Valerie is a 73-year-old Scillonian woman.

Not from the time of the dinosaurs, but the Isles of Scilly. That’s the beautiful island archipelago off the southwest tip of the UK. And Valerie makes the most of where she lives:

She cycles a daily lap of her island,
She enjoys a daily dip in the Atlantic Ocean with friends, and
She’s partial to a jam scone. Jam first, then cream… do NOT get the order wrong.

Nothing particularly remarkable in that story. Except perhaps for the stunning location in which the story takes place. 

But what is remarkable is how little Valerie could move when I first met her and how robustly she grasped the advice to fix her own knee pain.
 
Valerie had got to the point of booking in for a knee replacement 10 years ago. And, as is routine in my clinic, we talked about: 

• Moving more and eating well, and
• Measuring bodyweight and pain regularly. 

What happened next still brings a smile to my face...


Valerie called to postpone her surgery

Her bodyweight was coming down and her pain score had dramatically improved.

Face to face six months later and Valerie had lost two stone in weight and really taken to cycling.

Checking in with her one final time she told me about the Scillonian bike laps, the sea swimming and her return to her beloved coast path walking. Music to my ears :)


I remember the story, and now many more like it, because of the dramatic change and bounce back that I saw in front of me. 

These are the most satisfying stories from my clinic. 

On their own, one or two stories are weak evidence. Weak evidence in favour of moving more and eating well. However, combining these stories with many 1000s of others produces evidence that is overwhelming.

Professionally, these stories help me convey the actions that people need to help themselves. They help illuminate the evidence we read about in newsletters #009 and #010.

And personally, they motivate me to move more and to eat well. They get me back on track.

Right now, back on track after a Christmas festival of good eating! Back on track so I can do more with less pain...

And is there a more important time of year to remind ourselves to get back on track?

Happy New Year!

I hope you and your family have a lovely New Year celebration.

The New Year is a good time to move more and eat better. I hope these newsletters add weight to our collective New Year motivation.

Please forward this onto anyone you know who gets hip or knee pain who might benefit from a deeper understanding of their joints.

Nudge them and their family to hit the Subscribe button below.

And they can catch up on my first 11 newsletters at www.danhwilliams.com/#subscribe