Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Steilen-Matias, MMS, PA-C.
Danielle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was first introduced to Prolotherapy when I was a PA student at Midwestern University in Downers Grove. After watching patients with chronic joint pain who never seemed to get better with the traditional care during a rheumatology rotation, watching patients get their joint pain better with Prolotherapy was eye opening. I had never learned about Prolotherapy in school. Practitioners have to learn Prolotherapy through specialized courses in most cases. After treating my husband’s and my own injured joints successfully with Prolotherapy, I became a huge believer in the treatment, and have since seen hundreds of patients with disabling chronic joint pain get rid of their pain and have their lives turned around!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Many people have never heard of Prolotherapy, even though it is has been around for decades (since long before I was born!). Prolotherapy is the regenerative injection treatment that works to regrow and heal injured tissue in those with joint pain. While it is mostly used for chronic pain, it can also be an effective method for treating acute injuries non-surgically. Most patients have heard of cortisone injections or the RICE protocol, but are uneducated as to how much long-term joint damage those therapies actually do! I think one of the biggest challenges in health care right now is patient education. Many patients are not asking enough questions about their health care and are uneducated about their individual conditions. In order to make the right decision for your body and health, you need to be educated by a health care provider about the best treatment options for you and explore a variety of options.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Caring Medical Regenerative Medicine Clinics story. Tell us more about the business.
We are the longest-running Prolotherapy clinic location in the world. Many long-time fans of Prolotherapy love that we’re continuing the Prolotherapy legacy in the same building since the 1950’s. As Regenerative Medicine techniques and solutions have expanded into the cellular world, we have incorporated the use of Prolotherapy methods that many people have heard of from recent media, including Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy. These have been fantastic additions to what is known as Comprehensive Prolotherapy: the technique that we use where joints are treated as a whole unit as opposed to individual parts. For example, when someone has osteoarthritis in their knee, it is not solely a cartilage issue, but a whole joint problem, as joints degenerate as a whole, not by individual structures. When you treat the joint (and the patient) as a whole, the results are so much better, even when using PRP or stem cells. You need the whole joint addressed, not just one or two injections of cells.
The Prolotherapy technique we use is unique, as is the whole patient experience. Our patients come from all over the world, so it is common for our waiting room to be filled with people who traveled from various states and countries. The stories of chronic pain, though, all have a common thread. Most people tell us they have never been to a doctor’s office like ours where people are actually getting better, not just “managing” their pain or being referred out for surgery. Anyone who has ever suffered from an injury or with chronic pain knows how drastically it can alter your life. To see when patients are winning the war on their pain drives us to keep on with the work that we’re doing, and inspires us in our personal lives too! Every day, you know that you are going to meet some very interesting people and get to help some of the most challenging pain cases. We have a world map in the waiting room where patients can pin where they are from. It’s pretty awesome! Of course, we have many patients from Chicago and the surrounding areas too! Overall, it just shows you that there is a real need in medical communities around the globe for regenerative treatments that don’t just cover up pain the way anti-inflammatories do, but that can actually stabilize the joint to naturally eliminate pain.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I feel lucky to have learned about Prolotherapy during my rotation at Caring Medical while attending PA school. However, getting patients better is not so much about luck as it is about understanding the science of how the body heals, and the active participation and compliance of the patient.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success differently with each patient. For some, success means getting their joints healthy enough to get back to marathon running or avoid joint replacement surgery. For others, it means simply getting their knees strong enough to climb the stairs in their home without pain. Any time I help a patient meet their goals, however big or small they may be, I deem that success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 715 Lake Street
Suite 600, Oak Park, IL 60301 - Website: https://www.caringmedical.com/
- Phone: 708-848-7789
- Email: info@caringmedical.com
- Instagram: http://www.imgrum.org/user/caringmedical/1551138202
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaringMedical/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/caringmedical
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/caring-medical-regenerative-medicine-clinics-oak-park
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/caringmedical
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