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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
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Chronic Pain

 

Alleviate your chronic pain and get back to enjoying your life. 

Heal Chronic Pain NowHave you had pain lasting several months or years, and can’t figure out why? Do you have unexplained pain and fatigue that is disrupting your everyday life? Have your friends and family given up on you, or think it’s “all in your head”?  

Sound familiar?

Or maybe you hurt your ankle or shoulder or back and 6 months later you are still in pain….

What is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is simply defined as pain persisting longer than 3-6 months and is the most common cause of long-term disability.  Chronic pain can happen anywhere in your body, such as your back, hip, knee or shoulder or it can be part of a larger chronic condition such as fibromyalgia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or a sports-related injury. 

It is now known to be a hypersensitive central nervous system (CNS — brain and spinal cord) disorder, where the brain misreads pain or pleasure signals from the body.  Coupled with this hypersensitivity, people with chronic pain also have a fear of movement and decreased activity level, which can lead to more pain.

At The Manual Touch, we use non-traditional hands-on manual therapy to treat the hypersensitive CNS and any other tissues or systems, such as GI, renal or lymph, that influence the chronic pain.  

With this approach, you can achieve decreased pain and improved mobility, posture, gait and function, as well as less treatment reactions.  Your fear of movement will also be greatly reduced allowing you to enjoy and participate in life fully.

Some facts about Pain

Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined as well as the most common reason people seek medical care and a major contributor to rising health care costs.   In 2011, the Institute of Medicine released a report claiming at least 100 million Americans have chronic pain, while other estimates range from 39 to 70 million.  In addition, using opioids for pain management is a major health concern. 

Specifically for low back pain – the American Medical Association has put out guidelines using non-invasive treatments such as: exercise, heat, yoga, massage, acupuncture, tai chi, as well as pharmacological options that are alternatives to heavy duty opioid painkillers. 

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has also started a movement called ‘Choose PT‘ to educate the public what PT can do for pain management whether it be acute or chronic.  In addition to pain-relieving manual therapy techniques and appropriate exercise, physical therapists educate their patients on how to move appropriately throughout their daily activities, so as not to aggravate their situation.

What is the biggest mistake you can make if you have pain?

The biggest mistake you can make is to ignore your pain, or think you can just rest and it will go away.  While a short period of rest may be appropriate, ignoring the pain is often a recipe for pain to become chronic, more difficult to treat, and you may develop other issues while compensating for the original issue.  

What happens when you come in to The Manual Touch?

Your therapist will use a Whole Body Approach to evaluate you and determine the root causes of your condition. Then, you’ll be prescribed a unique treatment plan using traditional and non-traditional manual therapy and exercises. You’ll learn how to move appropriately throughout your day and night, so as not to aggravate your condition. Our ultimate goal is to help you reclaim function, life, movement, and enjoyment of the activities you love.

Chronic Pain conditions we treat:

  • Any pain area that has lasted greater than 3-6 months: neck or back pain, shoulder or elbow pain, hip or knee pain, ankle or foot pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Ehler Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Lymes
  • Myofascial pain
  • Post surgical 
  • Cancer
  • Post chemo or radiation symptoms

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Testimonials

Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these sessions end.  My initial symptom was my painful knees but immediately Denise saw that the origin of my problem was in my hips. The recommendation to Manual Touch was solid, but when it turned out that Denise had trained with my wonderful Physical… Read more
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I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
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Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went away! I really loved how she had an app I could use if I forgot the exercises we did. She was professional and you can tell she really cared about her clients. I Would definitely recommended going to her!”
Read More
Denise has worked on areas of severe pain and has diminished them to a tolerable level.
Read More
I had several issues when I began therapy at The Manual Touch.  My sacrum had rotated;  there was stiffness in the right side of the neck; and pain in the left bicep. Denise did an excellent job resolving these issues.  Besides being very knowledgeable, she is also easy to work with.  I looked forward to, and enjoyed, my sessions with her. If I need physical therapy in the future, I will definitely return to The Manual Touch.
Read More
There is no worse than a nagging injury that keeps you off from pursuing the athletic endeavors. Being an avid road cyclist, gravel rider, cyclocross racer and a marathon runner turned into a recent Triathlete, I train all year round and race all year round. In 2016, May in Terre Haute Sprint triathlon run, I tore some fascia connecting my lowest abdominal and my leg right in the groin area. The condition was diagnosed as Sports Hernia. Denise started me off with couple of sessions in a week.… Read more
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I injured my shoulder in September 2018, and when it didn’t heal on its own but instead became frozen, I saw a doctor in late November 2018, who started me on PT at another place.  They got me back to 80% mobility by January 2019, when my PT ended. However, I never got back to full mobility and also continued with mild pain. On October 21, 2019, I attended a talk by Denise Schwartz on shoulder pain at which she mentioned that such pain could also be caused by injury to the bicep tendon.  Her… Read more
Read More
When I started to work with Denise I had shoulder and lower back pain.  She taught me various exercises along with posture that resulted in significant reduction in the pain.  Also, significantly improved my balance.  Her massage therapy greatly reduced the sensitivity to pressure that was caused by my open-heart surgery.
Read More
The variations of exercises are great working the entire body to help my problems of balance.
Read More
I am a pediatric  physical  therapist  who  (unsuccessfully) tried to treat my own shoulder pain for more than 1 year.  By the time I started PT with Denise, my pain was significantly impacting both my personal and professional life. After 2 visits with Denise, the pain lessened and my function improved.  After 8 visits, I was nearly painfree.  Denise and I continue to work together to improve my overall movement and muscle strength.  My body feels better than it has in years.  I hav… Read more
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Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
Top 10 physical therapists in Wheeling

A winner of the
2015 Patients' Choice Awards
for
Wheeling Physical Therapist

Verified by Opencare.com

Testimonials

Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these … Read more
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went a… Read more
Denise has worked on areas of severe pain and has diminished them to a tolerable level.
I had several issues when I began therapy at The Manual Touch.  My sacrum had rotated;  there was stiffness in the right side of the neck; and pain in the left bicep. Denise did an excellent job resolving these issues.  Besides being very knowl… Read more
There is no worse than a nagging injury that keeps you off from pursuing the athletic endeavors. Being an avid road cyclist, gravel rider, cyclocross racer and a marathon runner turned into a recent Triathlete, I train all year round and race all yea… Read more
I injured my shoulder in September 2018, and when it didn’t heal on its own but instead became frozen, I saw a doctor in late November 2018, who started me on PT at another place.  They got me back to 80% mobility by January 2019, when my PT ended… Read more
When I started to work with Denise I had shoulder and lower back pain.  She taught me various exercises along with posture that resulted in significant reduction in the pain.  Also, significantly improved my balance.  Her massage therapy greatly r… Read more
The variations of exercises are great working the entire body to help my problems of balance.
I am a pediatric  physical  therapist  who  (unsuccessfully) tried to treat my own shoulder pain for more than 1 year.  By the time I started PT with Denise, my pain was significantly impacting both my personal and professional life. After 2 … Read more
Read More

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Copyright © 2021 The Manual Touch, LLC. · 325 n. milwaukee ave. · Ste D. · Wheeling, IL. 60090 · 847-541-7600

The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.