5 Tips to Help You Find the Best Chiropractor in Naperville, IL

Have you recently been battling through some nagging pain in your back or neck? Do you need physical therapy for a certain injury, but unsure of where to get it? If so, then you need to learn about how to find the best chiropractor in Naperville, IL for your treatment.

Doing so can help you find a chiropractor that’s experienced and trained in the type of treatment that you need. They can assess your situation and help you get back into fighting shape in no time at all.

See below for several tips that you can use to find the best chiropractors in Naperville. It will give you confidence in the service you choose.

1. Research Patient Reviews

The initial appointment is a great opportunity for you to meet the chiropractor, see how they communicate with their patients and get a feel for whether or not you want to invest. However, you don’t want to go through 2 or 3 “first appointments” to find the right fit.

You need a way to find a chiropractor that’s heavily recommended by patients just like yourself. Thankfully, in this world of modern technology, you have online reviews accessible to you.

You can collect information about a chiropractic service in 3 different ways: reading online reviews, reading customer testimonies, or asking the service for references to call.

Online reviews are great because they’re readily accessible. As you read through the comments, make sure to ask yourself a few questions:

• Was the patient satisfied with the service they received?
• Do they still use that chiropractor today?
• What treatments did the patients receive?
• Are there any patients that suffered the same injury/pain you’re going through? Was their pain resolved with the help of the chiropractic service?
  If you’d like to read through customer testimonials, you can find them on the chiropractor’s website. For customer references to call, simply ask the chiropractic service.

>>> Click here to view all our reviews at IPM in Naperville.

2. Find a Chiropractor With Many Services

If you’ve undergone a serious injury and need help with your rehabilitation, then you should be more selective about the chiropractor you choose. You need to find a chiropractor that has experience with and offers physical therapy services.

Even if you’re only searching for general treatment, you should look for a chiropractor that offers a wide variety of services. While you might only need traditional chiropractic treatment today, you or a loved one could need more specialized treatment in the future.

Be sure to consider the injuries or pain that you’re experiencing. For example, if you’ve been dealing with pain due to an injury you never sought out recovery for, you need physical therapy to get things right.

At IPM, we pride ourselves on treating a plethora of conditions. That includes things like:

• Pre and Post Surgical
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Neck/Back Pain
• Joint Pain (shoulders, wrists, elbows)
• Tendonitis
• Muscle Spasms
• Herniated Discs
• Headaches/Migraines

If you’re battling through an injury, we’ve seen it (and treated it!) before. Be sure to reach out and learn more about how we can help you recover from any ailments you have. >>> View all the services we have at IPM here.

3. Focus on Building a Business Relationship

Many patients wind up unhappy with the chiropractor they’ve selected due to settling for the first one they came across. They didn’t pay any attention to the chemistry they had with the chiropractor or how they went about giving treatment.

Whenever you search for a chiropractor, it’s important to look at the long haul. You want to focus more on long-term treatment plans and finding someone that you can build a legitimate business relationship.

That way, you have more confidence when you walk in for an appointment. You and your chiropractor can talk through the pain you’re experiencing, and they can answer any questions that you have.

No reputable chiropractor is going to try and rope you into a long-term commitment. They’re as interested in building a long-term relationship as you are. They want to improve your health for the long run, not just the next few weeks.

>>> View our endorsements for Dr. Jon in Naperville, IL and all our other Chiropractors here.

4. Search for Experience

Remember, the focus of getting chiropractic treatment is receiving long-term health. For that reason, you need to search for experience. Someone whose treatments are tried and true.

Don’t be afraid to ask the chiropractor if they’ve treated your conditions before. How many patients have they had that were suffering from your injuries? How did they treat them?

The last thing you need is complications to your treatment due to inexperience. You can also search online to see if they have any records of malpractice.

>>> View our history and our story at IPM here.

5. Schedule a First Appointment

Now that you have done your research on the chiropractor and have an idea of who you prefer, there’s nothing left to do but schedule an initial appointment.

