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Providing medically advanced care to his patients is a top priority for Marc Weinberg, DC, of Active Health Center. When a neck injury nearly caused him to sell his practice almost nine years ago, he was devastated with the prospect. But constant, debilitating pain nearly left him with no other choice.
“I was at a Miami Dolphins football game when suddenly I was hit in the back of the neck with a water bottle that came flying at me like a missile from the upper deck,” Dr. Weinberg recalls. “It definitely hurt a lot, trust me. I managed to make it through the remainder of the game, but over the next few days, I noticed swelling and I started to experience regular headaches.
“Over a period of months, my condition worsened, every little thing I did triggered pain,” he continues. “I experienced confusion, or commonly called brain fog. It became more and more difficult to concentrate. I feared I was at a point where I needed to sell my practice as could no longer see my patients, and care for them, due to my own injury and its effects.”
Dr. Weinberg describes how the injury also affected his personal life.
“I couldn’t even sit on the bleachers to watch my kids play baseball. I was very active and I enjoyed playing racquetball, golf and tennis and had to stop all three.”
Dr. Weinberg had two torn ligaments in his neck, an injury similar to whiplash resulting from a car accident. There was no strength in his neck to support the head on his shoulders.
“I lived in constant pain,” he explains. “I couldn’t sit in a chair or on the couch. At the end of my workday, I would lie on my office floor in agony hoping to get relief.”
He tried chiropractic and physical therapy, but to no avail. At one point, he was told that he needed to stabilize his neck by wearing
a collar.
“At that point, I thought to myself, I can’t imagine walking into a chiropractor’s office and seeing the doctor in a neck brace. All I could think of was how that would look to my own patients. That was my turning point. If I wanted to continue to treat my own patients, I needed to find a way to fix this problem. I dove into researching evidence-based neck rehabilitation, and I found information on the MCU, or Multi-Cervical Unit, machine.
“I read about an upcoming physical therapy convention in Orlando where this machine would be on display, and I went to see it for myself.”
How it works
Dr. Weinberg says that the MCU is both diagnostic and therapeutic, so going to the convention to see it was a great opportunity for him to try it out himself.
“At the convention, I used the machine, and what’s great about it is that it performs both the diagnostic testing and the treatment, so there is no guesswork. This makes the treatment precisely targeted and individualized for each patient’s specific needs.”
“During testing, a person is put through a series of isometric strength exercises where you don’t even need to move, while the machine records sixteen different ranges of motion. If it is determined that you are a candidate for the MCU, you are then prescribed a customized series of exercises, as I was. The MCU helps to restore strength and function of the cervical spine. The average treatment regimen is nine weeks, but for many the prescribed regamin is shorter. The treatment is completely painless.”
Dr. Weinberg’s own evaluation showed that there was no strength in his neck to support his head. “This is why no matter what I did, even something as simple as picking up a bag of groceries, my neck would flare up,” he describes. “I was so impressed with the way this machine works that I knew I had to have one in my own office. I wanted to provide my patients with this advanced technology for treating neck injuries.”
The Multi-Cervical Unit
“My office acquired the MCU in November 2008. We were the first practice in the state of Florida to use one of these machines,” Dr. Weinberg shares. “Since then, other offices in Central Florida have seen the benefits and have acquired the MCU.”
Dr. Weinberg says he now has two of the MCU machines in his office.
“The MCU has changed so many lives. These people had very similar stories to mine where they tried everything from chiropractic to injections to therapy and nothing worked. Once they tried the MCU, they were able to get back to living normal, productive lives, with no more pain.”
Dr. Weinberg notes that the MCU is not the sole treatment used, but part of a customized treatment plan.
“Many of our patients receive hands-on care with our physical therapist in conjunction with the MCU treatment, but the MCU is the missing piece of the neck pain puzzle.”
Sharing his own experience
“I have learned, and research has proven, that neck weakness will lead to neck pain, and you have to address the neck weakness in order to treat the pain,” explains Dr. Weinberg. “That is exactly what this machine does. It strengthens specific neck muscles.”
Until the MCU came along, Dr. Weinberg notes, there was no technology to objectively measure and treat neck weakness. “Research confirms the MCU to be the absolute best way to strengthen the neck,” he states. “I am living proof of that.”
Because of his own unique experience and the positive results he achieved with the MCU,
Dr. Weinberg says he is often invited to participate in public speaking engagements to talk about neck strengthening with the MCU.
“I want to share my story because I think it is important for other chiropractors who may be thinking about purchasing this machine to hear it. I want them to listen to what I have learned about neck strengthening and how this machine helped me and how I use it to help others.”
Dr. Weinberg says he is thankful he was not forced into closing his practice and adds that he is back to enjoying tennis, golf and all the other activities he once had to stop participating in.
“I feel like myself again, and I owe it all to the MCU machine,” he confirms. “And best of all, I am thrilled to be able to share the amazing capabilities of the MCU with my patients.”
Active Health Center
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561-842-2273
421 Northlake Blvd. Suite F – North Palm Beach
www.activehealthctr.com
