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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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Special Kids Foundation

August 23, 2017 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

Camp Soar Special Kids Foundation
August in Chicago is a time for summer fun with numerous activities such as festivals, concerts, the beach, biking, running or kayaking the Skokie lagoons. Every August, for me, is when the Special Kids Foundation (SKF), a board that I’m on, meets to determine the grant recipients of the year.

The SKF offers grants to agencies that provide services to developmentally disabled children up to age 22. I became a proud member 6 years ago when my best friend, Mara Lazar, asked me to join. She became a member many years earlier, following in the footsteps of her mother who is still on the board. The board consists of numerous mother/daughter and mother/son members demonstrating a wonderful legacy.

The SKF was formed in 1926, under a different name, by a group of women honoring the recovery of a sick friend. Over the years the name of the foundation changed a few times as did the mission. In 2006 the name SKF was officially adopted.

We receive around 40 grant proposals each year that we have to review and whittle down to 16-20 grants that we like enough to do a site visit to find out more information.

This year I visited an amazing place, Special Gifts Theatre in Northbrook, IL. They provide children and teens with special needs the ability to use creative drama to express themselves. Each child is paired with a buddy, a neuro typical teen, who guides them through the activities. Through their program the young people not only have fun and get to enjoy theatre as a neuro typical child would, they also benefit therapeutically. Some of the many gains the children receive are improved communication skills, the ability to look people in the eye, new listening skills to help them develop healthy relationships, particularly with their buddies and more.

In August, we meet as a group to discuss all the site visits, rate each site visit, then tally up the ratings and the top 5-7 get the grants. As you can imagine this is a very difficult and often emotional task as every organization provides a wonderful service. This all culminates in an evening in September when we present the checks to the grant recipients. The recipients always give such heartfelt speeches expressing their gratitude for the grant and sometimes we get to meet some of the kids who will benefit from the grant.

I feel so fortunate to be part of this group of intelligent people and be able to make a difference in young people’s lives.

Read more about Special Kids Foundation and Special Gifts Theater here:

www.Specialkidsfoundation.org                            www.Specialgiftstheatre.org

Filed Under: Real Stories Tagged With: IL, northbrook, skokie lagoons, Special Gifts Theatre, special kids foundation

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

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Testimonials

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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In the four months I’ve been going to PT at The Manual Touch my life has changed for the better.  I was in a lot of pain in my back and right leg – Denise gave me a regiment of exercises to do.  In doing my exercises I have reduced my pain level from 9+ to a 2/3 — I truly believe a miracle happened here.  I believe the name should be changed to The Magic Touch.
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Denise is the best! 4 weeks before my first marathon she suggested a couple minor tweaks to my form and it immediately improved my comfort and speed. My next run was a 5 miler, and I felt so good that I ran it almost a minute / mile faster. Best run all year. My dreaded 20 miler training run was yesterday, and I ran 15-30 seconds/mile faster, and stayed consistent the whole 20 miles. It gives me quite the confidence boost leading into the marathon. Thanks Denise!
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I came to Denise with pain in my neck and upper back from a fall earlier this year.  In addition, I also have chronic low back pain. Denise evaluated me and went right to work giving me exercises and hands on therapy to help me. Today is my eighth session and I am happy to report that my back pain has been relieved and my neck pain is slight and so much better.
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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.
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I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I was having back pain.  He recommended that I start seeing Denise at The Manual Touch.  Due to my past experiences, I was skeptical regarding the success that I could have with another therapist.  From my first visit I could tell that Denise had a ve… Read more
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I needed help.  Denise and the manual touch provided the best customized, targeted therapy I could have found.  She put my torn knee back together, straightened my back, worked with me to regain the mobility I’d lost due to a neck injury, even had me doing dance steps I’d not done in 60 years.  I didn’t think I could do this; she showed me I could.
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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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I felt much better after initial visit and even more so after the second.  I would not have believed I could see such an improvement in how I felt after only two sessions.
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I’m a pediatric physical therapist and I was taking a yoga teacher training.  My left shoulder and neck were getting progressively tighter and eventually pain was keeping me up at night.  I knew I wanted treatment from a very knowledgeable PT with good manual skills and someone who excelled at evaluating postural and functional issues.  Denise is that person and she corrected my biomechanics with exercises and manual therapy.  There are only a few PT’s that possess skills like Denise.  … Read more
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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. 
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Testimonials

I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I wa… Read more
Michael is a 75 year old man seen for long standing IT band pain particularly while sleeping and climbing stairs. “Coming in I was in pain during the day.  With Denise’s help, I have less pain and more mobility.  Denise is terrific and very … Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
Denise is such a talented PT. She is able to evaluate my movements and how I use my body in such detail. Her integrative manual therapy skills are unique and get to the root of my physical problems. Along with her functional movement exercises, her m… 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 … Read more
I walked in to PT with severe back and knee pain, I couldn’t even tie my own shoe.  After 45 minutes of Denise’s treatment, I could tie my own shoe with mild discomfort.
I had 2 total hip replacements and a knee replaced.  I found the exercises to be tremendously  helpful.  Denise educated   me  on  how  I need  to move my body to keep  it in alignment and she was most helpful and encouraging.
Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well a… Read more
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
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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.