Doctor, It Hurts When I Do This

There is an old joke that goes something like:

Patient: "Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Well, don't do that."

A friend of mine went to the doctor to diagnose her aching knees, except the doctor was former Olympic speedskater (1980 Lake Placid, NY) and Sacramento orthopedist Eric Heiden. Besides being an orthopedist himself, Heiden is apparently married to an orthopedist, and his father is an orthopedist, so it's not like the field is unfamiliar to him. Heiden insisted that my friend radically cut back her level of activity, including giving up using the stairs.

"But doctor, surely you, as an athlete, can understand the value of remaining active to maintain one's health." Heiden replied that if she didn't stop using the stairs, she'd have to get knee replacements.

So, I guess the central truth of the old joke is that it isn't really a joke at all.....