Couch to Competition




Dancing Queen!

Hey Jared, I had my foot operated on for tarsal tunnel syndrome at the beginning of June. It is feeling great. I know it takes up to 6 mos to fully heal but I am already back to dancing without pain. All the work you helped me with around the plantar stuff really paid off. I was so much better before the surgery. I just wanted you to know. Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it. I will refer! How is the baby going? Take care, Linda

Will I have this FOREVER?

Before I came to see Dr. Jared I had been experiencing low back pain and significant discomfort in my hips for close to a decade. I had consulted a few different orthopedic doctors and multiple physical therapists over the years but was never able to achieve any relief. I had come to the conclusion that I would have to go through life in discomfort and pain and be limited in my physical activity.

After about two months of regular visits with Dr. Jared and diligently following the at home program that he prescribed to me I was finally comfortable. Dr. Jared not only provided me with chiropractic adjustment but also taught me several mobility and functional movement exercises. He explained to me the importance of proper body motion and gave me an entirely new way of looking at exercise.

I have enjoyed nearly an entire year of freedom from the pain and discomfort that gripped my life for years. I am able to be incredibly active now and I am possibly in the best shape of my life. I train several times a week in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and also intend to run in my first half-marathon this year. Thank you Dr. Jared!

Gabe

From Fearful to "Fleet Feet"

After three years of participating in triathlons, last year I challenged myself to improve my performance.   I started working with Coach Kristen Melter and following a specific training plan.  As I began to increase my running speed, it seemed I had a different foot problem every other week and was unable to run either faster or farther.  Coach Kristen recommended that I see Dr. Jared for help.

 

I appreciated that he gave me a clear plan of treatment with a start and and end date and expectations of what I needed to do between visits.  The most valuable part of the treatment plan has been the progressive warm-up/cool down exercises Dr. Jared taught me to help connect with efficient running posture and mechanics.  The exercises take so little time compared to the benefits I am experiencing, that it’s a no-brainer to add them into my routine.  I’m still learning, but now when I feel discomfort from running, I have the tools to trace back to the cause and can self-correct on the fly.

 

I’m in training for the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon in April and with the education and preparation I received from Dr. J, I am confident I can complete the many miles of training required. 

 

Thanks, Dr. J.

Lizabet

A Healthy Body to go with a Healthy Heart

I first came to see Dr. Jared after I had a valve replaced in my heart.  The open heart surgery left me with a decided stoop (my effort to protect the incision, I think), painful scar tissue, and back problems.  Dr. Jared worked with me to correct my posture, get me sitting up straight and standing and walking straight.  I feel so much better!  He was even able to help me break up/loosen the scar tissue so I have a much greater range of motion now.  I haven’t felt this good in years!

 

I was so satisfied with my experience with Dr. Jared and his staff that I gave my husband a series of visits for Father’s Day!  We have both been seeing Dr. Jared on a regular basis ever since and don’t plan to stop.  I find that if I don’t come in fairly regular basis (~4 weeks), I tend to back-slide and can quickly feel the difference.  Visiting Dr. Jared is my treat to myself.  I’m almost 68 years old and I deserve it!

 

Jan (& Ed)

Finally a fix!

The Family of Swimmers

My girls have been swimming since they were 4, 5 and 6 years of age.  Their bodies have had some use.  Basically, we have learned that we don't always use our bodies in the best way or use parts of them at all(we all had to learn to use our glutes).  Jared is able to analyze what you do and how you do it, find your problems and teach you have to use your body correctly and more efficiently.  It usually consists of a progression of exercises. This is not always fun or easy, but it works! Natasha and I had been to see "physical therapists" and they didn't work. Jared gave us something that produced results, but WE had to to the work.

 

All of us have been through a series of showing Jared how we move our bodies in just simple everyday use and some more complex.  We have all been through a series of exercises to teach us how to use our body to correct and/or strengthen our issue areas.  We have all learned that if we do these things, we usually have success and if its not quite right, Jared will analyze the issue, rethink the problem, and find the solution. All of us are able to do the things we like, (the girls are swimming great), as long as we continue to use our bodies as we have been taught.  Our bodies will occasionally remind us that we are doing something wrong, but we have been given the tools to rethink and correct our movements with what we have learned, and if we can't remember we can always go visit Jared for a reminder. But... YOU have to do the work!

Megan Porporis

November 2010

Jared,

Raquel swam the mile last Saturday and got her sectional cut in it! She was so strong and awesome! This means she get s to move up to National group with Natasha and go to the sectional meet in March... a very big accomplishment.

Megan

P.S. She did it in 18 minutes and 36 seconds and got second in her age group.

email - 12.9.2010

The Wrecked Runner

"Dr. Jared noticed some improper running mechanics and put me on a plan chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic stretching, and rehabilitative exercise.  His plan was not just to get rid of the pain, but to correct the problem so I could enjoy a lifetime of running.

