Active Body Chiropractic is a mecca for healing that every athlete in the Chicagoland area needs to know about.
I was fortunate enough to discover Active Body after enduring a year of chronic hip pain following a femoral neck stress fracture for which no one - not even the exalted Kathleen Weber, sports medicine doctor for the Chicago Bulls and White Sox - could properly diagnose or treat. Being somewhat new to the running scene, (I had lived a relatively sedentary life until my late 20s when my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and I took up running to relieve stress) I was unfamiliar with the protocol for treating a sports-related injury. My internist referred me to Dr. Daniel Newman at Illinois Bone and Joint Institute who sent me for the bone scan that detected the stress fracture. His "idea" of treatment was to stay off it for eight weeks. Never once did he address the underlying soft tissue issues I've since come to realize caused the injury, and I didn't think to ask him since I trusted his word as my doctor. In any event, he released me back into the running scene after eight weeks of rest, and surprise surprise, the pain came back worse than before. Subsequent visits led to a MRI which indicated a tumor on my femur, so I was referred to Midwest Orthopedics at Rush.
There, I saw Dr. Steven Gitelis, who ruled out bone cancer but still had no idea why I was in pain. He referred me to Dr. Kathleen Weber. I had to wait six weeks to get in to see her, and her receptionist called me the day before the appointment to ask me if I could change it so that they could treat an injured Sox player. I was less then impressed. When I finally got in to see her, she had me perform a squat and diagnosed me with a rotated pelvis and hip flexor strain, wrote me a prescription for orthotics, 4-6 weeks of physical therapy including Active Release Techniques (ART) and sent me on my way. Unfortunately, the certified ART provider Dr. Weber referred me to was not covered by insurance, but I was desperate for help. Over the next eight weeks I had spent more than $1500 on physical therapy, custom fit orthotics and ART combined, and while I definitely thought the ART sessions were helping, I could no longer continue to afford it paying out of pocket.
Months passed and my hip pain had progressed to the point where I was suffering when I was inactive as well - especially when I sat for long periods of time at work, in a car, on an airplane or after a night's sleep. Forget physical therapy when dancing at my friends' weddings left me incapacitated and laid up on my couch with a heating pad on my groin.
It wasn't until around the one-year mark of my initial injury that I found Active Body Chiro on a Google search. Being an electronic marketing manager, I was immediately impressed with their business savvy to optimize their Web site. Their stock only continued to rise when I found out they took insurance and that they could fit me in for an appointment with Dr. Ryan Verchota within the week. Dr. Ryan was incredibly thorough, attentive and compassionate to my plight. He sat with me for an hour during my first appointment and patiently listened to my psycho-babble when all the previous doctors I'd seen couldn't push me out the door fast enough. He explained to me that my hip pain was caused by the excessive build-up of scar tissue inhibiting normal movement, causing dysfunction and predisposing me to the repetitive strain injury cycle as the muscles had to stretch and contract against these adhesions. He treated me with ART during that first appointment, and he was the consummate professional. He reassured me by explaining everything in great detail and answering all my questions, and believe me, I challenged him. What's more is that he has a great passion for what he does and helping others. He's an active runner, so he doesn't just talk the talk.
Dr. Verchota succeeded in helping me with ART where everyone else had failed in that most traditional methods such as anti-inflammatory medications, rest, ice, compression, elevation and stretching and strengthening exercises do not address the underlying scar tissue adhesions that develop within the muscles and surrounding soft tissues. The great news is that ART has a 99% efficacy rate in treating soft tissue injuries including muscles, ligaments, fascia and nerves. After only four visits with him, I was able to run again pain-free.
All in all, I would highly recommend Active Body Chiro and Dr. Ryan Verchota to anyone and everyone who has suffered from chronic pain whether from a sports injury or not. He got my mind and my body back on track without surgery when all hope was lost. I feel like I have my life back and I have no doubt they can do the same for you! read more
