Milk, it does a body good

"This is a recurrent theme. People that like to be active don't like to be inactive," said Dr. V, the orthopedic surgeon I was following in the Arthritis clinic today. Dr. V has a good point; individuals are not seeking surgery unless they really need it to control pain, or improve quality of life.

Sailing, soccer, cycling, climbing sand dunes, running, swimming, traveling, hiking--just a few examples of activities affected by hip and knee pain in the patients we saw today. I can not even begin to think what I would do if I had to give up my active lifestyle (running, spinning, kickboxing, dancing, weightlifting, tennis) because of pain.

Today, we saw around 10 patients in the afternoon, from 1:30 PM to 4:45 PM. Most cases were related to problems with joints--either the ball and socket joint of the hip, or the knee joint. During each exam, Dr. V attentively listened to each patient, responded to questions, and tested range of motion at the joint.

If there is one thing I need to improve; it is my ability to power-walk. I always feel like I'm jogging to keep up.

Note to self: Start increasing stride length when walking

I was lucky to spend an afternoon with Dr. V. He is extremely busy and multitasks very well. Dr. V wears many different hats; he is a father of two, chair of Orthopedic surgery at UCSF, surgeon, clinician, inventor of a particular hip replacement part, and overall- a nice man.

He answered a few of my burning questions. For all the ladies out there, wearing high heels will not necessarily cause limb or back problems. But tripping and falling will.

Note to self: Be careful when wearing heels (try to avoid clumsy moments).

Patients from all over the nation, including Florida, North Carolina, Washington (just a few of states I remember from today) follow Dr V for his expert opinion and services.

He opens his interview with a greeting and by asking "What are the state of affairs?"

Shadowing in clinic is so different from an OR; there was no sterile field or standing on my feet in one place for long procedures. I simply followed Dr. V from room to room. And at least this time, I got to meet the patient after Dr. V introduced me. It was nice to learn a little about each patent's story and to see patients return post-surgery with signs of improvement.

Sometimes it is the small gestures that make the biggest difference, everything from helping a patient get driving directions, or giving his e-mail to patients to follow-up, or just being honest with patients. Dr V has a way of listening and explaining complex anatomical concepts using X-ray images in a language that makes sense to his patients. He is kind, patient, and warm.

At 4:45 PM, he saw his last patient and we parted; he went to his office to dictate his notes for each visit and I went to the gym.

Interacting with patients that experience joint pain, made me aware of how delicate the body is (after it's been broken, or because of wear and tear). Most of all, I felt lucky to have the ability to run and work on increasing my stride length for future years that I will spend racing in the clinic or hospital.

Image: "Hip Replacement" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/746px-Hip_replacement_Image_3684-PH.jpg/746px-746px-Hip_replacement_Image_3684-PH.jpg