| Exercise is a four letter word, isn't it?
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| | the joints. Thankfully, those same ideas
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| I know some forms of exercise are. Let's
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| | are now mainstream thinking, but at that
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| see, there's leap, jump, lift, flex, hike
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| | time they were not. He even had his own
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| and the most friendly of all, walk. Okay,
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| | physical therapist in the office. After
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| so it isn't my favorite thing to do. I'm
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| | my second or third trip down to see him,
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| not nor have I ever been the athletic
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| | he called her in to evaluate me. I was
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| type. I'm not lazy. I'm just more
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| | totally discouraged. I hate to admit my
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| cerebral.
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| | ignorance, but I didn't see what that had
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| As a nurse, my experiences with physical
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| | to do with me. I was sick. I needed more
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| therapy were with those therapists who
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| | medication. I needed a firm diagnosis. I
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| came onto the unit to walk about with the
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| | needed someone to relieve me of this
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| patients who had a fractured hip, or they
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| | burden. I did not need to be told to
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| applied the motion machines to those who
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| | move. I must confess to you that I can be
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| had total knee replacements or generally
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| | very stubborn and just didn't get this
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| helped those who were recovering get back
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| | whole PT bit, at all. I couldn't imagine
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| on their feet.
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| | how it pertained to me. I thought he was
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| After struggling with pain in my sitter,
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| | just passing me off to get rid of me. I
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| my neck (accompanied by excruciating
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| | know. How stupid can you get?
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| headaches) and a few other places, I
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| | The first thing the PT did was to explain
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| still was unable to get an adequate
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| | to me that if I didn't move, my body was
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| diagnosis. I looked for and found one of
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| | going to become even more misshapen and
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| the best rheumatologists in the country,
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| | useless. I'm sure that wasn't her word
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| Dr. Rodney Bluestone. He had treated my
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| | "useless," but that was the general idea.
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| oldest sister who had psoriatic arthritis
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| | I was having a great deal of neck pain
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| and she got better. So I figured he must
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| | from the long drive down and felt as if
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| know what he was doing. His practice was
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| | my whole body was twisted from my head
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| in Beverly Hills, which was three hours
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| | down to my always painful behind. She
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| from where we lived at the time. The trip
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| | directed me over to a full-length mirror
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| was gruesome, with the sit, the ride and
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| | and had me look at myself. I was wearing
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| the damnable L.A. traffic. But he was
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| | a slip, and it was all too evident that
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| well worth it. His approach was a
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| | my shoulders were not the same height.
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| practical one of function. I had to keep
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| | Funny, I had never noticed that before.
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| moving even if we didn't have a name for
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| | One shoulder was at least two inches
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| this thing that had come to destroy my
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| | higher than the other. Right there
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| life. The local internist I had been
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| | before my eyes, I was becoming that
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| seeing belonged to the old school of
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| | tangled mass of protoplasm. It was indeed
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| joint protection. That was the philosophy
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| | happening. That was my day of conversion.
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| which said, "If it hurts, let it rest."
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| | That was the day I began to embrace
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| I began to suspect if I let it rest any
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| | physical therapy, faithfully following
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| longer, my husband would come home one
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| | all of my PT's recommendations for daily
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| day and find me a tangled mass of
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| | stretches and moderate exercise. I went
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| protoplasm! At the time, my arms and legs
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| | on and connected with a local physical
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| were intertwined, unable to even make it
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| | therapist, and he followed Dr.
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| into the bathroom. I was tired of lying
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| | Bluestone's protocol.
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| down, loathed the constant pain and felt
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| | Over the last 20 years, I have relapsed
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| completely ostracized from society. By
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| | many times, become lazy and let the whole
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| the time I saw Dr. Bluestone, I was on my
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| | movement thing slide, only to be brought
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| last nerve, dissolved into tears just
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| | back abruptly by the pain and suffering
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| talking about myself. It's important to
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| | that ignoring my body brings. True, it's
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| note that this doctor is British, and he
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| | overused but the old adage is painfully
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| has a totally different idea about moving
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| | true, "If you don't use it, you lose it.
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