On August 21, 2010, I participated in the Lake St. Louis Triathlon.  Much to my surprise, I finished first in my age group, and 24^th overall out of 270 that competed in the short course.  Although exhausted, I was pain free!  This year, I began my cross country season on Junior Varsity.  After my third race, I am now on Varsity and running with confidence and without pain.  I continue to see Dr. Jared occasionally to insure proper mechanics.  I still do the exercises he prescribed as a part of my daily routine.

Many runners told me once you have shin splints you will never run the same.  I was also concerned that my competitive running career might be over, but thanks to Dr. Jared I am running faster and more efficiently (maybe in a way, they were right!)."

Tommy Skosky

October, 2010

Tommy ran a 17:01 to finish the season!!!

From Hip to Health

When I first came to see Dr. Jared, my main complaint was a sore left hip.  My left shoulder was also bothering me, but since it was only in certain postions, I listed it as second in priority.

After a quick, yet thorough evaluation, Dr. Jared told me the hip would be no problem, but the shoulder would be a challenge, possibly resulting in necessary surgery.  My hip turned out to be inflammation caused by an excessively tight IT band.  Frequent and aggressive stretching was prescribed.  I can now say I can squat "below parallel" with no pain at all.  This was not the case before I came to see Dr. Jared.

My shoulder has a tear in the biceps tendon.  this would probably have degraded into a rupture if I would not have been instructed to move my shoulder into the right position mechanically so it could heal on its own, avoiding surgery.  Both my shoulders rolled forward a bit, with the left being more exaggerated.  Again, Dr. Jared prescribed stretching and strengthening protocols for me to follow, which resulted in good shoulder position, allowing it to heal. I can now say, that not completely pain free, it has greatly subsided, and my range of motion, plus shoulder and related body parts are in much better position and feeling totally different.

I now come in to see Dr. Jared once a month for a "tune up", or sooner if I've done something stupid.  I am still doing my stretching/strengthening homework though, as health is a work in progress.

Herb Sayers - CrossFit Valley Park

September 2010

Running Wild

Thank you.  I'm running 5 days a week in comfort. I was skeptical anyone could help me...but you did it.  I'm amazed with your skills.

David
August 2010 

Healthy Shoulder, Better Life

I want to share a testimony.  In October 2009 I started experiencing pain from a bursitis/rotator cuff issue in my right arm.  I had never been to a chiropractor before, I always thought chiropractors were for people with back and neck problems.  Since my pain was not getting better and it was getting worse, I decided to go see Jared in January 2010.  

I was in so much pain that I wasn’t sleeping, I couldn’t do simple things around my house and if my arm got moved the wrong way, I would literally fall to the floor in crying pain.  I was skeptical about coming to see a chiropractor for my arm, I just wasn’t sure that this was going to work and besides Jared was new to the field so I didn’t know if he would be qualified to help me. 

Well, let me tell you, Jared has been amazing.  He is phenomenal in his field of work.  Jared is definitely qualified.  When I came to Jared I only had 30-40% movement in my arm, at the time of this writing I now have about 85% movement in my arm.  I can sleep, I can do the simple things around my house, I am pretty much back to my regular schedule of exercise, and I am back to being more involved with my family and friends.

Jared is always positive and uplifting.  He has such a caring and enthusiastic attitude about him that when I would come to his office down and thinking I wasn’t getting better, he would remind me of where I came from and what I had accomplished.  He saw the small things that I didn’t see. I  have been very blessed in many ways to have the honor of being a patient of Jared’s. I guess I will have to say, I do need a chiropractor and Jared is the one for me.  Thank you Jared for being who you are.

Donna

May 2010

Donna now has 100% pain free range of motion in both shoulders and has achieved maintenance status as a patient.  She never thought that would have been possible when she started, but is certainly enjoying it now.

Dr. Jared

If you look at the time I'm sending this you will see it is very early in the morning.  My boys were out shoveling snow with my dad all day and didn't get some of it finished in our driveway so I decided to go out and finish it.  I was probably out there for an hour or so and I came to the realization that I was shoveling snow and I had no problems with my arm.  I had so much fun!  It was soooo quiet.  I enjoyed shoveling, listening to my music and enjoying alone time.  Thanks so much!   A year ago there is absolutely no way I would have been able to do what I just accomplished .  I don't ever want to forget where I was, because I want to always be greatful for what I have been given, healing and your help was a huge part of it. 

Donna,
email - 1.21.2011

 

Super Compliance, Super Results

"Not that you ever thought I was lying, but here I am before the Saturday night race and I'm doing my stretches and squats. The cool thing is that others got involved and I started talking about how you have helped me. Then I proved it by shattering my PR! I recovered SUPER well! I continued to do my stretches and people were like "Are you really doing them?" and I was like 'TOTALLY! Did you see what I just did!'"

Thank You!

