I mentioned that I derived considerable
benefit from seeing a hand therapist.
Such people aren’t physicians–they
appear to be physical therapists or
occupational therapists who specialize
in hands, wrists, and arms.
They work in places with names like
Hand Therapy of South St. Louis.
Hand and Physical Therapy of South County
I have had some bad experiences
with orthopaedists–a few years ago
I had bad knee pain. I went to three
orthopaedists in New Orleans, who
counselled surgery. They said things like: ‘We can’t give you
a new knee, but we can give you
a better knee.’
The fourth orthopaedist
had me walk across the room, told me
I was pronating badly because of my
flat feet, and that my quads were too
weak to control the joints. He suggested
that I get on an exercise bike. I did,
and after three weeks the symptoms dissappeared.
There was nothing to do surgery on!
Imagine the condition surgery would
have left me in.
There are some very good, conservative
people practicing medicine (including
orthopaedists), but one
needs to be alive to the possibility
that a fair number of physicians
either don’t know what they’re doing,
and/or don’t care. Given the nature
of what they do, surgeons are particularly
dangerous. Most orthopaedists are
surgeons. Whenever I go to a physician
I ask reasonable questions–when the
answers don’t quite add up, I generally
go elsewhere.
If it were me I would see a hand therapist,
who, by the nature of her job, can’t cut
me up. I would discuss the possibility
of seeing an orthopaedist and ask her
advice–also to recommend somebody good.
I try not to go to people who do surgery
without a strong recommendation and reference from a professional of some sort who is
not a physician.
Forgive me if I am knocking the many
competent and good medical practitioners
who I know are out there; I just mean
that if ever there was a place to be
a smart consumer of the services one
purchases, this is it. May you all be
well and happy…