Celebrities Suffering from Chronic Pain
Chronic muscle and joint pain does not discriminate. It impacts people in all walks of life, including the rich and famous. Let’s take a closer look at some celebrities suffering with chronic pain; how their pain started and how it has affected their lives. Then we’ll uncover the commonality each of these famous people share, besides fame and pain.
Brett Favre is a three-time MVP winner, two-time Super Bowl veteran and the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. But his glittering, 17-season career in the National Football League was dimmed by chronic pain, brought about by bone spurs growing on his left ankle. Favre twice had surgery on his ankle, once in 1995, and again in 2007. He is still suffering from chronic ankle pain.
Tobey Maguire, the star of the blockbuster "Spider-Man" trilogy almost did not make it into his Spidey outfit for the second film, because of the on-and-off back pain he has had for several years. 
Melanie Griffith, an Oscar-nominated actress, in her early 20s was involved in a car accident that injured her neck. In spite of aggressive medical intervention, her neck injury would not heal. The resulting pain was so severe and incessant that Melanie became addicted to pain medication.
Elizabeth Taylor developed scoliosis and suffered from chronic back pain since she was a teenager. Medical interventions were unable to control her back pain which resulted in her becoming addicted to pain medication to manage the incessant pain.
Bo Derek became well known in the 1979 comedy "10" where Derek stole the screen as the proverbial carefree "perfect" beauty. But Derek's real-life battle with pain has been far from a carefree endeavor. She says that years of horseback riding has left her with a weakened back and a painful herniated disc. In spite of her multiple therapies, her back pain continues.
Joe Theismann, a retired quarterback for the Washington Redskins, suffers from chronic joint pain as a result of his years in the National Football League. The beating he has endured as a professional football player, including broken legs, hands and ribs, has resulted in arthritis. In an interviewed by WCBV-TV, Theismann related: "There are times when I don't want to get out of bed. I am scared to death that one sneeze, or moving the wrong way, would make me so debilitated that I wouldn’t be able to do anything again." 
Alan Houston, chronic knee pain has plagued his NBA career. Before his knee injury, he was averaging 22.5 points per game. After his knee injury and surgical intervention, his average fell to 11.9 points per game. Eventually he was forced to retire from professional basketball.
Jerry Lewis, the iconic entertainer, whose comedy antics with Dean Martin dominated movies, television and radio in the 1940s and early 1950s, suffers from chronic back pain. "From 1936 on, I have taken more falls than any other 20 comedians put together," Lewis said in an interview with USA Today. "You do that, and you're gonna have problems. I had pain during the last eight films; I've had pain in 37 straight telethons. I've never had a day without pain, since March 20, 1965." Lewis was addicted to pain medication for a period of time, and he said he considered suicide as an alternative to suffering from chronic pain.
Earl Monroe, an NBA Hall of Fame member has been in constant pain after 13 years in the NBA, 25 operations, two hip replacements and surgery on both knees. Monroe manages his pain by keeping active and not allowing himself to slip into a sedentary state. Even so, "I still, at times, feel excruciating pain in my hip and back".
Nicole Eggert, broke 3 vertebrae in a snow-mobile accident in 19967 at Lake Tahoe. To this day, Nicole continue to have pain in her back.
Debbie Allen, a fame dancer and choreographer, suffers from ongoing sciatica in her lower back. She manages her back pain through acupuncture, stretching exercises and pain medication. Allen, who is a spokesperson for the Partners Against Pain, states: "Pain management is something people should take very seriously and seek the help they need without hesitation or embarrassment."
Ken Wahl, was involved in a serious accident in 1992, resulting in a severe neck injury. In an attempt to battle his severe pain, Ken became addicted to pain medication. He is still suffering from chronic, debilitating back and neck pain.
Anjelika Krylova, in December 2000, announced her retirement from ice dance due to a injury she sustained in 1995. To this date, she is still suffering from chronic spine and neck pain. 
Yvonne Yung Hung, during one of her training session in dance, Yvonne incurred a severe spinal injury. The back pain became so severe and unrelenting that it forced her to retire from acting in 1991.
Amy Gibson, a soap opera star, injured her knee and tailbone in 1993 resulting from a water skiing accident. In spite of aggressive medical care, Amy was bedridden with severe pain for nearly a year and still suffers from chronic muscle and joint pain.The answer is – Each of these celebrities has bad posture to various degrees. In spite of being physically active or even athletic, they all have slouching posture, forwardly rotated shoulders and a forward head position.
What does bad posture have to do with chronic musculoskeletal pain?
If you have bad posture, this means that your weight-bearing joints are not completely in their correct alignment and as a result, your muscles do not function optimally. The more mis-aligned your joints, the more strain on your muscles, the worse your posture.
Simply having bad posture, over time, many people will develop chronic muscle and joint pain to various degrees. The severity of the pain depends on the severity of the bad posture.
If you have bad posture, but have not previously had pain, an accident or injury (additional trauma to your body) can be like the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The additional overload on already mis-aligned joints and strained muscles can prevent your body from healing.
Even if your doctor has told you that your injury has healed, if you are continuing to have pain, it is most likely because the inflammation caused by your bad posture has not gone away. That is, bad posture plus injury equals inflammation that does not heal. The result is chronic muscle and joint pain.
If I correct my bad posture, will my injury heal?
The answer is YES. But a permanent postural correction must be made. This can only be done by addressing the source of the bad posture. Without addressing the source, one can get temporary pain relief, but sooner or later the pain will return.
A common source of bad posture is an inherited foot structure, now known as the Rothbarts Foot. For detailed information on the Rothbarts Foot, read my book, Forever Free From Chronic Pain.
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In summary, if your have an injury that has left you with chronic musculoskeletal pain that nothing or no one has been able to eliminate, take a look at your feet. If you have the Rothbarts Foot structure, by addressing this foot structure and permanently correcting your posture, your body will heal and your pain will be eliminated for good.
Professor/Dr. Brian A. Rothbart
Chronic Pain Elimination Specialist
Discovered the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity
Developer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Designer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles
Founder of International Academy of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Author of Forever Free From Chronic Pain
Sign Up Now to get a free chapter from my book, Forever Free From Chronic Pain
Posted by rothbart at 8/18/2009 5:37 PM 
Categories: Celebrities in Chronic Pain
Tags: Debbie Allen Ken Wahl Joe Theismann Bo Derek Melanie Griffith Yvonne Yung Hung Rothbarts Foot Earl Monroe Jerry Lewis Tobey Maguire Nicole Eggert Elizabeth Taylor Bad Posture Allan Houston Anjelika Krylova Brett Favre Amy Gibson
Categories: Celebrities in Chronic Pain
Tags: Debbie Allen Ken Wahl Joe Theismann Bo Derek Melanie Griffith Yvonne Yung Hung Rothbarts Foot Earl Monroe Jerry Lewis Tobey Maguire Nicole Eggert Elizabeth Taylor Bad Posture Allan Houston Anjelika Krylova Brett Favre Amy Gibson
I found this a really interesting post. Being a survivor of arthritis myself it amazes me to see stars move forward in spite the pain. 'Melinda Winner
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