From 20 Years of Knee Pain to Being Pain-Free on a 40th Birthday
We’re all getting older, but we don’t need to accept chronic pain with our progression in age.
Melissa Kennedy came to the Loop location to get pain relief treatment for a long-time ache in her left lower knee. Right before her 40th birthday, she felt that the pain she’d had in her leg since she was 20 years old would be with her for many more milestone birthdays to come. She assumed that this was just part of getting older and thing were just going to get more and more stiff and uncomfortable with age, or have to consider getting a knee replacement someday.
That changed when she visited ARC Physical Therapy in the Loop and the owner, Kevin Cronin, talked to her about the benefits of Counterstrain. After an exam, he scanned her scalp with his hands and then proceeded to look at key things in her lower body, such as alignment of the hips, legs and pelvis.
“I have runner’s knee and it’s been an on and off problem for years. And I’m not even a runner! I was advised to see a physical therapist in the hopes that it wouldn’t get any worse. I didn’t expect to walk out without it hurting for the first time in years!” she said.
At the time, she didn’t have private insurance and was concerned that a specialized treatment would be cost-prohibitive. When discussing the fees, she said it was surprisingly in her budget and was prepared to make a weekly commitment. While ARC Physical Therapy does accept most insurance plans, it’s important that people know that they also are not very expensive and to always call and ask about out of pocket rates. Prevention of a lot of these kinds of ailments are a smart investment in your long-term health.
“Here I was worried that I’d have to pay for emergency surgery or a knee replacement someday. I was really relieved that this was something that I could afford, totally non-invasive and really quick. The whole appointment was less than an hour, including when he walked me through exactly what Counterstrain was,” said Melissa.
“When I saw Melissa and after I performed the cranial scan, I thought that the pain in her knee was most likely the result of faulty alignment and imbalance in her lower body caused by fascial and muscular spasm,” Kevin said. “The reflexive spasm in the fascia is a protective mechanism that we all have present in our bodies. All of us accumulate fascial dysfunction simply as a result of living.”
“It’s been about five months since my first treatment and I was totally pain-free for about four months. After starting to work out a lot more, the pain showed itself again, but I went for another appointment, and it’s stayed away so far. Even with me doing spin classes and high intensity group fitness classes, I’m still doing better now than I was at 20!”
While Kevin stresses that seeing results so quickly isn’t the norm, it’s very much a possibility for people who have ailments that have not progressed too far or wasn’t injured too badly in the first place.
“It’s important that people know, if they have pain, just come see us. The first consultation is free, and you never know what we’ll find once we start. Pain isn’t something you have to just deal with as you age. So I always tell people to come in and see us and we’ll figure it out,” said Kevin.
Melissa also added that she liked this location because, living on the North Side, it’s easily accessible via the trains as well as a couple bus routes.
“They weren’t corporate at all. I was able to talk to someone right away and get seen within a couple days. It’s easy and quick to be a patient there!” Melissa said.