Mettler Institute Co-Founder and Clinical Director, Paul Mettler said the clinic, located at 30 N LaSalle St, Suite 3430 Chicago, IL 60602, is scheduled to open June 2012.

Mettler established his first physical therapy practice in 1990 in Champaign, Illinois where he now operates two full-service wellness centers. Now he teams with Co-Founder and Director, Catherine Kleinmuntz, Ph.D. for the creation of Mettler Institute. Kleinmuntz brings extensive consulting experience with strategic financial planning to the partnership.

“I can’t imagine a better place to establish the Institute, not only for its broader reach, but also for its pool of resources,” said Kleinmuntz, also Senior Advisor and Cofounder of Strata Decision Technology, which has offices in Chicago.

Mettler agreed: “We’re excited to further our reach to a major city. Being situated in the heart of Chicago gives us the potential to reach more people affected by musculoskeletal conditions and provides great opportunities for clinical research.”

“Our goal at Mettler Institute is to restore freedom to those affected by musculoskeletal dysfunction through advanced methods of soft tissue treatment,” explained Clinic Coordinator, Jeff Schroder, PT, MPT. “Along with my colleagues, I am proud to continue Mettler’s reputation for successful patient outcomes here in Chicago.”

The Mettler Institute welcomes new patients as well as those who have had previous unsuccessful physical therapy treatments. To request an appointment, please call (217) 356-6543 x117.

About Mettler Institute
Mettler Institute is a physical therapy practice which integrates clinical care with research and education promulgate the use of the Mettler Method^® in the non-surgical treatment of common musculoskeletal and neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. It is Mettler Institute’s fundamental mission to improve the plight of people who suffer daily with pain and dysfunction as a result of these conditions.

Mettler Institute
30 N LaSalle St, Suite 3430
Chicago, IL 60602

mettlerinstitute.com

What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain used to be distinguished from acute pain based upon the length of time the pain persisted from the time of onset (e.g. 3 months, 6 months, 1 year). However, because of the spectrum of tissue repair rates and factors, a more recent definition of chronic pain, involving no arbitrarily fixed durations is, “pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing.” Whereas acute pain comes on quickly decreases or disappears, chronic pain persists or even increases over time.

What causes chronic pain?
There are many factors which affect the development of chronic pain. Past or present injury or disease can make the source obvious, but for many the cause of chronic pain cannot be identified.

In fact, chronic pain is so poorly understood it’s been labeled a “national challenge” by the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education in a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report, Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research, calls for changes in how this unaddressed public health issue is managed.

While there is still much to learn about chronic pain, few people account for the ways in which chronic musculoskeletal pain can form unobtrusively through common, everyday activities.

Watch as Paul Mettler, PT, DPT, addresses several ways which we unknowingly incur small amounts of injury to our body:

The activities discussed by Dr. Mettler aren’t obvious as injurious and demonstrate the underestimated relationship between our daily habits and lifestyle choices and the formation of adhesions. His examples also highlight the unprecedented opportunity we have to prevent the inconspicuous damage that long precedes chronic pain.

Little Progress in Treating Chronic Pain
Despite advancements in our understanding of chronic pain, assessment and treatment remain strikingly inadequate. Commonly prescribed medications such as acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and opioids have shown disappointing results or caused concern due to adverse effects or misuse. Conventional passive interventions such as acupuncture and electrical stimulation play a role in providing temporary relief, but produce only modest gains in pain and function improvement in most chronic pain patients.

A Better Way…
Paul Mettler, PT, DPT agrees that conventional methods of treatment are insufficient for assessing and treating chronic pain and has developed a better way to address the hidden culprit in most chronic musculoskeletal conditions: adhesions.

Watch as Dr. Mettler shares his observations on treating chronic pain using an advanced method of manual therapy—which can speed patients toward optimal health and independence.

Previous Unsuccessful Therapy
If you’ve completed physical therapy in the past with little improvement, you’re not alone. Many patients we encounter at Mettler Therapy have experienced less than optimal results with previous physical therapy or modalities. We estimate approximately 75% of these individuals who have not responded to other forms of treatment realize 70-90% improvement with the Mettler Method^®.

If you’re experiencing chronic pain and would like a free consultation with a Mettler therapist, you can give us a call or request an appointment online.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals.

Anyone with an injury to their hand or arm knows just how debilitating it can be. People value the use of their hands and any loss of function through injury or accident can have a devastating effect on their lives. Those with injury want the very best treatment to assure maximal recovery.

Because of the technical complexity of the hand and arm, hand therapy requires the highest level of competence of both anatomy and physiology. Rehabilitation is provided by a certified hand therapist (CHT) who will help your patient regain optimal use of their upper limb through functional exercises, modalities, and custom splinting to help restore range of motion, reduce pain, and promote functional strength. A CHT is an occupational or physical therapist with a minimum of five years clinical experience, including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy. Recognized by many professional organizations as a benchmark for excellence in advanced specialty, the CHT credential offers assurance the therapist has achieved the highest level of competency in the profession and stays up-to-date with practice in the field. At the Mettler Hand Clinic, services are provided by Sheila King, OT, CHT, a licensed occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with over 20 years experience in hand therapy.

If you have patients who have experienced an interruption in the use of their hands or arms due to injury, surgery or overuse, the Mettler Hand Clinic could have significant implications for their functional outcome.

Mettler Physical and Occupational Therapy Services is also now included as an In Network Provider in Carle’s Health Alliance HMO for University of Illinois Employees. University of Illinois staff will be able to receive therapy services from Mettler with minimal out-of-pocket expense.