Lawrence Rick Phillips

Do you worry a lot? Are you distracted often by ankylosing spondylitis (AS)?  Are you caught up in medical issues and miss other, more essential things?  Well, I do. I...

I am a faker. I admit it. But I bet it is not what you are thinking. I fake people out about how well I am doing. In fact, I am...

Ouch, that hurt. That was what I told my back surgeon recently when he touched one of those spots that ache constantly. You may recall that in 2019, just as the pandemic...

Oh, I so dislike Winter. I mean, I really do. I hate it. I like warmth. My joints and mood are much better in Spring and Summer. So much better...

I am furious, outraged, and all the other negative, angry words one can think of regarding a recent decision of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The sports medicine...

I threw away my old boots today. These were not just any old boots. These were boots I bought in August 1973. Yes, you got that right, 1973. Wow, I...

I did “the big ride of the season,” at least for me. It is the big bicycle ride in downtown Indianapolis; it is called the Indy N.I.T.E. Ride. It started...

Do you ever get the idea that your joints and you have a distinct difference of opinion about which way to go? This morning when I woke up and was...

I love playlists. I have a library of about 3,000 songs, mostly classic rock (I am an old guy, remember), pop, country, and some modern rock. I love putting music...

I love the names of NFL offenses. I only have a rudimentary understanding of what they mean, but the names intrigue me. This past season I heard names for all...

Do your joints feel better? Mine do, and today it has nothing to do with medication. I feel better because I see the promise of spring everywhere. I observe a...

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -- Winston Churchill I am ready to put away the virus and face the...

My rheumatologist of the last fifteen or so years is retiring. Talk about striking fear in the heart of a long-term patient. Wow, that is not great news. I know...

Have you noticed how good people in arthritis advertisements look? Each time I see one of those commercials, I think, wow, I want to feel like that. Inject this or...

Editor's note: This article discusses weight and dieting. Have you ever heard of the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA)? I have been a passive member for about three years, and...

The Bob Seger tune "Like a Rock" came on my music player as I walked the other day. It got me thinking of the number of references in popular music about...

As I have been walking this summer, I have encountered two great new friends, and while neither of them has arthritis (at least that I know of), they provide some...

I grieve for myself. I should say my former self. I no longer grieve the event that caused the grief (that ship has sailed). Instead, I grieve my suffering. What...

So, picture this. I am walking through a big convention center filled with hundreds of vendors all displaying (most not selling) all manner of devices, ideas, or medications related to arthritis. I...

Editor's note: this article has a mention of gun violence. As I write this, in Indianapolis, about 15 miles south of me, a mass shooting has occurred at a FedEx...