Doctors can be very helpful. They're most helpful when you can be specific about what hurts, what triggers pain, and what your goals are. Specialists (podiatrists, orthopods, obstetricians etc) tend to be more useful than a GP if you've got a problem in their area. They're also much more useful when you do your own research on your problems. That said, I've had bad specialists .

Some structural repairs like hip replacements work pretty well. A *lot* of structural repair surgery is very experimental. If the doctor suggests a particular surgery, it is well worth doing your own research on it. My podiatrists have always been good about taking "no" on surgery seriously. The length of time a structural repair surgery lasts varies based on the surgery. Also, most doctors consider repair duration a very important thing to improve. Surgical repair is not (at present) a good treatment for my structural problems, but everyone's body is different.

It is *good* to be a suspicious patient. The doctor does not live in your body. The doctor cannot read your mind. And the doctor is not perfect. But a good one has more tools (drugs, knowledge of the human body, mechanical aids, surgery, physical therapy) than an ordinary person.

There are doctors who bike out there. It might be worthwhile to find one who does, even if he or she is not the specialist you need, and ask for their advice on which specialists are likely to be supportive. Doctors are just like regular people, and some of them don't take exercise and physical activity seriously. Others are bike commuters *g*.