Ramon Rodriguez, 79, loves working on his yard. But as he’s aged, he says, he needs relief from the pain keeps him from enjoying what he loves to do. “I love to work outside, but I can’t put pressure on a shovel or walk with a wheel barrow. My knees hurt,” he said. Mr. Rodriguez is one of 20 Southside ISD residents selected to participate in the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine Amigos de Medicina pain clinic. Orthopedic doctors and physical therapists selected Southside residents because they know people here need the help. “What we have found is that Hispanic residents on the South Side of San Antonio express more fear of the procedures even if they know that it would reduce their pain and increase their quality of life compared to non-Hispanic residents,” said Dr. Roberto Fajardo a clinical researcher and the organizer of Amigos de Medicina. Dr. Fajardo says most patients with knee pain respond well to physical therapy. Knee replacement surgery is used in the most severe cases and that’s something Ramon Rodriguez is willing to consider if it relieves the pain and allows him to work in his yard again.