OSH '05 Comments

In article ,
(Paul Tomblin) wrote:

Yeah, you were talking about people you know. But there are a lot of
people out there who sneer at me in public because I sit while others have
to stand and do what I can to avoid unnecessary walking and standing. I
hear the rude remarks from total strangers, and I was addressing my
remarks more to them than to you.

I think the problem comes in when you have folks who are able to get
around, even if it's painful, but then there are those who really can't
get around even if they want to.

If someone is willing to put up with the pain to walk around OSH or to
go and play 18 holes, why should they be riding a scooter or park in a
handicapped space at the grocery store? Obviously, they don't need it.
There are those with serious disabilities or medical conditions, who
simply can't get around, and then there are those who are just lazy.



JKG

This has also been a problem for me. It seems most people have a phobia about
walking. Even a 10 minute walk seemed too far for many people. Every time I
ask someone how far some place is, they would insist it is too far to walk,
and would give me directions on how to take a bus or trolley etc.. An
example is the EAA museum bus. It is faster to walk there than take the bus,
espeically during the rush hour. I discovered this after waiting for 30
minutes for the bus. Same thing with the trolleys. It is faster to walk than
to wait for the trolleys.

Andrew, you haven't told us about your travels via the big bird???

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:24:58 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote in ::

I have chronic debilitating knee pain.

Have you considered knee replacement surgery?

In a previous article, Larry Dighera said:
On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:24:58 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote in ::
I have chronic debilitating knee pain.

Have you considered knee replacement surgery?

I've considered every treatment regime under the sun, and they don't work
or wouldn't work. It's all soft tissue damage, so knee replacement
wouldn't work. Neither does accupunture, physio therapy, strengthening my
quads, glucosomine+chondritin, synvisc, cortisone, anti-inflammatories,
steroids, arthroscopic surgery, massage therapy, electrophoresis,
ultrasound, entophorisis(?), and a bunch of other treatments.

No, at this point, I'm pretty resigned to the fact that I'm going to be in
pain for the rest of my life, and when the pain gets too great, I'm going
to end it.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
You can be jailed for lying about being good in bed.
-- Lionel, paraphrasing the Criminal Code of Canada, 159(3)(b)(i)

On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 12:12:47 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote in ::

It's all soft tissue damage, so knee replacement wouldn't work.

In his youth, a good friend of mine suffered had a sport related
tendon injury in his knee. Decades later surgeons attempted to graft
cadaver tissue, but it failed, so they just put in a new mechanical
joint. Recovery was painful, but now he's playing golf again. Just a
data point.

I'm not quite clear as to what constitutes "soft tissue damage", but it
doesn't sound right to me.

My training is as an orthopaedic surgeon, have also done a fellowship in
joint replacement, and currently work and teach in a major academic center.
There are almost always methods for helping people alleviate their pain and
improving their function. Not everything works for every situation.

You might consider getting an opinion from an orthopaedic surgeon (again, if
you already have done so). Good luck.

Paul Tomblin wrote:

In a previous article, Larry Dighera said:

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:24:58 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote in ::

I have chronic debilitating knee pain.

Have you considered knee replacement surgery?


I've considered every treatment regime under the sun, and they don't work
or wouldn't work. It's all soft tissue damage, so knee replacement
wouldn't work. Neither does accupunture, physio therapy, strengthening my
quads, glucosomine+chondritin, synvisc, cortisone, anti-inflammatories,
steroids, arthroscopic surgery, massage therapy, electrophoresis,
ultrasound, entophorisis(?), and a bunch of other treatments.

You must have missed something! :-)


No, at this point, I'm pretty resigned to the fact that I'm going to be in
pain for the rest of my life, and when the pain gets too great, I'm going
to end it.

I'm pretty much the same with my back. I guess the good thing is that
I've seemed to accomodate it better over time and often have to think
about it to notice the pain. The good thing is, my soft tissue damage
is to the disk and they are now in clinical trials with artificial
disks. If these work, I may consider them in another 10-15 years. I
don't want to lose mobility as with disk fusion and would rather deal
with the pain. However, the artifical disks look like they give you
your cake and let you eat it too ... although it is way too early to
know that with certainty.


Matt

"Paul Tomblin" wrote

Think about people like me next time you dismiss somebody as "really
aren't handicapped" just because you can't see anything wrong with them.

Thanks, Paul. My thoughts exactly. As far as your pain goes, I am one of
you.
--
Jim in NC

Here are my two cents as an orthopedic surgeon and pilot (attending OSH
tomorrow). In my opinion, I never give anyone a permanent handicapped
parking sticker unless they need a cane, crutches, walker, or wheel chair to
ambulate. This especially includes people who have undergone joint
replacement and have no problem playing 18 holes of golf, but want to park a
little closer at the grocery store.

Besides, most of the others who ask for stickers would do themselves a lot
better if they did more walking rather than riding on scooters. I also see a
lot more abuse of handicapped parking places than I do people using them who
really need the assistance.

In essence, I agree with the original post. After recently traveling to
Europe and Southwest Asia on a military deployment it was noticeable how
obese the average American was compared to their European counterparts. It's
a lot easier to ride a scooter that's paid for by insurance than to lose
weight.

On the other hand, for the right person, both scooters and handicapped
permits can really expand the quality of life of an individual, assuming
that they are prescribed appropriately.