The Kiss Of Death
November 4, 2009
The other day, I got an email from a doctor who is a middle aged guy, in good shape, but with persistent knee pain. Not quite as common as back pain, but a common problem, all the same. I made a career of such problems for nearly a quarter century. So I’ve heard this all before, many, many times.
It’s the usual story. Guy has kept himself in shape over the years. He’s been a runner, but in recent years, he’s cut back, intuitively realizing that impact exercise, like running, is no good, when you have knee pain. Contrary to many myths out there, running will NOT give you arthritis.
As long as the articular cartilage surfaces in the joint are intact, and healthy, all the impact in the world will not harm the joint. BUT, if there is any degenerative change in the cartilage, any region that is shredded, softened, cracked, or eroded, then impact is the kiss of death.
The repeated shock of landing, with all the weight of the body behind each stride, will ACCELERATE the pre-existing degeneration. In other words, if you already have some arthritc or prearthritic changes in your knee cartilage, then impact will dramatically worsen the condition and the arthritis will advance very rapidly.
I discuss this and other pertinent facts you should know about your knee, if you have knee pain, or want to avoid knee pain, in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK at http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
Anyway, like most people, this man, who, as a professional spends a lot of time on his feet, is most concerned with two major things: 1. he wants knee pain relief and 2. he wants to avoid surgery.
Now, he’s already seen a doctor, an orthopod, in fact, which is a good idea and one that I always recommend. Nothing like having a professional evaluation and the “laying on of hands” to find out what’s really going on. It’s always amazing to me that people will try to treat their knees, basing their “treatments” on a guess, as to what’s really the matter. This is foolish, as I’ve said many times.
You must KNOW what it is you’re treating. Otherwise, it’s like shooting in the dark–pretty hard to hit the target you can’t see, right? But many people are afraid to do so, fearing that if they see a surgeon, he’ll DO SURGERY on them.
Not so.
This is an irrational fear, if you just think about it. No one can MAKE you have surgery. It has to be YOUR choice, and only if it’s truly indicated and is either the only choice, or the best choice, for whatever is wrong with your knee.
But the surgeon is often the best trained member of the health care team, for these problems. And he or she has the entire panoply of treatments available. The ethical surgeon will never recommend an un-indicated surgery, or any other questionable treatment. But at least with a thorough examination, you will KNOW what is wrong. Then, and only then, are you prepared to choose, from all the available options, what might be best in your particular case.
Most of the patients I saw, well over 90%, I treated WITHOUT surgery. And the lessons I learned in those years of clinical experience, together with the many alternative treatments for knee pain, that I have tried and researched, I’ve put into my definitive program for knee pain relief and healing – HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY
http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
With conventional conservative and alternative methods for relieving knee pain and a selection of the best knee pain exercises (which are also excellent for surgical recovery, if, despite everything, you DO need an operation), this is a primer on the best ways to stay OUT of the operating room.
This program and the natural healing anti-inflammatory properties of my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA
http://www.favoriteformulas.com
an ultra pure, highly concentrated, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, an excellent source for omega-3 fatty acids, can make all the difference in your fate.
So take my advice. First, get professional evaluation, to define the problem. Then, try my methods and my products and let them work for you. Using them, you’ll burn no bridges. You have nothing to lose, but your pain. They’re what I’ve used on thousands of patients…and myself. So, I KNOW they work. Let them work for YOU. 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 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, 2009 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved
