• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Staff
    • My Running Story
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • What We Treat
    • Running Injuries
    • Sciatica, Back, & Neck Pain
    • Chronic Pain
    • Shoulder/Elbow Pain
    • Hip/Knee Pain
    • Ankle/Foot Pain
    • Balance/Vestibular
  • Specialities
    • Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Non-Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Running Services
    • Correct Toes
    • Kinesio Taping
    • OOV Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Free Guides
    • Presentations
    • Videos
    • Running Portal
  • Patient Info
    • Forms
    • FAQs
    • For Your Doctor
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
    • Read Reviews
    • Rate Us!
  • COVID-19

The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
  • The Manual Touch Linkedin
  • The Manual Touch YouTube
  • The Manual Touch Instagram
  • The Manual Touch Facebook

2019 Reflections

December 28, 2019 By Denise Schwartz 5 Comments

 

Do you ever notice how as you age, the years seem to fly by faster than when you were younger? Well another year has flown by really fast, filled with highs and lows, achievements and tragedies, love and loss. Here are some of my favorite memories of this past year:

Moments with Family

  • The four of us trying to escape “The Inferno” at an Escape room and not quite making it out.
  • Cross country skiing in the dark to dinner with my husband, Steve.

Cross Country Skiing with My Husband

  • My son, Drew, graduating from University of Illinois, followed by a 4-week trip to Israel and Europe, and then beginning his job in downtown Chicago as a software engineer.

  • My mom and I continued with another summer of weekly visits to the botanic garden and a visit to the Morton Arboretum including a hike through a spruce forest.

The Spruce Forest

  • Seeing Pentatonix at Ravinia with Steve, Drew, and Victoria.
  • Enjoying a sleepover with my niece, Molly, while attending an OOV class in Chicago and spending time with Drew and Adam (my nephew), watching Something Rotten at the Marriott theater.
  • Feeling very proud when my daughter, Jenna, went to Washington D.C. to lobby for improving the home care industry.

Jenna Lobbying in Washington DC

  • Visiting family and friends in southern California with my mom, including a visit to the Fullerton Arboretum.
  • Annual Latke making with Drew while listening to show tunes.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Latke-making-with-Drew.mp4

Moments with Friends

  • Celebrating our 25th New Years gathering with friends from my Lutheran General days: The Gruensfelders and The Hilberts (The Dalys couldn’t make it this year).

Our 20th New Years spent with friends

  • Escaping Chicago’s polar vortex to visit Jenna in Tampa along with my friend Mara.
  • Renting a house in Benton Harbor, MI, on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan,with my best friends, Jenny, Amy, and Mara for relaxation, yoga, and walking on the beach. We also hiked the dunes, visited a farmer’s market, went apple picking, and did some shopping.

Girls weekend in Benton Harbor, MI

Business Milestones

  • Learning how to use the OOV.

Learning to use the OOV

  • Enjoying the camaraderie of old, like minded friends with the first new IMT class in 9 years
  • Writing blog posts at the wheeling library.
  • Celebrating a banner year of Business growth for The Manual Touch. In fact, I am ready to hire another PT!
  • Sadly, I lost my acupuncturist tenant, David Derdiger, but I am happy for him as he moved on to a new venture.

Miscellaneous Moments

  • Excited that Allbirds, my favorite shoes, created a waterproof, merino wool shoe – the Mizzle!
  • Thankful for a year of good health among my family, friends, and myself.
  • Amazed at the complexity, difficulty and beauty of Simone Biles gymnastic feats to become the most decorated gymnast.
  • So sad that my favorite show, The Big Bang Theory, ended. Although, the ending went out with a perfect Big Bang and I now own all the seasons in my Google Play so I can enjoy it whenever I want!
  • Learning how to enjoy a good cup of green tea which can only truly be appreciated out of a ceramic mug/cup.

Wishing you and your family peace, joy, and good health this holiday season and into the new year!

Filed Under: Real Stories Tagged With: 2019, New year

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Loribeth Cohen says

    December 30, 2019 at 10:39 am

    love it, Denise. thank you for being open and sharing.
    sharing is caring.

    blessings to you and your loved ones in 2020.

    Reply
  2. Barbara Berman says

    December 30, 2019 at 12:01 pm

    Hi Denise,
    You are one of the blessings in my life in 2019. I will see you in an hour and I intend to improve my health and well-being with your guidance in 2020.

    Reply
  3. Karen says

    December 30, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    This is great! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Byron Moenter says

    December 31, 2019 at 8:28 am

    Very nice summary. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for all the wonderful work you do for your patients.

    Reply
  5. Elaine Kupfer says

    January 2, 2020 at 7:14 pm

    Hi,
    I am a new patient and feel very lucky to have been working with you and also getting to know more about you through sharing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Health Tips

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
I'm also interested in receiving:

Search Other Blogs

Recent Blog Posts

  • Staying Mobile as You Age: Spring Into Wellness
  • Alleviate Neck Pain | Your First Aid Kit
  • Hypermobility, hEDS, and EDS: Understanding Joint Flexibility and Pain Management

Blog Post Topics

Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Denise, she put Kinesiotape around the affected area. I immediately noticed stability and pain improvement and could walk so much better that I was able to complete shopping trips to 4 stores I had been planning but did not think I could do. To me, the t… Read more
Read More
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that would not break up. One night I remembered the self-treatment that Denise taught me at The Manual Touch where I had received PT, putting one hand over the afflicted area, and one hand near my abdomen where mucous could drain out. After about 5-10 minutes… Read more
Read More
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also helped with my back, exercise regimen, and overall health. She is a holistic practitioner expert in PT techniques and knows how to teach her clients how to fit her techniques easily into their lives. She relates with her clients about as well as any… Read more
Read More
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
Read More
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up on its own since she was well over a year old, and there was no harm in waiting a little longer before SURGERY. My husband and I did not want our little girl’s eye probed, and we definitely did not want her to have a general anesthetic, so we bro… Read more
Read More
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return to playing basketball.
Read More
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
Read More
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depend on the regular IMT tissue therapy I receive from Denise to help me function as normally as possible.  This therapy seems to work synergistically with the acupuncture and medication I also receive.  There are no cures for these disorders and as n… Read more
Read More
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
Read More
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
Read More

Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
Top 10 physical therapists in Wheeling

A winner of the
2015 Patients' Choice Awards
for
Wheeling Physical Therapist

Verified by Opencare.com

Paubox

Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Read More

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

Copyright © 2025 The Manual Touch, LLC. · 325 n. milwaukee ave. · Ste D. · Wheeling, IL. 60090 · 847-541-7600

The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.