Clinical Somatics

A car accident in which Karen slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a cyclist led to a chronic knee problem. The pain gradually worsened, until she had to avoid almost any exercise, including walking up the stairs. Knee surgeries only made the condition worse. Thirteen years later, she had to alternate between crutches and a wheelchair...

In college, Steven Aronstein became debilitated by chronic pain throughout his body, weakness, gastrointestinal problems, and fatigue to the point of immunological & cognitive impairment. At the age of 19, he found himself with less health and function than most 70 year olds. Steven was officially diagnosed by specialist hospitals with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness of the nervous system and joints...

I was born with scoliosis and a left leg that was 1/4" shorter than my right leg. I was lucky that my scoliosis was an “S”-curve, which meant that my spine was somewhat balanced. I wore a 1/4" lift in my left shoe to even out my hips. From the age of 12 through the age of 18, I kept an annual appointment with one of Chicago’s top orthopedic surgeons...