Sometimes the smallest mechanical changes can make a big difference. Here’s an example. When I lived in Indiana, a member of my running club had developed chronic hip pain. He spent over a year trying one thing after another with no real relief: new shoes, different types of shoes, orthotics, stretching the iliotibial band that runs the outside of the hip down to the knee, chiropractic. He tried everything. Finally, one day, he went into his closet to find a specific type of shoe and he happened upon his old pillow. About a year before, his wife had purchased new pillows; he always liked the old one, so he put it back on the bed. Within three days, his hip pain was gone.

I could try to explain the changes in forces on the body due to the pillow, but it’s complicated. Suffice it to say that small changes in mechanical forces can create changes in the way the body is aligned. Most of the time we probably just adapt with no issues. Once in a while, people don’t adapt and they have problems that in no way seem related to those changes. It can and does happen.

Common-sense lesson? When you have pain, you should always get it checked out. Once the possible has been eliminated, check for the changes you’ve made—even something as innocuous as getting a new pair of jeans. If they’re just a few millimeters tighter than the last pair, you could change the forces that result in lower back pain. New desk chair, new sofa, any change in your environment can have detrimental effects.

The final common-sense health tip comes from our grandson Riley on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet