Archive for the ‘May 2010’ Category

A frequent question that people ask me when I’m speaking to a running club is how do they know when they need to go to the doctor and when they can just ice/rest their aches at home.  A good rule of thumb is if you have a nagging pain that will not go away within 2 weeks of ice, rest or stretching, you have an injury that needs to be evaluated by a chiropractic physician.  The obvious exception to this rule is any type of fall, impact in a sports game, severe pain or numbness/weakness.  If you any of those symptoms, it’s best to contact your doctor right away.

Waiting for symptoms to just go away or trying to ignore the pain generally makes your injury worse.  When the injury increases, it takes longer to recover and sometimes turns a simple problem into a complex one that requires referral for injections, surgery or medication.  Remember, pain is like the “check engine” light on your dashboard.  You wouldn’t unplug the light when it turns on.  You would take your car into the mechanic.  Doesn’t your body deserve the same respect?

Many patients get discouraged when starting their physical therapy or getting back into working out at the gym because they don’t feel stronger or get the results they are looking for within a few weeks. Although we live in an instant gratification society these days, reality is that it takes several weeks of hard work to start seeing improvements in muscle function or tone and then you have to keep up that activity for the long term to keep that improvement. Simply put, the body cannot be rushed — it takes time.

Research studies show that it takes 6-8 weeks of consistent strength training to start generating bigger or new muscle cells. Any “gains” that you see before that point isn’t happenning in your muscles, but instead in between your brain and nerves that tell your muscles to move and adapt. We call this proprioception. That’s why in most patient’s physical therapy prescriptions, we start the patient with simple balance and pelvic tilting exercises. We want to improve proprioception since we know it will take 6-8 weeks to get any new strength out of the muscles.

Like anything in life, it takes hard work and dedication to get good results. The patients that are consistent and follow through on their treatment plans see great results. You just need a little patience to get to your goals!

As our office is preparing for the big 2nd Anniversary Neighborhood Cookout Celebration this Saturday, we have been reflecting on all of the experiences, patients and excitement that has brought us to this point.

For those who remember us when we first opened our doors in early 2008, our office space was half of what we have now. Dr. Erin had 2 treatment rooms and no rehabilitation area or massage room. Many times when you would call for an appointment, Dr. Erin would pick up the phone — there was no Annaliese, Loni or Chris! Although we didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, our focus was on treating the patients who came for care and the practice began to grow despite starting in one of the worst economic environments in years.

In September of 2008, the patient volume grew to the point where Dr. Erin could no longer treat patients and pick up the phone at the same time (it’s hard to adjust and hold the phone) and Annaliese joined the team working full-time at the front desk. This allowed us to give patients more convenient appointments and even some rehab exercises with their adjustments to speed along the healing process.

After the long winter of 2008-2009 with all of it’s doom and gloom, we started into the Spring season and had a big influx of golfers, runners and triathletes who needed care. Dr. Erin had started studying and specializing in sports medicine and as a result we needed more hands to help with rehabiliation. Chris joined the team in May 2009 and really helped streamline the rehab department and assist Annaliese with insurance paperwork. Steve built-out the 2nd half of the office and we expanded our square footage. By the end of the summer, Loni also joined the team to help Chris because patients were requesting more rehab and Dr. Erin was seeing great results integrating rehab into the practice.

As we continue into 2010 and start our 3rd year serving the Bloomingdale community, we also welcome Dr. John Campione into the practice. He started earlier in the year assisting the rehab department while completing his training at National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL and was a perfect addition to the team. Now that he is with us full-time, we will be integrating his expertise into the practice treating patient and will be expanding our patient care hours in late-summer to include Saturdays to serve you better.

Our growth was built on the most important aspect of our practice — the patients that we serve. You all are the reason that we’re here. As we continue into 2010, please become active participants in directing the growth of Ducat Chiropractic & Wellness Center by sharing your concerns, comments and ideas to help us serve you better. Help us build our community, filled with individuals looking to live healthy, fullfilled lives and enjoying each day without pain!