BEN WEITZ, D.C., C.C.S.P., C.S.C.S.
1448 15th St., Suite 201 ----------------(310) 395-3111 Bus.
Santa Monica, CA 90404 ---------------(310) 260-1254 Fax
email LHBWeitz@aol.com --------------www.drweitz.com
Born July 12, 1958.EDUCATION
Chiropractic College of Pasadena Doctor of Chiropractic- December 1987
Licensed 1988
University of Calif., L.A. B.A. Philosophy-1983 Magna Cum Laude
Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner--Feb. 1995
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist--Aug. 1996PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
Diplomate of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Member of the American Chiropractic Association Sports Council.
Member of American College of Sports Medicine.
Member National Strength and Conditioning Association.PUBLICATIONS
"Minimizing Weight Training Injuries in Bodybuilders and Athletes". Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, 1997, 4(2): 46-56.
The Back Relief Book. Los Angeles, CA: Health For Life, 1998.
Dr. Weitz has written or contributed to numerous articles for various fitness magazines, including Muscle and Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness, Ironman Magazine, Maxim, Oxygen, Muscle Mag, and most recently Maxim. He is on the advisory staff for Exercise For Men Only.
2. Mission statement
To help all my patients to achieve optimal health. Optimal health consists of a relatively pain free status, with lots of energy and enthusiasm for life, and the highest possible level of function of all systems of the body, including the spine and other joints and muscles of the body. Decreasing the likelihood of chronic, degenerative diseases, such as arthritis and heart disease, is an important goal of such care. A secondary goal is to help each individual to achieve peak performance in sport or life. Optimal health should not be sacrificed in an effort to achieve athletic performance, as many athletes end up doing with a "win at all costs" attitude.
3. Chiropractic care "The Weitz Way"
Chiropractic care at the Weitz Sports Chiropractic clinic involves various treatment approaches to helping patients achieve optimal health. Initially, the injured area is assessed and examined to determine the problem. Then, the posture and structure of the body is assessed to look for distortions from the optimal state. Overall posture and structure of the individual frequently plays a role in other injured areas. For example, rounded shoulder posture may predispose you to shoulder impingement problems. And forwards head posture may result in not only neck pain and headaches, but jaw pain and even wrist pain as well.Each patient receives a comprehensive examination with focus on the injured area. This exam includes all relevant physical, orthopedic, and neurological examination tests. X-rays are not taken routinely on each patient. X-rays are used mainly to rule out suspected pathology, such as fractures or other bony abnormalities, and sometimes to assess spinal structural problems, such as scoliosis.
Treatments are individualized depending upon the severity, the particular nature of the problem, and the individual's response to care. Treatments may include myofascial and/or trigger point massage, joint manipulation or mobilization, therapeutic stretching, rehabilitative exercise programs or recommendations, therapeutic ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, ice, heat, or traction. Dr. Weitz may recommend custom orthotic supports for your feet, which he can fit you with. Pilates is available at the office for either rehabilitation of injuries or for fitness.
Recommendations may be made for nutritional and lifestyle changes, including vitamin and herbal supplementation to aid in the healing process or to prevent other health problems. Dr. Weitz has taken numerous post-graduate courses and has made a study of recent nutrition research. Our office distributes Metagenics nutritional supplements at a discounted price over full retail.Manipulation and mobilization are done to restore proper movement to joints that are not moving well and to realign the structure of the body. Such "stuck" (dysfunctional) joints often result in the performance of abnormal movement patterns and injuries in other parts of the body. Manipulation of the joints will be performed in the most gentle manner possible to achieve the correction. We typically perform the manipulation only after loosening and warming the area with massage and/or heat. This makes it easier for the body to accept the structural correction. Specialized soft tissue work reduces scar tissue and adhesions in the muscles and tendons, promoting more normal healing.
4. What not to expect
Do not expect to find a simple solution for a complex problem. Problems that took months and years to develop are not likely to be relieved overnight. And chiropractic care is frequently not the wonder cure that some hope it to be. It is not voodoo. While occasional patients are completely relieved of severe pain with one adjustment, this is not the typical case. Chiropractic care enhances your body's natural abilities to heal itself, facilitating and speeding up the process. But it works with this gradual process and this takes time. Sometimes it even takes months or years for complete healing to occur. Some conditions can never be cured--only managed. This requires periodic adjustments throughout your life. But this may be preferred to many of the common medical solutions, such as taking pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory drugs, with their inevitable side effects. Chiropractic care has few side effects.
We do not take x-rays of each patient unless they are needed to rule out pathology. X-rays are not used to determine how to adjust the patient. By pressing on your back and other areas in a specific manner (motion palpation) we determine how to adjust you. However, x-rays and/or MRI may be recommended after several weeks or months of treatment if sufficient progress is not made. We also do not use any of the following chiropractic methods: Applied Kinesiology, SOT, BEST, NETWORK, or activator.
5. We welcome all patients, including those with sports injuries, non-sports related pains, whiplash injuries, and work related injuries. We have been able to help patients with back pain, neck pain, headaches, rotator cuff shoulder problems, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee problems, and foot and ankle injuries. After an examination, if an injury or condition is out of our area of expertise, we will be happy to refer you to one of the top experts in the area, who can help you deal with that problem. We can bill your insurance for you and Dr. Weitz is on a number of the insurance panels. Dr. Weitz may be able to treat you on a lien basis with your attorney in the case of an accident, depending upon your case and the attorney. We may also be able to bill the workman's compensation insurance if it is a work related injury.
6. FIRST LINE THERAPY. We are now offering individual nutritional counseling, our First Line Therapy program. This is an exciting, new nutrition/lifestyle program designed to help you improve your health and your body composition. While most such programs are focused on weight only, FLT is a comprehensive Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) program, effective as a first line treatment for common, chronic health problems. The FLT program is the perfect prescription for conditions such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, osteoporosis, and many others. It works because it addresses the underlying causes of these conditions, such as unhealthy body composition (lean mass to fat mass ratio), insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, inflammation, and other physiological issues.
Dr. Weitz or Amber Hoch, our lifestyle coach, will be your personal health coach, guiding you to a healthier lifestyle. We will meet with you weekly or biweekly and we will monitor your body composition using bioelectrical impedance. We will discuss your recent food intake and exercise program and make recommendations for eating, exercise, and supplement changes. We will support you in your quest for better health. Not only have we helped patients reduce their body fat levels, lower their cholesterol and blood pressure, get their diabetes under control and avoid having to take insulin, but we have also helped patients with conditions such as autoimmune disease (like rheumatoid arthritis), irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
7. Acupuncture and Pilates. Acupuncture and Pilates are also available at Weitz Sports Chiropractic. Our acupuncturist, Dr. Reza is doing a fantastic job with patients. He is bringing his unique blend of Chinese medicine to help patients deal with a host of problems from headaches to joint pain to hormonal problems to asthma to infertility to fibromyalgia to sciatica. If you are considering using acupuncture, Dr. Reza would be happy to schedule a free 10 minute consultation. Just call or ask at the front desk.
Pilates is also available either as a form of fitness or for rehabilitation of injuries. Pilates is offered in a private room, unlike a busy, crowded gym or other fitness studio. And there is chiropractic supervision and we have developed specific protocols for rehabilitating specific injuries. Our two pilates instructors--Trina Jensen and Donnielle James are fantastic, extremely knowledgeable, personable, and have gotten rave reviews.
