detail at    http:drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.htmlWhen you add up all of these influences and predispositions, it’s not really too surprising that I ended up seeing more women than men in the office. Fortunately, I was able to get most of them better by conservative measures, that allowed them to heal and get pain relief, without surgery. Weight loss, activity modification, bracing and very specific, specially modified exercises, like those I teach at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html   worked most of the time, to get rid of their pain and get them back in action again.And, you know what?  They still work… really, really well. You can even apply the same principles to the rest of the body. If you are a lady, or if you know a lady, that needs a terrific overall dedicated exercise program for the fair sex, try Bodysculpting for Women    http://drbillsclinic.com/body_sculpting.html      Eddie Baran’s program is great for toning, strengthening and, yes, sculpting the female form. I’ve personally spoken to women who’ve tried it and they love it! So, whether you need your knee pain relieved, or you need an overall program for improved health, exercise is not only a great cure for a lot of what ails you,  but the closest thing we’ve found yet to the “Fountain of Youth.”  Til next time, my friend, be well. Yours for a pain-free tomorrow, Dr. BillP.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, MDAll rights reserved

 The other day, in response to my earlier request that all my subscribers send me their single most important question about orthopaedics and knee pain, or arthritis in particular, for a future teleseminar, I received a question about a “frozen kneecap.” Assuming that the woman hadn’t been buried in an avalanche, or fallen into a vat of liquid nitrogen, I was forced to ask what she was talking about.
 
Turns out that she was asking about her patella tending to track laterally, that is, on the outer side of her knee. From her point of view, the fact that her kneecap was stuck in a lateral track, she interpreted as being “frozen.” Now, I’m not picking on this lady, who I’m sure is very nice and who,  in any case, needed help. In retrospect, I can sort of see the reason she chose that word, but the point is, it makes no sense to anyone else, like me, and therefore, does not accomplish what words are supposed to–communication.
 
This episode reminded me of how many times I had to try to draw out of my patients what their real complaints were. Sometimes, it was like pulling teeth. I don’t mean or expect that a lay person will describe their symptoms or complaints in technical terms that I would use to another orthopod. No, I just mean plain, descriptive English that actually tells me what’s wrong.  Vocabulary is one of the main barriers between  physicians and their patients. It’s sometimes hard for the patients to make the doctor understand what they mean.
 
My father-in-law is another great example of this. If he’s asked whether he has any hip or leg pain, he replies that his leg is “numbish.” Now, you would think that this would imply some decrease in sensation, like when something is “numb.” But no, what he actually means is that he has a dull  ache in his hip. This took me quite a while to pull out of him, trying different definitions, or outright guessing what he was trying to express. The point is, it takes time and effort to figure out what the problem is. And today, a lot of  doctors either don’t have, or won’t take, the time to try to interpret what you’re trying to say.
 
“Uh-huh. Take two of these twice a day. See you in two weeks.” Bam! Out the door. Next patient.
 
Because you don’t share the same vocabulary with your doctors, it’s important that you be as clear as possible. DON’T try to be “creative.” Just name the part, state what you feel, describe what happens, in as simple and lucid a fashion as you can. If it hurts, say so. Then, try to describe what kind of pain it is: sharp, dull, deep, superficial; then, what brings it on, what makes it worse, or better.

It helps if you have some understanding of what the possibilities are. For example, if you’ve read my LITTLE GREEN BOOK, which you can get at   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html    you will know what the most likely diseases are, since they’re presented in the approximate order of frequency that they occur.

In the case of the woman who wrote to me about her “frozen kneecap,” her problem was really a lateral tracking syndrome. This is usually due to weakness of the VMO (vastus medialis obliquus) muscle, the only one of the quadriceps that attaches directly to the inner, upper margin of the kneecap. When that muscle is weak, the other muscles pull the kneecap outward, and over time, the soft tissues contract and become tight. 

To correct this, you need to stretch the outer soft tissues by massage, and sometimes by using a brace. You also want to build up the strength of the VMO, with the specially modified exercises I teach at   http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html   None of this can occur if the problem isn’t first accurately defined.

So, what’s in a word? Everything.

That’s my word for today. Hope all is well with you. 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

February 14, 2008

I picked up my bride from the airport last night. She had stayed behind in Southampton to oversee the installation of new chandeliers and other lighting fixtures, while I came home to Florida to take up cat and dog duty again. Unfortunately,
the extra chain that was needed to hang them didn’t arrive on time, as promised, so our plans were frustrated.

She was supposed to fly in the night before, but snow and ice on the road in New York led us to change her flight to the next day–better to be safe.  In Florida, we have mold, bugs and the occasional hurricane, but ice is pretty rare. 

As with many airlines today, the flight was late, not because of weather (which you could certainly understand) but from lack of a flight staff. They were on the tarmac, plane fueled, with pilot, and copilot, waiting for flight attendants, who were
delayed on another flight. Flying just isn’t what it was. So it goes….
 
Anyway, even though I checked the flight status on the computer, just before I left for the airport (on time arrival expected), by the time I arrived, it was delayed, for an hour and forty-five minutes, no less! Glad I brought a book.          But I also took advantage of the time to do a little leg exercise.
 
As those of you who have read my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM (http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html) exercise book know, I teach the use of stairs to strengthen the quadriceps, provided you don’t have acute pain in the kneecap. 

Well here’s a little variation, for those who find themselves in an airport, or large department store:  ESCALATORS.   The airport in Orlando has a HUGE, long, three-story tall escalator, that connects the ground level with the departure and arrival levels.  I simply climbed the escalator, all the way to the top.  Just a great thigh pump–not to mention, a great conditioner for your heart and lungs, too!
 
The only problem is that you need to wait until the length is clear of other people–you don’t want the way blocked, nor do you want to bowl over any old ladies. Another variation in a single story escalator is to go UP the DOWN side, again taking care not to block the way of anyone else.
 
It’s another way to do hill sprints, or at least hill climbs, when it’s snowing or raining, or if you’re in an area of flat terrain, or just want a change of pace.
 
Anyway, after a full hour and forty-five minutes’ delay, her plane finally landed. After all these years, my heart still beats just a little faster when I first see her. I guess I’ll keep her. She was happy to be home, but exhausted from the trip. Especially since all our “babies” competed for her attention, all night. They tolerate me, but love her.
 
Today, we exchanged cards for Valentine’s Day. Mine had two tiny golden hearts, strung on red ribbons, on it. We always try to work in some variation on hearts in our gifts–not very original, I admit, but fitting for the day. Then, I gave her a blood red coral necklace, with matching earrings, as well as two dozen roses.                                                                                  
Did I mention that I missed her? 

Then, tonight, we went to a downtown in spot, appropriately enough named “Doc’s,” for a really rich and sinful dinner–no calorie counting on this night!  All in all, a really memorable day.
 
I hope yours was as nice. Happy Valentine’s Day, to you and your Valentine! 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