Bone on Bone: An Orthopedic Surgeon's Guide to Avoiding Surgery and Healing Pain Naturally

by Meredith Warner

A surgeon’s protocol that challenges conventional orthopedic practices to help you heal pain naturally while avoiding surgery—or recover faster from a necessary procedure.

Far too many individuals have accepted a lower quality of life while contending with painful musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis, rheumatism, tendinitis, and autoimmune diseases. And traditional methods of treatment are often risky and costly with questionable success rates.  

Bone on Bone is a total lifestyle guide for optimal health and pain-free living. Dr. Meredith Warner—an orthopedic surgeon who performed combat surgery in Iraq and Afghanistan, operates an orthopedic practice, and teaches surgical residents—shows how the same underlying principles that extend life, reduce heart disease, prevent diabetes, and decrease incidences of dementia should be applied to the overall care for orthopedic problems.

Bone on Bone will empower readers with the tools and knowledge to naturally treat pain whenever possible by:

• Promoting natural healing with simple and strategic lifestyle modifications, including time-restricted eating, sleep schedule optimization, and simple exercises
• Providing guidance on how to foster a strong mind–body connection to improve self-control and better manage pain 
• Explaining how targeted changes to your mindset, eating habits, exercise routine, nutrition, and sleep can relieve common orthopedic pain 
• Breaking down how to successfully navigate medical options—and understanding why some surgeries are unnecessary 
• Helping readers harness their own body’s power of self-repair 
• Offering a step-by-step protocol for improving overall wellness and extending health span
• Taking steps to combat cognitive decline and boost mental health while also improving musculoskeletal health

Regardless of your age or if you have been told you’re “bone on bone,” painful orthopedic problems are not something you’re stuck with. You can activate your body’s natural ability to heal itself—taking control of your health to feel better than you have in years—without surgery.

This comprehensive book will help you thrive for years to come, by keeping the entire musculoskeletal system in great shape without breaking the bank.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published May 28, 2024

Reviews

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 book reviews, #36. I’m 55 this year, which means I’ve begun developing “old people problems” for the first time in my life; specifically, I’m starting to develop arthritis, and the pain that this causes is starting to put a major crimp in my life as an urban-dwelling heavy pedestrian, something I find quite alarming. So when this book popped up in the “newly acquired” list at the Chicago Public Library, I went ahead and put it on reserve right away, and just got done reading it today.

It’s well worth your time, although I will say that it essentially only repeats information I’m reading in all the other wellness books I’ve been reading these days, confirming yet again what the latest research in modern medicine has been seemingly saying over and over in the last ten years -- that conditions we used to think of as naturally occurring ones in old age that nothing can be done about, from arthritis to high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s, can in fact be largely prevented by a change in lifestyle, as well as focusing on a few specific new things once you get over the age of 50. To her credit, though, author Meredith Warner (a veteran orthopedic surgeon and professor at Louisiana State University) describes this well-known advice using an acronym I’ve never heard before, the easily remembered MEDS which stands for Mindset, Exercise, Diet and Sleep. Or in other words, if you adopt the mindset that you really can change your health for the better through your own actions; reduce stress through meditation; get the government’s recommended weekly amount of moderate exercise, including resistance training; follow the Mediterranean eating plan, plus add a few supplements to your life (most importantly omega-3); plan your meals to always take place at certain times, and go at least 12 hours a day without eating anything at all (i.e. no late-night snacking); and get a good solid seven hours or more of sleep each night (including going to bed at the same time each night), you can largely eliminate the pain that comes with orthopedic conditions such as arthritis, as well as lower your chances of getting degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s to almost zero.

