When Should You See Our Doctors?

Many of you have probably seen a lot of our videos on social media or have been reading our blog posts. And as you are navigating through the various posts you could be wondering “when would I know it’s time to go see these doctors?” We have covered it in a short video below or continue to read below to follow these general guidelines.

When Do I Need to See the Specialists at Functional Spine and Sport?

  • If you have had pain longer than 3 months without significant improvement
  • You’ve seen multiple providers/doctors with no real answers or progress
    • This is often a result of the wrong diagnosis or, in some cases, no diagnosis at all!
  • Without a complete and accurate diagnosis the problem will never be fully resolved.

General guidelines - EXERCISE

  • No pain, discomfort, increased effort, weakness, etc
    • During
    • Immediately after
    • Next morning
  • Think use without abuse
  • Exercise should improve quality of life, not destroy it
  • You should feel good after a workout, not trashed
    • Rule of thumb - Feel like you have a little left in the tank at end of workout

General guidelines - DAILY ACTIVITIES

  • Simple
    • NOTHING should bother you during your day-to-day activity
  • If daily activities bother me?
    • Schedule a consult with a doctor who can completely and accurately diagnose your problem. It’s much worse than you think.

What causes muscle, nerve, or joint pain?

  • Soft-Tissue dysfunction
    • Adhesion
    • Arguably, the most common reason for muscle, nerve, and joint pain
    • Completely reversible with expert treatment.
  • Nerve Entrapment
    • Caused from adhesion sticking nerves to muscles; eg. sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome
    • Completely reversible with expert treatment
  • Joint/Cartilage
    • Damage due to acute injury
    • Degeneration due to long-term wear and tear.
      • Can be managed with expert guidance for posture and activity
Fortunately, Dr. Nottoli and Dr. Schultz have post-doctorate training to help patients on a daily basis get the diagnosis and care they deserve. Functional Spine and Sport is the only Integrative Diagnosis Certified clinic in Lake County, as well as the leading clinic in IL. Our doctors specialize in finding and fixing adhesion everyday. That means you can return to the sport or activity you love doing and do so for a very long time! Call 224-206-7050 to take the next step to living and moving pain free!