I have been following with interest the thread on our "walking
wounded" endurance riders who ride with/in spite of their
pains/arthritis/surgeries/injuries/disabilities. First, I applaud all
of you for pursuing your addiction, I mean, passion. And there may be
some good news. My experience caring for patients with orthopedic
problems for 25 years has led to several observations. First, I have
noticed that many people will spend an inordinate amount of money on
saddles, trailers, trucks, etc, but would never dream of spending the
same amount on themselves in the pursuit of better post-surgical rehab
to strengthen and stabilize their knees, backs and shoulders after the
surgeon has done his job. Many people may not keep up their exercises
or see the chiro nearly as often as would offer better stabilization
and pain reduction for their chronic problems. People in general are
very adaptive and often resign themselves to the idea that they are
just getting older, or their problem can't be improved. Some "get used
to" their pains and seem to spend more time adapting to them than
actively working hard to strengthen/minimize/reduce them. Advil is very
popular. Trips to the physical therapist aren't as popular, and the
outcomes can be very different. Advil will impair tissue healing, and a
judicious home therapy program will build and strengthen. An individual
chiropractic adjustment won't accomplish much other than temporary pain
relief. An intelligent series of treatments and proper
attention to new injuries will yield much better long term outcomes and
joint health.
We need all the active members we can get and keep. Please consider
consulting with your orthopedist, chiropractor, and physical therapist
and grill them on whatever they think you can do to improve your
situation, whether through them or at home on your own. If they think
you are serious, they will often go the extra mile for you. My
experience tells me there is usually something that can be done to
bring abut meaningful improvement. But it has to start with you. I will
start by recommending what I think is the best joint supplement I have
found in all these years, and I take it myself for my
arthritic/surgerized shoulder. It's called GLC 2000, and I have NO pain
as long as I take it daily. You can find it online. They also make it
for horses and dogs. Vitamin D has been shown to be very effective for
fibromyalgia, taken daily. Patients in their 80's have been shown to be
able to build muscle mass with weight lifting, so it's never too late.
Maybe we can continue this thread by folks telling us their
stories of what has worked (and not worked) for their individual
orthopedic problems that might have otherwise kept them out of the
saddle. Dr Q
