Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers – Old Town

I went to this location for about a month and my experience left a lot to be desired. Here are some of the things that bothered me:
–The reception staff wasn’t as friendly or professional as I would expect for a health care facility
–They were unable to process my co-​pay twice because their laptop at reception was dead (chargers?)
–I walked up to the door twice for evening appointments and the door was locked… no doorbell… no sign… just me knocking on glass… is there a reason to lock the door while the facility is open?
–My initial evaluation was done in front of other patients which made it very uncomfortable to talk openly about my various health issues
–Upon completion of my evaluation, the therapist just proceeded to schedule follow-​up appointments without explaining the treatment process or asking if I was on-​board with her recommendation
–Also, after my first appointment, I asked the therapist for some information that I could research about my condition and treatment plan… she brushed me off and said that was a bad idea
–Within the course of a month, I worked with 5 different staffers (3 therapists) who all had varying degrees of familiarity with what I was going through
–There was an occasion where a nearby patient said some really racist stuff to the therapist I was working with… he brushed off the comments instead of challenging them (which I get could be the right course of action in a professional setting, but it rubbed me the wrong way)
–Multiple times at the end of evening appointments, support staff was gone so I couldn’t schedule follow ups
–They clearly schedule too many patients at once to give the proper attention to each patient… when I had a question, I got a rushed response and felt like I was bothering the therapist… it didn’t feel like a comfortable environment to work through medical issues… I saw a poor old woman who was clearly needy and insecure about her treatment brushed aside regularly when she tried to get the therapist’s attention
–The facility looks old and disorganized
While none of these things alone would cause me to stop going somewhere, the combination was enough for me to make the switch to another physical therapist. I would recommend for others to try somewhere else first.

I went in and was basically ignored and when someone finally approached me, it was like I was interrupting their life. I filled out the requested paperwork and waited another 15 minutes or more. I made the mistake of asking how much longer and got a snide, I’ll be right with you with an attitude. I wait another 7 or so minutes and walked out. I have no clue how good they are at accelerated rehab, but they were sure great at accelerating me out fo there with a really bad taste in my mouth

I just finished 9 months of physical therapy at Accelerated in Old Town to heal an elbow injury from a bike accident. The team at Accelerated are «healers», not just physical therapists. Along with helping me to heal physically, they also touched me emotionally and spiritually. My primary therapist, Amber, stuck with me through lots of initial pain and tears. She professionally and intuitively knew just how hard to push me, and always did it with amazing compassion. 6 months ago I could barely move my arm and we didn’t know how much movement I would get back. I left today with total function. Huge thanks to Mary Lou at the desk for always going the extra step to help with appointments and making me feel so comfortable and well taken care of in a wonderfully friendly way. Huge thanks to Ben for being part of my healing and all of our interesting conversations and laughter. Huge thanks to Eerie for your magical touch, and to the rest of the team for the encouragement, caring and humor that kept me going. And hugest thanks of all to Amber for giving me the use of my arm back!

All of these girls are absolutely wonderful to work with. The are very knowledgable about all things physical therapy. I went in for tendonopothy in the shoulder and was able to see them 2 – 3 x a week and they were able to fix me up with just about 100% mobility within 2 months of work! They are very patient and really easy to get along with!
Thanks Amber, Melissa, and Amy for rehabilitating me! As a trainer I really liked how flexible they were with my hours as well as the time crunch on some appointments.
The best Physical Therapists in the city in my book!
Eric Pelz

I received exellent pt for my shoulder injury, then my back with a hernia disc
The pain was terrible and Icould not move my arm
Emmy was really effective listenning and she was supportive and knowledgeable
the staff is really friendly and their kindness make me feel confortable
Marie lou the receptionist office and the team are very gentle and professional
They take time to explain how to excercice and keeping doing it at home is essential as well
i owe them a huge gratitude helping me to recover my mobility and flexibility without any surgery or injection…
A.Leclercq

I received excellent p/​t for my knee problems and severe pain. In 6 weeks I had relief and was on my way to healing. The staff is extremely professional, effective and I had excellet results. The therapists are very skillful and knowledgeable. I received one-​on-​one attention with gentle care and appropriate therapy for my c, ondition.
The appointments always started on time, the facility was clean, neat and the equipment was in excellent condition. All aspects of my therapy were explained clearly and professionally. The front office personnel were always willing to meet my scheduling needs and explained my insurance benefits and assisted with all of my questions politely and in a professional manner. I would recommend Accelerated to my friends. Amber and her staff are excellent. Mary-​Lou at the front desk is extremely helpful and professional.

