GODFREY - Dr. Renee Fleming has joined many other chiropractors who have soldiered on during the COVID-19 Pandemic, continuing necessary care for their patients.
Dr. Fleming has even provided home visits to some of the elderly using proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Many consider her home visits and overall approach to patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic as “heroic.”
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Dr. Fleming’s office is located at 5204 Godfrey Road in Godfrey. Dr. Fleming admits making house calls in the COVID-19 Pandemic is an old-fashioned way of visiting patients. She said she makes the home visits primarily to immune-compromised patients and the elderly.
With her overall approach to patients, Dr. Fleming is compassionate and always tries to help people live a better lifestyle free from constant chronic pain and problems brought on by opioid painkillers. Dr. Fleming said she saw the epidemic of opioid abuse grow throughout her lifetime.
Through chiropractic, Fleming is able to help people find a more natural way to alleviate their pain.
"What makes my treatments different than traditional chiropractic adjustments is that I combine various muscle release techniques with specific adjustments to the areas of complaint in order to provide faster and longer-lasting results,” Dr. Fleming said.
Dr. Fleming graduated from Alton High School in 2008 and Logan College of Chiropractic in 2014.
The chiropractic business has changed since the COVID-19 Pandemic broke out, Dr. Fleming said, however, she said all the proper precautions and the sanitation process was always part of her practice.
“Chiropractic care is essential because if someone has a muscular/skeletal issue causing them pain, they may end up in the emergency room,” she said. “I do a lot of soft-tissue techniques.”
Chiropractic care is deeper than just neck and back adjustments, Fleming said. Much of the work done is in the feet, ankles, hips, and knees. Fleming said she wants to help each of her patients as individuals; each person she treats is treated as if they were a member of her own family.
“The Graston Technique® allows Dr. Fleming to better detect and treat these areas because it uses a stainless steel instrument that glides along with a patient’s muscle, tendons or ligaments, with the right amount of pressure to detect just where the scar tissue or restrictions are located,” she said. “When these knots or bands of scar tissue are encountered, both the clinician and the patient sense a restriction, almost like a speed bump or a granular feeling. The instrument can then be used to identify and treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation. Stretching exercises are used to promote the re-alignment of the fibers into the normal pattern of healthy tissue.
“Remember the song and words ‘… the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone…’? Well, so they are and so are all of the body parts connected in what is referred to as the kinetic chain. The instruments allow the clinician to follow that kinetic chain, effectively uncovering the cause of the problem, then treating the cause and the area of pain or restriction. The unaided hand is hard-pressed to detect and break up as much scar tissue or follow the kinetic chain, as effectively or efficiently as stainless steel instruments can. Patients usually receive two treatments per week for four to five weeks. Most patients have a positive response within two to three treatments. Most patients are not disabled and continue to perform their regular functions at home/work.
“The Graston Technique® decreases overall time of treatment, fosters faster rehabilitation/recovery, reduces the need for anti-inflammatory medication, and resolves chronic conditions thought to be permanent.”
Amy Smith said Renee has visited her mother at home during the pandemic and it has meant everything to her overall health.
“I was super thankful she offered to make the home visits,” Smith said. “It has been a life-changer for my mother.”
Dr. Fleming said she loves her patients and her work and can’t imagine having any other role in life.
To contact Dr. Fleming: E-mail: drflemingdc@gmail.com or contact (618) 570-0596.