This allows you to see their service performed firsthand. You and the chiropractor will walk through your pain and conditions, and then build a strategic plan for how to fix it.

Before you leave, they’ll give you your first adjustment so that you can get a better idea of what to expect at every appointment moving forward.

Find the Best Chiropractor in Naperville for Your Needs

Now that you have seen an in-depth guide for how to find the best chiropractor in Naperville, be sure to use it to your advantage.

Be sure to read this article by Dr. Jon Polcyn to learn more about back pain after pregnancy and why physical therapy can be the solution to your condition.

To contact our Naperville office directly, please be sure to reach out via our contact us page and we will be happy to assist you further.

Why Didn’t My Doctor Recommend Physical Therapy for my Back Pain After Pregnancy?

Are you among the millions of new mothers each year that experience chronic back or pelvic pain for months or years following pregnancy? You may be one of a growing number of people that have asked yourself or your doctor this very question at some point.

I can tell you from experience that most of the time the excuses given for not making this recommendation are pretty lame. From what my patients have relayed to me, their physician will shrug their shoulders, or worse will advise them to “wait it out” or direct them towards an over-the-counter pain medication.

I can speak from 15 years of experience having treated all manner of musculoskeletal pain conditions that the incidence of chronic back or pelvic pain following childbirth is high. Don’t take my word for it, a study done in 1994 found that almost half (45%) of the 1,042 women that participated in the study had continued low back pain at 1-2 months following giving birth. (1)

I have helped many new moms through this very difficult situation. Honestly, just having a new baby in the house is tough enough, now add back or pelvic pain and you have the makings of a nightmare! I have three small children myself, so I truly understand the need to be able to pick up your child when the situation calls for that.

What causes the pain?

It doesn’t take a medical degree to understand that a woman’s body undergoes a big change during pregnancy. From the moment a woman’s egg is fertilized the body releases a series of hormones that are going to begin to prepare her body to be able to successfully carry and deliver a baby. The most well-known hormones that are at work during pregnancy are relaxin, estrogen, and prolactin (2). Some but not all of the actions of these hormones are well known. One quick example, it is widely believed that relaxin is responsible for relaxing ligaments and joints in and around the pelvis to allow more freedom of movement during pregnancy. “Its main mechanism of action appears to be the facilitation of remodeling of connective tissue in target tissues to allow the necessary changes in organ structure during pregnancy and parturition.” (8) Many believe that this alone causes pretty drastic changes in pelvic girdle biomechanics and in some, increased pain.

In my opinion, the weight gain and structural changes associated with the increased size of the uterus, baby and amniotic fluid is the most significant driver of back and pelvic pain in these women. On average, a woman will gain approximately 11 kg during pregnancy (3). A woman’s center of gravity moves forward, this greatly increases the stress on the low back and abdominal muscles (4). A majority of pregnant women experience “Diastasis Recti”, which is a separation of the abdominal muscles due to the stress on the abdominal muscles. This condition must be addressed if a woman’s core is going to be strong and stable moving forward.

Look at it this way, any non-pregnant patient that walked into a doctor’s office complaining of new or worsening low back or pelvis pain, following a drastic weight gain, would immediately be instructed to lose the weight and report to therapy. I argue that the same approach should be recommended to new moms as soon as it is safe to do so.

BEFORE -Be prepared! Unless you are a physical healthcare professional, the first thing you probably want to do is find one that you know and trust to help you customize a routine that best addresses your individual needs. This is a proactive way to prepare your body for the rigors of pregnancy.

I get it, the thought of preparing one’s body for pregnancy is not the first thing on most young woman’s minds. I will always take the time to educate a patient who is actively trying to get pregnant to make sure they keep themselves strong, stable, and balanced in the pelvis, core, and low back. Studies have shown that a history of low back pain, low back pain during a previous pregnancy, obesity, and pre-existing conditions increase the likelihood of low back pain during and after pregnancy (1).

DURING – Many pregnant women will be able to do gentle exercise throughout their pregnancy under physician supervision. Exercises programs should primarily focus on posture correction, abdominal and lumbar spinal muscle strengthening, pelvic tilt, and proper rest (6,7). Chiropractic joint manipulative therapy can be a valuable tool for pain reduction in many cases as well.