I (barely) walked into Accelerated Rehab of Old Town 4 months ago. I had a herniated disc in my lower back which was sticking out, pushing against the nerves in my spinal column, and producing the worst pain radiating around my left hip, lower back, and left leg. Thanks to some combination of running on concrete, taking a nasty fall during a football game, and sleeping in weird positions, I was on a fast track to serious pain with no end in sight.
Amber and her team worked with me to determine the level of my pain and a course of action that now has me walking around normally again. I can honestly say that these ladies made me feel a million times more comfortable than any of the Northwestern Orthopedic specialists did. They took the time to explain — in detail — what had happened to my spine, and how to exercise in a way that would help me get back to «normal.» Their approach was customized, friendly and even fun.
I can’t recommend these professionals highly enough. Next week is my last session, and while I’m excited to resume exercise and a «normal» life again, I owe a great debt of gratitude to them for helping me back on my feet, quite literally.

I just completed my treatment at the Accelerated Rehabilitation in Old Town. This was the second time I went to physical therapy (separate injuries), the first with Accelerated. I was in treatment for knee pain I began experiencing while training for the Chicago Marathon. Prior to treatment, I feared that the pain would keep me competing in the marathon and the Urbanathalon.
I couldn’t speak more highly of the staff at the Old Town location. Mary Lou who is the office manager was great. She answered all of my billing questions and helped schedule appointments around my hectic work schedule. My therapist was Amber who also happens to be the facility manager. I couldn’t ask for more from a therapist. She took time to help me understand the causes of the pain I had as well as formulating a plan to lower my odds of having it happen again. There were two occasions where Amber opened the clinic an hour early during the week so that I could get my appointment in. With the help of Amber and everyone else at the clinic, I am back on my way to running in the marathon and am so grateful for all of their help.
The clinic recently relocated a block north on Wells Street during my treatment. Although I did not spend too much time in the new clinic, I was very impressed by the new facility.
Although I hope I do not need physical therapy any time soon, I would recommend the Accelerated Rehabilitation clinic in Old Town to any of my friends or family who do. Everyone at the clinic treated me in a very helpful and professional manner and went out of their way to make sure I understood everything and was comfortable. I don’t know much about physical therapy or medicine but I believe that the people make all of the difference. I can tell you that they certainly did during my treatment at Accelerated.

Loving physical therapy in Old Town for knee. This place is clean, in good condition, the receptionist/​office manager Mary Lou is a doll! She called to let me know more availability have opened up if I was interested in squeezing in another day.
Staff seems knowledgeable, professional & friendly.
Billing is a breeze. Nice clean bathroom to change in.
I am already feeling progress in my recovery.
Highly recommend.

I hurt my shoulder recently (rotator cuff tear), and had to have therapy to build up the muscles around the injury to restore function. I’d never had physical therapy before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was lucky to find Accelerated Rehabilitation in Old Town near where I work, and dove right in.
Melissa was my first Therapist, and she was very thorough, friendly and supportive. She did assessments for grip strength, range of motion and pain threshold, then set me on a group of exercises to target the problem areas. Since I sit at a computer all day, I had no strength in the tops of my shoulders, so she suggested I repeat the exercises at home with both the injured and healthy shoulders to keep them both strong.
After demonstrating and thoroughly explaining the exercises and completing the first session, Melissa gave me homework, and set me up with my next sessions. Within the span of a few days, I started noticing improvement.
Later in my sessions I had a chance to work with Julie who was every bit as professional, supportive and fun to work with. Both women expect their patients to work hard (as Julie said, «We can’t do the therapy for ya!»), but my sessions were always filled with chatting with the PTs and other patients, and good music to listen to. The time flew by.
Accelerated Rehab has great hours, and will work with you to fit your schedule. I was able to fit my sessions into a 6−7pm slot so I went on my way home from work. The Office Manager got all my paperwork sent in to my insurance with zero fuss, and overall this was probably the best «first experience» with physical therapy a patient could have. I’ve already recommended them to a few friends, and have written a letter of recommendation to the AR head office with a CC: to my insurance company. They are that good!

Rehab for the soul. It really is about the people with these places. They can make up as many weird exercises as they want, so long as they’re personable, kind and genuinely caring about what they do.
And it seems like they are. Julie and Melissa are the coolest. They’re funny, nice and most importantly, they’re concerned about my progress. That goes for Shivani too, the substitute that helped me out in the beginning. She was great too. Even Alysa, who put me in time out to do my chair pushups, is nice. She’s just shy people.
Like I said, rehab for the soul? I have fun when I’m in there. It’s usually a riot when I’m there, and that seems to be the best thing for me when it comes to taking care of my elbow. Prevents me from obsessing over it. The relaxed atmosphere, the joking and playing around — it’s really helped me.
They’re pretty intuitive about how to handle all their clients, whether they need some extra attention, a little motivation, or if it’s just pulling their chain. To me, that means they’re paying attention and not just going through the motions in their day job. I can appreciate that.
It probably helps that I bring them drinks when I come in…