Wear and Tear by Dr. Bob Arnot

Martial artists and others who follow the warrior’s path and live with the warrior’s edge often test their body’s to their fullest.  This book by Dr. Bob Arnot has some practical advice for the wear and tear on your body that living to the utmost brings with it.  My review:

I enjoyed Dr. Bob Arnot’s “Wear And Tear: Stop The Pain And Put The Spring  Back In Your Body.”  It’s called a complete anti-aching program on the cover, and I find it a very useful book of advice for those who have the aches and pains from using your body the way it was meant to be used, to the fullest.  It focuses on the wear and tear that erodes joints and stiffens ligaments and tendons and what you can do about it.

The first part of the book deals with what causes wear and tear.  The five chapters are Heal Pounders, Stiff Man Syndrome, Fatal Flaws, The Weak Link, and Overload.  These chapters focus on proper biomechanics, the lack of stretching and becoming stiff, skeletal malalignment, loss of muscle strength, and overloading your body with excess fat.  The chapters are easy to understand and informative.

Part two is the section of the book I liked the most, it focuses on beating wear and tear.  The first chapter of part two, chapter six, contains methods for killing the pain.  Dr. Arnot discusses the options of painkillers like Acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and Aspirin.  He also addresses other methods including topical analgesics, injections, acupuncture, and massage.

The next chapter is one protecting your joints and the chapter makes the case for taking glucosamine and chondroitin.  Dr. Arnot addressed why they work, side effects, and the Arthritis Foundation recommendations among other things in this chapter.

Chapter eight is called Fix the Flaws and discusses correct shoes and other solutions for different problems causing wear and tear.  This includes some expert picks for shoes, but since they come out with new models faster than new cars, actual shoes may have changed, but the advice as what to look for is still good.

Chapter nine, Restore Your Joints, is a very good chapter about how yoga can help reduce the pain of wear and tear.  Dr. Arnot tells why yoga works, how to do a yoga program, warnings regarding some postures, breathing, and targets.  The chapter contains some drawings of simple postures to begin with.  I think the chapter is enough to get a person motivated to seek out further yoga instruction or resources to incorporate into a health and fitness program.

The next chapter, Build Protective Strength, is a short chapter on the importance of strength training and includes a few exercises.  I agree this is very important, and think one should seek out resources that focus on strength training to further their education in this area.  The next chapter continues with this theme and has a little on plyometrics and lunges.  Again, there are better resources out there, but this book should get you motivated to seek them out and start doing strength exercises.

Chapter 12 is a primer on diet.  It’ called Lighten the Load and has the basics of sound nutrition.  It’s very short, and there are more resources you’ll want to get on this too, but it let’s you know that diet and how much you weigh effects your joints.

The last chapter suggests some joint-friendly sports and then the book ends with an appendix on joint nutrition and a glossary.

As we age, we seem to have little aches and pains creep up on us.  Dr. Arnot’s “Wear And Tear” is a practical guide on slowing this wear and tear down, as well as preventing it in the first place.