Amanda

April 2010

See Featured Patient for Amanda's progress and accomplishments

Terrific Trainer/Triathlete

Jared is top notch in his field. He listens to his patients completely and addresses them as a whole and not just their symptoms. Jared has provided me personally with several years of chiropractic care and with out his expertise, I could not have performed as well as I did in my first Ironman triathlon. He is attentive, patient, and has a flair and compassion for his practice that is like none other. I have also sent many of my own training clients to Jared for care and have all raved about their results he has provided them. Jared is one of the most thorough, personable, and genuine chiropractors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. October 3, 2009

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity

Kristen

October 2009

Sleepless with Shoulder Pain

"I wanted to share a testimonial.  My wife had excruciating neck and shoulder pain and was diagnosed with bone spurs in her neck that was likely causing a pinched nerve that was radiating painfully down her shoulder.  It was so bad that she couldn’t sleep, even with Vicodin.  She started seeing Jared and has really been helped.  The pain isn’t gone yet, but it is more manageable.  Jared has developed a game plan that will take some time, but the hope is that the pain will be completely gone sometime in the near future.  So far, so good!"

Harlan
August 2009

Harlan's wife experienced full recovery despite her "bone spurs".  Everyone has degeneration in their body, it is a fact of life.  What is more important are HOW FAST we are degenerating and WHAT EFFECT is it having on our life.  Her degeneration is now much slower and relatively unnoticed.

News

Dynamic Chiropractic – August 26, 2010, Vol. 28, Issue 18

No Shortage of Happy Chiropractic Patients

Survey shows majority who utilize chiropractic care for their low back pain report "a great deal" of benefit.

By Peter W. Crownfield, Executive Editor

The past 12 months have been good - very good - for the chiropractic profession in terms of data supporting the efficacy of chiropractic care. For starters, consider the Wellmark pilot study that suggests chiropractic reduces both costs and need for surgery;¹ the Milliman USA analysis that concludes, "[S]pinal patients who seek chiropractic coverage have materially lower health care costs than those who do not";² the Consumer Reports reader survey that found "hands-on" therapies, led by chiropractic care, were the top-rated treatments for back pain sufferers, with chiropractic receiving the highest satisfaction-with-care ratings (significantly higher than MDs);³ the "Mercer Report" that suggests chiropractic compares favorably to most therapies covered by health benefit plans and is "likely to achieve equal or better health outcomes";⁴ and the final report on the Medicare demonstration project, which notes that 87 percent of patients surveyed gave their DC a satisfaction score of 8 or higher and 56 percent gave a perfect 10.⁵

The latest thumbs-up comes courtesy of a survey analysis published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.⁶ The analysis, based on data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, revealed that 60 percent of U.S. adults utilizing CAM therapies for back pain reported "a great deal" of benefit. Chiropractic was used most frequently (74 percent of respondents) and had the highest success rate (66 percent reporting significant benefit).

The analysis evaluated utilization of six CAM modalities: chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, relaxation techniques, herbal therapy, and yoga / tai chi / qigong. Sixty-nine percent used one therapy only, 21 percent used two, 8 percent used three, 1 percent used four and less than 1 percent used five or more therapies. Massage was a distant second in terms of patient use for back pain (22 percent of respondents reporting use) and perceived benefit (56 percent reporting "a great deal" of benefit for their back pain). The percentage of respondents perceiving similar benefit for the other CAM therapies was as follows: 56 percent for yoga / tai chi / qigong; 42 percent for acupuncture; 32 percent for herbal therapies; and 28 percent for relaxation techniques.

Two factors were independently associated with greater perceived benefit from CAM use for back pain: better self-reported health status and an indication that "conventional medical treatment would not help." The factor most associated with less benefit from CAM for back pain was "referral by a conventional practitioner." The authors of the survey analysis speculate that more or less perceived benefit may be attributable to several factors, including that an independent decision to utilize CAM (rather than being referred) may increase perceived benefit, while referred patients may have pain that is less responsive to treatment (contributing to less perceived benefit).

What is not discussed is whether data is available on the professional usage patterns for those who self-referred vs. those referred by a medical provider. If those who self-referred chose different providers than those referred by an MD, it could have impacted perceived benefit with care, particularly the reduced benefit perceived by those referred by an MD.

If there is a difference, and it can be shown that it did impact perceived benefit, it suggests that MDs need to have a better understanding of which CAM providers to refer to for back pain. Given that chiropractic continues to have the highest level of patient satisfaction, MDs who choose other CAM providers would want to ensure that they are not making that choice based on false assumptions. This difference also might ultimately lead to more specific referral criteria for MDs referring to CAM providers for back pain.

References

1. "Study Suggests Chiropractic Reduces Health Care Costs, Need for Surgery." Dynamic Chiropractic, Aug. 26, 2009.
2. "Cost-Effective Care: The Evidence Mounts." Dynamic Chiropractic, Sept. 9, 2009.
3. "Consumer Reports Survey Rates DCs Higher Than MDs." Dynamic Chiropractic, May 20, 2009.
4. "How Chiropractic Helps the Insurance Industry." Dynamic Chiropractic, Dec. 2, 2009.
5. "Medicare Patients Give Chiropractic High Marks." Dynamic Chiropractic, March 26, 2010.
6. Kanodia AK, Legedza ATR, Davis RB, et al. Perceived benefit of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for back pain: a national survey. J Am Board Fam Med 2010;23:354-62.