It’s welcome news, even if Warner isn’t saying anything particularly new or radical here; in fact, you could say that the news is even better precisely because it’s not radical new information, but merely a confirmation of what health book after health book after health book in the 21st century is now saying about how to live a life that keeps you healthy far into old age without the need for medications or surgeries at all. Warner calls the MEDS protocol “lifestyle medicine,” which I think is a very smart term for it; so I’ll be calling it that myself from now, and considering it a legitimate form of mainstream medicine that all of us oldies should be adhering to on a daily basis. The book comes strongly recommended in this spirit, that you won’t be learning anything new here that you can’t read in dozens of other books on the subject, but that Warner puts it all together in a smart and easy-to-understand way in this particular version.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Briefly skimmed through the book. Gleaned the basics without getting bogged down in preaching, anecdotal stories, or indepth science. This book is mostly just confirmation of what I have learned from other sources and have applied already. The reduction of animal and dairy has been a recent change that has already made noticeable changes. The one area of her MEDS program that I need to become more consistent with is a reduction in sugar. I continue to cycle through good and bad times in this area. Nothing really groundbreaking in this book.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but nothing new if you're already familiar with the importance of diet, exercise, and mindset on health. I would definitely recommend to friends or family who have musculoskeletal pain and don't want to jump straight to surgery or steroid shots. Also a quick read at less than 200 pages.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could write my review of this book. If I would have written it immediately, I would have been ranting rather than reviewing, and if I’m perfectly honest, this review is still a little bit of a rant. First, in full disclosure, I have had both of my knees successfully replaced and I am not a health care specialist, so please read this with that in mind. Having said that, I have a lot of issues with Dr. Warner’s book. Right off the bat, an issue for me is the back jacket copy, which is usually the first thing you read when you pick up a book. It states, “Regardless of your age or if you’ve been told you’re “bone on bone,” painful orthopedic problems are not something you’re stuck with. You can activate your body’s natural ability to heal itself—taking control of your health to feel better than you have in years—without surgery.” In my opinion, this book implies that if you follow The Well Theory you can fix just about any health problem, and especially, as it relates to this book, orthopedic problems. I completely agree with her that Mindset, Exercise, Diet and Sleep definitely have merit especially if followed from a young age, and it may even be helpful for those in middle age who are just starting to get the “aches and pains” associated with normal aging (that's why the 2 stars instead of just 1). However, if you have advanced osteoarthritis (or many of the other diseases that she lists), no matter how much of a good mindset you have, how much sleep you get, how much exercise you do and how healthy your diet is, it is not going to heal a bone-on-bone knee joint or other similar issues. I take issue with her assertion that you shouldn’t place much stock in MRIs or often, in what your physician tells you. Also, problematic for me, on the copyright page there is the following disclaimer, “This book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific medical situation. Any product mentioned in this book does not imply endorsement of that product by the author or publisher.” To me this kind of negates everything that is written in the rest of the book. Does she believe her own advice or not? Now, she does say that not every problem can be solved with her Well Theory or MEDS program, but to me it is almost as if it is more of an aside or afterthought inserted into the book, and it seems as if it is implied that this is the exception rather than the rule. Her advice centers around supplements (that she sells) and other holistic treatments that are part of her Warner Protocol. To her credit, she does not list a website that links to her practice, however, she does talk about the “supplement that created the Well-Theory—my line of natural products to help optimize your health”. I found the title to be very misleading – BONE ON BONE: AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON’S GUIDE TO AVOIDING SURGERY AND HEALING PAIN NATURALLY. The header states “Practical Guidance to address the most painful orthopedic conditions, including arthritis, tendinitis, muscle injuries and more”. A more accurate, in my opinion, title would have been something to the effect of -- A Holistic Approach to Help Prevent Orthopedic or Other Health Problems in Your Future. Generally speaking, people pick up a book with a title like this if they are already in pain, many times after they have already consulted a physician and don’t like the diagnosis or are afraid of surgery and are now grasping at straws. My issue with the book titled like this is that someone may prolong their agony and actually make their condition worse by taking unproven supplements and following practices that will have little impact on providing pain relief because they WANT to believe there is another solution and are trusting in this doctor’s authority. As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but feel that it was an advertisement for her Well Theory practice. You may ask why I picked up this book in the first place, given that I already had knee replacement surgery? I was hopeful that new protocols may have been developed or that additional therapies are now available for those who are “bone on bone”. I didn’t anticipate pretty much complete disregard for current orthopedic protocols. Read this book with skepticism, do your own research into your diagnosis and advised treatments. Take the parts of this book that may be helpful, but trust your doctors – most of them are truly looking out for your wellbeing.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Warner is a proponent of natural methods to help people avoid surgery and other costly treatments through the latest research on alternative methods to heal and protect the body. Diet, exercise, sleep and natural treatments can be applied to orthopedic problems to help avoid surgery or/and help recover from necessary treatments.

[Izzie Driftwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

a well written guide full of ways to make lifestyle changes to heal the body without relying solely on surgery or medications. the charts of activities and foods were especially helpful, though another book or the services of a physical therapist or trainer are recommended for physical activity aids.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowledgeable and experienced author to explain the do's and don'ts regarding treating your aches and pains in a natural way to avoid surgery, which could lead to an unnecessary trauma to your body and mind.

[Liane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good discussion of alternative natural therapies and supplements.