Popular "Sports Doc" Chiropractor Enjoys Home Field Advantage In New Oak Lawn Office

Online, October 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Aches, pains, and nagging injuries don't stop pickup gamers, schoolyard hoopsters, fairway addicts, and weekend warriors across the south suburbs from indulging in their favorite pastimes. When they feel a sudden twinge, tweak, or sore spot, they simply pay a quick visit to "sports doc" Rory Marrello. Before long, they're back in the game.

Among the plentiful reasons that keep them coming back to Dr. Marrello and his Platinum Chiropractic practice are: (1) the CCSP after his name, which stands for Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician; and (2) his new convenient office location near 111th St. and Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn.

The former is no trifling abbreviation. Dr. Marrello is the only known chiropractor in the south suburbs with CCSP credentials - which indicates that he trained nearly a year longer than a regular chiropractor and specializes in treating athletes and sports-related injuries. It's a big reason why he's in such high demand among amateur ballclubs and competitors in the area, including baseball and softball squads with Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn and Victory Martial Arts in Orland Park.

And now, it's even easier for coaches, players, and non-athletes alike to see Dr. Marrello, since he moved his solo practice in August to a larger space and more accessible address at 11008 S. Cicero.

"Having a larger facility allows me to better serve my patients and offer a more convenient, easy-to-reach locale," said Dr. Marrello, who formerly shared an office with another chiropractor near 103rd and Central in Oak Lawn. "My goal was always to remain in Oak Lawn, where I first opened Platinum Chiropractic back in 2007. This is a town I've known and loved for years, and there's an increasingly strong demand for chiropractic care from patients in and around this area."

In addition to sports enthusiasts young and old, Dr. Marrello's clients include "a lot of hardworking local people in physically demanding professions, such as firefighters, police officers, and construction workers," he said. "Pain and injuries aren't exclusive to athletes. We get plenty of white and blue collar workers and who come in after throwing out their backs, pulling a muscle on the job, or waking up stiff after engaging in strenuous activity the day before."

Dr. Marrello utilizes a variety of effective methods and techniques in his healing repertoire. Case in point: his successful approach to treating a patient whom he recently diagnosed with golfer's elbow, a condition caused by repeated club swinging where pain manifests on the inner side of the elbow.

Upon this patient's initial visit, Dr. Marrello applied 15 minutes of electrical stimulation, which involved placing small electrode pads on the skin of the affected area, and applying an ice pack atop the electrodes. The electrodes emit low-frequency electrical impulses into the soft tissue, which promotes the release of endorphins: the body's natural painkillers. Next, Dr. Marrello attempted a myofascial release of the arm's flexor muscles - in simpler terms, compression and deep tissue massage of the affected area. The release of such pressure causes capillary dilation and increased blood flow, which leads to quicker healing. Lastly, Dr. Marrello gave the patient elastic bands and recommended wrist curls and other stretching exercises which could be practiced at home to strengthen the affected muscles and joint.

"While the patient's pain subsided initially, it soon returned. I convinced him to try a few other approaches, and he was receptive," Dr. Marrello said.

At the second visit, he used a painless ultrasound device on the injured area, which emitted sound waves into the soft tissues to improve blood flow and reduce the time it takes to heal. Next, Dr. Marrello employed acupuncture treatment - the insertion of tiny, painless needles into certain trigger points on the body (in this patient's case, the wrists and lower legs) to clear internal energy obstructions which can cause pain and illness. Within a few days, the patient's pain was gone and he was able to get back in the swing of things on the golf course.

For a baseball player with rotator cuff tendinitis, Dr. Marrello adopted a different approach. He helped the patient stretch out the area in the office and attempt a more complete range of motion by prescribing at-home exercises. Following this, Dr. Marrello performed a high-velocity adjustment by applying slow then quick downward pressure on the patient's shoulder to mobilize the joint. Afterward came a five-minute treatment with a cold laser - a device that sends painless light photons into the soft tissue, which enhances blood flow and promotes faster healing. Before the end of the appointment, Dr. Marrello applied Kinesio tape to the injured area. This special rehabilitative tape provides extended soft tissue manipulation as well as stability and support to joints and muscles without limiting the body's range of motion.

"I have a lot of beneficial tools and techniques to choose from in treating a patient," he said. "What's more, I'm an athlete myself, so I have firsthand experience with many of the injuries my patients come to me with."

Among the services and techniques available to Platinum Chiropractic patients are:

- Adjustments
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture therapy
- Ultrasound treatment
- Inner segmental traction to treat spinal conditions
- Flexion distraction to treat injured discs of the lower back
- Kinesio taping
- Electrical muscle stimulation
- Cold laser treatment
- Therapeutic exercises
- Custom foot orthotics
- X-ray and MRI diagnostic tests

Dr. Marrello noted there are a lot of common misconceptions about chiropractors that keep many of the walking wounded from seeking treatment.

"We're often thought of as back-and-neck crackers who put bones back in place," he said. "Actually, chiropractors deal more with the muscles surrounding joints, not just the joint. We're musculoskeletal specialists who can often provide immediate relief of pain and discomfort."

A medical doctor, he continued, "will often prescribe painkiller medications and surgery, but a chiropractic physician believes in safe, non-invasive, non-habit-forming means of therapy that produce lasting results."

When Dr. Marrello is not busy running his practice or pursuing continuing education courses (by the end of 2011, he'll earn a CSCS - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist designation), he's often occupied as a community volunteer. He's donated his time as a sports physician to the Illinois Special Olympics, Chicago Cares (benefitting inner city schoolchildren), and Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Additionally, Dr Marrello has participated in the Humanitarian Service Project, Senior Showcase (creating a "safe exercises for the elderly" presentation), and the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

He's pretty well known as a coach, too. Currently, Dr. Marrello manages his daughter Jenna's Oak Lawn softball team and serves as an assistant coach and team physician for his son Dakota's 14-year-old full-time travel baseball team. He also gets his kicks as a longtime member of Victory Martial Arts, a mixed martial arts club that competes in full-contact combat bouts throughout the south suburbs.

"And when I come home from the office every day, I transform from the sports doc into the co-manager of 'Team Marrello,'" joked Dr. Marrello, referencing his large family that includes six children ranging from 1 to 20 years old and his wife Karen, who also serves as Platinum Chiropractic's office manager.

Platinum Chiropractic is located at 11008 S. Cicero, Oak Lawn, Ill. 60453, near Flap-Jack's Pancake House and just east of K-Mart. Office hours are 8 a.m. to noon weekdays, 2 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursday, and Saturdays by appointment. For more information, phone (708) 423-8850 or visit www.platinumchiropractic.com.