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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
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Frogs: A Symbol of Transformation

September 7, 2022 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

What do you call a frog with no hind legs?  

Unhoppy

Early in the pandemic, I had a Zoom gathering with some of my Physical Therapy friends.

A question was posed: What is one thing about you that we don’t know?  

My answer was, I have a collection of frogs.  

Anybody who has been in my clinic knows this is true. And if you look carefully in my home you will find a few frogs in every room. But, for whatever reason, these close friends did not know I had this frog collection.

Why do I collect frogs you ask?  I really don’t know.

I remember having two graphic frog posters in my room as a kid. I even embroidered the frog image onto a t-shirt, which I never wore, but I still have it sitting in my drawer. Since then, frogs have just shown up in my life. I can’t even remember the last one I bought. I have frogs made in ceramic, in pewter, and concrete (for the garden); salt and pepper shaker frogs, gaudi frog from Barcelona, beanie baby frogs, stuffed frogs, a frog flashlight, small frog caricature trinkets, a frog coffee mug, and frog pins and earrings. 

In some cultures, people who feel connected to certain animals call those animals their totems or spirit animals.  According to the Spirit Animal website, For those who feel an affinity with the frog as personal totem, you may be at ease with the world of intuition, feminine energies, and the magic of nature and the elements. The ability to go from water to earth is characteristic of the frog. Those who have the frog as a spirit animal or totem might be inclined to walk between planes, whether they are physical, spiritual or emotional, and enjoy playing with the magic of life and nature. The frog is symbolic of transformation.  

I find it interesting that frogs are symbolic of transformation. As a Physical Therapist, I help transform people from not-healthy to healthy. I’ve transformed myself from using traditional therapies to using intuition and healing wisdom (magic of life and nature) with non-traditional therapies.  I believe that we are drawn to certain things for a reason.  Maybe I was drawn to frogs as a child subconsciously knowing that they would support me in finding my natural aptitudes for healing.

What I do know is that each and every frog gift I receive is unique, fits my personality and brings me great joy.

Since the beginning of the pandemic a special couple, Jean and Larry Dean, have been sending me weekly cards with a page of silly jokes in them.  Each week is a different joke theme: dads, pigs, computers, ants, music ….and, of course, frogs.  

When does a joke become a dad joke?

When it’s fully groan.

I met Jean and her daughter, Denise, at a seminar over ten years ago. 

At the time Denise, age 25,  struggled with life’s challenges, personally and medically.  Denise had epilepsy.  Denise began to see me on a regular basis for IMT as well as traditional physical therapy.  As her body and spirit began to heal, and her epilepsy better managed, Denise was able to think clearer and move forward with her life. She ultimately moved to Pittsburgh to attend school for her MSW, or Masters in Social Work.  She completed school and eventually came back to Chicago to work and be near family.  Tragically, three years ago, at the age of 38, Denise suffered one last grand mal seizure and passed away.

Over the years I have worked with both Jean and Larry for various ailments.  And despite the long drive from Orland Park, they come to see me for physical therapy.  They are always upbeat, give back to their community, and are willing to help others.  They both are very involved in various non-for profit organizations including 4H, The children’s Farm at The Center and their church. Larry, as a CPA, even helped me set up Quickbooks for The Manual Touch.

Jean and Larry’s ability to continue to embrace life after the loss of their daughter and to use this time to brighten other’s lives is inspirational.  I smile every time I open a letter from Jean and Larry, especially the one about frogs. Keep the letters and jokes coming!

What do you call a fake noodle?

An Impasta

 

Filed Under: Real Stories

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

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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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  
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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
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Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
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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
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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. 
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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

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