Some women also benefit from pelvic bracing. This is not my favorite practice as it can lead to increased reliance on external support. Usage of any external support should always be monitored by a physician.

AFTER – Congratulations!! Now the real work begins! It can be very easy to completely neglect yourself because all eyes are on the beautiful new baby. Please DO NOT do that to yourself. The longer you wait to piece yourself back together the harder it gets to dig yourself out of that hole! In my opinion, most if not ALL females need some amount of rehabilitation following a pregnancy.

Common deficits that need to be addressed following a pregnancy include; core instability, gluteal muscle inactivation, pelvic floor instability, increased lumbar lordosis (low back curvature), facet irritation, diastasis recti and hyperactive mid and low back paraspinal musculature.

Once again, the process of getting your body back to what it was nine months ago should be supervised by your physician and therapist. CLICK HERE if you want to schedule an initial appointment or assessment with one of our Chiropractors at any of our four locations.

Many couples plan to have multiple children that are close in age. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with this practice from a practical perspective. However, from my experience, the fallout on a woman’s body from multiple pregnancies in a short amount of time with no attempt at repairing the body is devastating. It’s these women in particular that tend to have chronic pain that can prove to be very difficult to reduce and subsequently keep under control.

I believe, and so do all of the healthcare professionals at Integrated Physical Medicine that women should take a more active role in preparing for pregnancy, managing their body during pregnancy and restoring the body following pregnancy. DO NOT be afraid to inquire about and, if deemed safe by the physician, insisting upon a referral for physical therapy. Your body will thank you down the road!

About the Author

Dr. Jon Polcyn is a board-certified chiropractor with a bachelor’s of science in human biology. He is the co-owner of four physical therapy and chiropractic clinics in northern Illinois that specialize in treating musculoskeletal issues that plague young, active and otherwise healthy people. Marathon runners, high school/college athletes, CrossFit athletes, cyclists, migraine sufferers, physical laborers and postpartum women make up the majority of his patient base.

Citations:
(1) Breen TW, Ransil BJ, Groves PA, Oriol NE. Factors associated with back pain after childbirth. Anesthesiology. 1994 Jul;81(1):29-34. doi: 10.1097/00000542-199407000-00006. PMID: 8042807.

(2) Ireland, Mary Lloyd, MD; Ott, Susan M., DO The Effects of Pregnancy on the Musculoskeletal System, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®: March 2000 – Volume 372 – Issue – p 169-179

(3) 15. Cunningham FG, MacDonald PC, Levano KJ, Gant NF, Gilstrap LC: Maternal Adaptations to Pregnancy. In Cunningham FG, MacDonald PC, Levano KJ, Gant NF, Gilstrap LC (eds). William’s Obstetrics. Ed 19. Norwalk, CT, Appleton & Lange 209-246, 1993.

(4) Yamaga A, Taga M, Minaguchi H, Sato K. Changes in bone mass as determined by ultrasound and biochemical markers of bone turnover during pregnancy and puerperium: a longitudinal

(6) 33. Heckman JD, Sassard R: Musculoskeletal considerations in pregnancy. J Bone Joint Surg 76A:1720-1730, 1994.

(7) Ostgaard HC, Zetherstrom G, Roos-Hansson E, Svanberg B: Reduction of back and posterior pelvic pain in pregnancy. Spine 19:894-900, 1994.

(8) MacLennan AH. The role of relaxin in human reproduction. Clin Reprod Fertil. 1983 Jun;2(2):77-95. PMID: 6322955.

How Is That Working From Home Coming Along?

With so many people working from home these days to maintain social distancing from their colleagues, many are developing musculoskeletal pain. Improving posture and ergonomics is a proactive way to take care of your body while working remotely.

Postural imbalance is one of the most common reasons patients seek help from chiropractors and physical therapists. Most of us slouch, text constantly, tip our head and hold our telephone to our ear, and sit at the computer all day with our shoulders and neck rounded forward with legs crossed.

