So, some news first: I had an interview recently with a freelance writer for the Washington Post. Her topic (a very good one) was how to avoid knee replacement surgery. Well, that’s something I’m not bashful about talking about. If my knees had continued going downhill, I have little doubt that right now I’d be sitting in an orthopedist’s office, and the subject of knee replacement would be front and center.
She asked me how my knees were. That was the icebreaker question. I told her they weren’t normal. I think her breath caught slightly on the other end of the line. I could almost hear her thinking, “A relapse? Did I pick the wrong person to talk to?”
Then I explained that my knees are much better than normal. That’s the crazy thing. I emerged from this knee pain saga with knees that are probably in the top 5% for my age. Honestly, I do not have knee pain, and can chase my kids through the snow without problems, and so I feel very, very fortunate!
I will let you all know once the story runs, assuming she lets me know (or if she doesn’t, one of you can let me know, and I’ll provide a link to it). Of course there’s no guarantee my voice will be in the final story – I’m in the journalism business, and I know a good journalist leaves a lot of material on the cutting room floor – but I think there’s a decent chance.
Now for today’s subject: pro tips on searching this blog.
I realize I’ve been posting here now since June 14, 2010. Wow. Almost nine years.
Since then I’ve covered a lot of territory. So here’s how you can find some things if you’re new and are seeking help:
* If you search the blog for “success story,” you’ll find some detailed stories from people who have overcome knee pain (or are making great progress in overcoming it). I love success stories. Some of these stories you may relate to better than my own.
* If you search the blog for “Scott Dye,” you’ll find more about Scott F. Dye and his concept of the “envelope of function,” which for my money is the smartest framework for understanding and devising a plan to heal from knee pain.
* If you search on “glucosamine,” you’ll find plenty of material on why I think the supplement is basically a waste. But of course, if you think it works, go for it. The only damaged party will be your wallet (unless you’re diabetic).
* If you like reading me being philosophical, puzzling over unusual things, try these:
Of Breakdown Points and Discontinuities in Healing, Part I
Of Breakdown Points and Discontinuities in Healing, Part II
* If you want to read about debunking bad structuralism, go here:
The Odd Tale of the HQ Ratio
* And, last, one reason I’m so optimistic about the ability of cartilage to heal:
Why I’m So Optimistic About Cartilage Healing
Why I’m So Optimistic About Cartilage Healing, Take 2
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Sunday, March 10, 2019
The World Needs More 60-Year-Old Physical Therapists
Seriously.
I was thinking yesterday about why physical therapy latched on to its muscle fixation, when it comes to treating bad knee joints. You know the tired old song: Strengthen the quads to overcome the pain from ailing, balky knees!
Of course (as so many here can testify), the quad exercises end up further hurting the knee, which isn’t healthy enough to tolerate the force needed to strengthen the muscles. I had this frustrating experience myself and only started getting better when I rejected such catastrophic advice.
But where did the advice come from in the first place, and why did it prove so popular?
I can’t testify to its origins, but one thing I have noticed about physical therapists: they tend to be young, perky, athletic people. They like to stretch too. They eagerly acquire new stretches.
And it seems none of them have had the chronic knee pain that they are advising you on.
Is experience of a thing a necessary condition for advising on that thing? We don’t require a medical doctor to have lived through every problem he’s giving recommendations on, certainly. Nor should we.
But a certain humility and awareness of mortality and open-mindedness to alternative solutions comes with age, at least in the realm of physical ailments. This, I think, is a good thing when faced with the intractable problem of chronic knee pain. As a patient, I wouldn’t mind a little genuine empathy – if not with my knee pain, then perhaps with the fact that the body does betray its owner sometimes in mysterious ways, and can bring any of us low with pain that has no clear source and no clear solution.
That’s why I’d welcome more 60-year-old physical therapists who have had bad knees, bad elbows, bad feet – who have fought the good fight for months with a condition only to have it recur, then to subdue it, again and again, and finally win in the end. I’m not saying all physical therapists have to be mature adults, with hair shot with steely gray, but wouldn’t it be nice if a few more of them were?
I was thinking yesterday about why physical therapy latched on to its muscle fixation, when it comes to treating bad knee joints. You know the tired old song: Strengthen the quads to overcome the pain from ailing, balky knees!
Of course (as so many here can testify), the quad exercises end up further hurting the knee, which isn’t healthy enough to tolerate the force needed to strengthen the muscles. I had this frustrating experience myself and only started getting better when I rejected such catastrophic advice.
But where did the advice come from in the first place, and why did it prove so popular?
I can’t testify to its origins, but one thing I have noticed about physical therapists: they tend to be young, perky, athletic people. They like to stretch too. They eagerly acquire new stretches.
And it seems none of them have had the chronic knee pain that they are advising you on.
Is experience of a thing a necessary condition for advising on that thing? We don’t require a medical doctor to have lived through every problem he’s giving recommendations on, certainly. Nor should we.
But a certain humility and awareness of mortality and open-mindedness to alternative solutions comes with age, at least in the realm of physical ailments. This, I think, is a good thing when faced with the intractable problem of chronic knee pain. As a patient, I wouldn’t mind a little genuine empathy – if not with my knee pain, then perhaps with the fact that the body does betray its owner sometimes in mysterious ways, and can bring any of us low with pain that has no clear source and no clear solution.
That’s why I’d welcome more 60-year-old physical therapists who have had bad knees, bad elbows, bad feet – who have fought the good fight for months with a condition only to have it recur, then to subdue it, again and again, and finally win in the end. I’m not saying all physical therapists have to be mature adults, with hair shot with steely gray, but wouldn’t it be nice if a few more of them were?
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