I got up this morning prepared for a marathon day.  And, it didn’t disappoint. The bride has decided to move a bunch of our stuff to the Northern Command in Southampton. So the moving guys showed up, as expected, this morning. I barely made it out of the shower when they were knocking at the front door.
 
So the bulk of the day was spent making and taping cardboard boxes, packing china, crystal, artworks, and lots and lots of books. While the moving men were active with all this activity, I was emptying and winnowing all the files and papers in my home office file cabinet. 
 
Now normally, I’m awful at this type of thing, because I can’t go through three pieces of paper without starting to read some of it. Then, I get hooked on what I’m reading, or “discover” something that hasn’t seen the light of day for years–”Oh, THAT’S where that was…” So I’m about as inefficient at packing as it’s humanly possible to be.
 
These moving guys, who do this all the time, can empty an entire bookcase, hell, an entire room, while I’m still fooling around with my files. Their secret is that they’re detached. They could care less what they’re packing, so they pack quickly. 
 
We’ve used this bunch before and we trust them. These are experienced and seasoned moving veterans, one guy in his 40′s and the other, who is the driver, just 50. Despite the constant physical nature of their job, though, neither one is obviously muscled. There’s nothing to indicate the incredible level of wiry strength they can easily summon. The driver is only 130 pounds and wears the same size pants he wore in high school.
 
Yet, I’ve seen him hoist weights that seem to dwarf him, and carry them out to the truck, like they were nothing. The little guy’s as strong as an ant. Sure, part of it is technique, proper body mechanics and the knowhow, born of experience. But most of it is the functional total body strength that results from repeatedly handling awkward loads, in real life situations and day to day activities. 
 
This kind of strength can’t be built in a gym, lifting free weights that isolate specific muscles in limited arcs of motion. To develop this kind of functional strength, if you’re not a mover, or other physically active professional, you need to train your body as a functional unit. And in my experience, there’s no better way to do this than Matt Furey’s International Best Seller, Combat Conditioning. See what I mean at http://drbillsclinic.com/combat_conditioning.html
 
This was supposed to be a “little move,” only some of our stuff, not the bulk of it. But it still took two full days and they used up all the boxes they had brought, mainly on my books–I have a huge library, full of arcana from all over, covering many diverse subjects, as I have very broad and wide ranging interests. So, I had to run out to Home Depot and buy a whole lot more of them.
 
When the guys were finished packing up all our stuff, it was time to load the truck. They had hired some local talent to speed things up a bit. While that was going on, the driver got me aside and said, “Hey, doc, can I ask you a question?”
 
Now, if you ask any doctor, they’ll tell you that we get this all the time. Many of them hate it. But not me. I always felt it was a privilege to be able to help someone with what I know. Turns out he had a common problem–pain in the kneecap, worse when he was driving his big eighteen wheeler truck for hours on end.
 
Odds are good he had chondromalacia patellae, a degenerative softening of the kneecap cartilage, sometimes due to injury, or aging, but at least half the time, for no apparent reason. You can learn more about this and other conditions that cause knee pain in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
I advised him to get a pillow and put it under his thigh while driving his big rig, and to push the seat way back, so his knee can be held straight. This allows the kneecap to “float” and usually relieves the pain. I also advised him how to use OTC medications safely, but effectively, and how to combine them with some proven alternative treatments for fast pain relief. See how in detail at http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
It took til after 8 o’clock tonight, but they got it done. So they’re starting out back to New York tonight. The bride and I will collect our next batch of cats and start our trek tomorrow. It’ll take all weekend, since we have to stop every eight hours or so to let the cats out, to run and use the kitty box, eat and drink. But hopefully, by Monday, we’ll be there to accept delivery of all our stuff on the other end.
 
I’ll talk to you then. Meanwhile, have a great weekend, 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