To reduce stress on the body, read below for some work-at-home suggestions:

• You might need a quiet room to work or specialized software that keeps you pinned to your desk. For everything else, identify a few places in your home where you can work, and change body position and location throughout the day. Find ways to work standing, walking and sitting.

• Sit in a good chair—even a wooden one—on your sit bones (the bones at the very bottom of your pelvis), with a little arch in your low back. Avoid the slouch, that half-sitting, half-lying position so many people do to lounge on the sofa or in bed. If you want to work in bed or on the sofa, sit up on your sit bones.

• When sitting, put both feet on the floor with a right angle at your knees. Avoid crossing legs or tucking in feet. Good posture means the bones carry the weight of your body. Aligning your posture lets your bones do the work, not your muscles. This prevents muscle spasm, pain and inflammation. It can even prevent nerve pain and headaches.

• Use a keyboard tray and pull it out over your lap. If you use a laptop, use it as a screen only, placing it at eye level with a stand or a stack of books. Get a remote keyboard to use with a keyboard tray.

• To avoid neck pain, keep your screen at eye level whether you use a laptop or monitor. Put books underneath your monitor to raise it or use a stand, if necessary.

• Shoulders should be dropped and relaxed, with elbows hanging down, centered at the seam line of your shirt. Do not use the keyboard with your elbows reaching forward. This could cause isometric spasm in your neck and/or shoulders and arms, leading to pain and inflammation.

• Keep your sternum or breastbone lifted. This keeps your torso, head and shoulders erect. Letting the sternum collapse down will pull the head forward and compresses your torso.

• Avoid forward head position. Keep your head erect, in line with your torso. Keep your screen at eye level. For every inch your head is forward it increases the weight on your upper back and neck by 10 pounds! If you use a cell phone, rest your elbows on your chest and hold the phone at eye level.

• Use a telephone headset so you do not have to crunch your neck when using the phone.

• Remember to take several exercise breaks throughout the day, even if only to empty the dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, climb the stairs a few times, do yoga, get in some planks and squats, dance, or take a short walk.

Integrated Physical Medicine Is Now Up And Running For Telehealth!

We have had several inquiries from our current and past patients about treating via telehealth due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Online therapy and treatment can now be performed quite easily from a HIPAA compliant platform.

We have also received many emails from insurance companies stating that they are either now covering or are expanding coverage into this realm (BCBS and Aetna).

We have remained open during this time and will remain open serving our patients, but of course some patients have chosen to remain home.

New patient examinations and current patient re-examinations can have consultations in their own home with an IPM physician. Current active patients now have an option that is available to remain consistent with your therapy. We can take you through your therapy while you are in your living room. Just do not hurt yourself moving around furniture!

If this is something that you, your family members, friends, or co-workers are interested in (new patient examination, current patient re-examination, or current patient therapy) then please call your respective office to let us know.

New Lenox (815) 717-8355
Joliet (815) 439-2726
Roselle (224) 655-6555
Naperville (331) 249-3999

Our platform is up and running and then we can start the process of moving forward with your care if you so choose!

Sleeping Posture

Detrimental positions, postures, and activities are obstacles to healing. We are going to discuss ONE significant variable that, when corrected, allows patients to heal more quickly — SLEEP POSTURE.

The frequently overlooked problem — SLEEP POSTURE.

Musculoskeletal symptoms frequently surface at night. As sleep comprises one-third of our lives, this correlation deserves significant attention and patient education. When you sleep is typically also when you heal. Why not give tissue the best chance to recover during sleep? Improper sleeping postures may impede blood flow, directly compress tissue, or stretch injured structures, all of which affect the inflammatory process.

This is most problematic to those conditions that are caused by ischemia, i.e., tendinopathies and neuropathies. However, all healing and recovery require an inflammatory process to build new tissue while simultaneously removing unwanted debris. Unfortunately, some sleep positions negatively affect the healing process, resulting in delayed healing, poor sleep, and prolonged symptoms.