The Story of Michalski Chiropractic has all the elements of a classic tear-jerker, including the most important one, a happy ending.
Eleven years ago, Bobbi Michalski was seriously injured in a car accident. So severe were her injuries, in fact, that her doctors gave her very little chance of ever walking again. Her chiropractor, Dr. Ron Michalski, was the only one who offered her hope. “When they told me that I would be in a wheelchair, he refused to believe that.” Bobbi said recently.
Sure enough, after extensive therapy that combined chiropractic treatments with neuromuscular massage, a healthy diet and vitamins, Bobbi did walk again. Actually, Bobbi had been Dr. Michalski’s patient even before the accident. She began seeing him for treatment of a sinus problem. She was so impressed by how well the treatment worked that she became Dr. Michalski’s office manager. Somewhere along the way she and Dr. Michalski fell in love. Today they are married and partners in running the Michalski Chiropractic Wellness Centre at 11407 West Blue Mound Road.
Bobbi Michalski said the center offers much more than traditional chiropractic clinics. “After the accident, I looked at my own treatment program and thought, ‘Just think of what we could do for the general public’” she said.
Michalski Chiropractic Wellness Centre services include nutritional consulting, massage therapy and another type of therapy- called a hydrotherapy chair- in which patients can direct a jet of hot water along their spines in a massage-like motion- as well as traditional chiropractic treatment.
Bobbi Michalski said it was part of a comprehensive approach to health care that does not rely on chemicals.
“The flu has become almost an industry unto itself,” She said. “People are out there getting flu shots and taking medicines. If you could just keep your body healthy, you would not get the flu. It’s all about staying healthy by keeping your body balanced, therefore having a healthy immune system.”
Chiropractic treatment itself is a natural approach to health care, she said. The process involves actually moving bones to take the pressure off of nerves and can be used to treat everything from headaches and sinus conditions to carpal tunnel syndrome, Michalski said.
Chiropractic treatment itself is a natural approach to health care, she said. The process involves actually moving bones to take the pressure off of nerves and can be used to treat everything from headaches and sinus conditions to carpal tunnel syndrome, Michalski said.
Chiropractic treatment involves the use of a device called an Activator, which Michalski describes as an instrument that applies just 15 lbs of pressure to the area out of alignment. This gets the pressure off the nerve. “It is totally noninvasive,” Michalski said.
Chiropractic treatment is becoming more accepted by the medical community, Michalski said. It is enough for everyone from very young infants to the elderly, she said.
“Like natural food and medicines, it is a treatment program that does not involve putting chemicals into the body or cutting open the body,” she said. “It gives the body a chance to heal itself and the body is the most effective pharmacy there is.”
A while ago, the procedure was not so highly thought of by many of the medical professionals. “About 8 years ago the American Medical Association accepted chiropractic and now it is covered by all medical plans,” she said.
While Bobbi manages the office, the actual work is done by Dr. Michalski and Dr. Hauke, and a staff of licensed massage therapists and intuitionalists.
A patient seeking chiropractic treatment has several options, Bobbi Michalski said. “We will first do a computerized muscle and nerve scan, a consultation, complete examination, and then decide on a course of treatment,” she said. “Treatment may be deep massage to loosen and hard tissue and free up bones themselves for the actual chiropractic treatment.”
Depending on what type of treatment a patient requires, a course of treatment could last from a month to a year. “It depends if the patient is seeking simply relief from a nagging pain or treatment for something more serious,” she said.