In the News

ICPR Enhances Diabetes Program with iPro

August 11, 2011 -  Although Illinois Centers for Pain and Rehab (ICPR) Family Practice has been treating diabetic patients for years, Dr. Volkan Sumer and his staff are strengthening their diabetes program with the new iPro™ Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), which offers patients a more effective, comfortable way of monitoring glucose levels.

Easy to wear and use, the iPro CGM is a tiny glucose sensor that is easily inserted under the skin in a virtually painless process. The sensor captures glucose levels whether working, playing or sleeping and is fully immersible, so patients can wear it even while bathing or swimming. The continuous monitoring helps provide more accurate assessments which ultimately affect therapy and blood sugar control.

“The sensor gives us an even better picture of patients’ glycemic patterns by testing glucose levels continuously for three days,” Dr. Sumer said. “It’s about the size of a quarter and lies flat against the body so that patients can go about their days normally, without pinpricks or interruption.”

The iPro CGM helps to:

• Reveal low- and high-glucose trends not tracked by fingersticks and A1C testing alone;
• Discover new insights to fine-tune therapy and improve glucose control;
• Reduce A1C level and bring it closer to the American Diabetes Association target of 7 percent or less;
• Lower long-term risks of eye, kidney, nerve and heart disease.

ICPR Family Practice offers a complete diabetic program to help patients manage their disease and live longer, healthier lives by controlling diabetic highs and lows. The staff also offers educational classes to teach techniques like carb counting and discovering how certain foods can affect blood sugar. To find out more, call (309) 347-ICPR (4277) or schedule an appointment.

Can Your Knees Go the Distance?

May 16, 2008 - For more than 10 Million Americans, osteoarthritis of the knee makes simply getting out of bed in the morning is uncomfortable; going up or down the stairs is time consuming and painful; and a stroll along the river impossible. Until recently, treatments included over-the-counter pain medications which after becoming ineffective gave way to prescription medications – and ultimately knee surgery. But many patients have discovered an alternative, non-surgical solution for their knee pain associated with Osteoarthritis: the KNAP – KNee Arthritis Program at Illinois Centers for Pain & Rehab (ICPR).

Osteoarthritis (OA) is also known as “wear and tear” arthritis. It is a disease that causes the knee cartilage to wear away. As OA progresses, the knee joint becomes irritated and inflamed causing pain, stiffness, and a decrease in knee motion. There are a number of risk factors for OA. They include: family history of arthritis, obesity (even a mild degree of excess body weight contributes to this disease), over use of the knee, and job or sports related injury to the joint.

For Sharaon Weininger, it was a knee injury in 1980 that led to Osteoarthritis. It gradually changed her lifestyle; activities decreased –and the things she used to enjoy, she couldn’t do anymore. She advanced through the standard treatment options and even had arthroscopic knee surgery in 2000 – which worked fine… for awhile. But in 2007 Sharaon was told she would require knee replacement surgery; a step she was not ready to take. And then Sharaon heard about the KNee Arthritis Program that Dr. Sumer offers at the Illinois Centers for Pain & Rehab.

The KNee Arthritis Program (KNAP) at ICPR is a safe and effective alternative to painful and risky knee replacement surgery. It is a five week plan that combines hyaluronan replacement therapy, a personalized physical therapy plan, and a home exercise regimen.

Sharaon completed her first series of injections in July of 2007. Sharaon states, “My knees have been to Disney where I’ve ridden all of the roller coasters, to Texas for the winter, and last August I walked all over Rome while on a Mediterranean Cruise.” She romps and plays with her grandchildren, climbs the stairs to her sewing room, descends the stairs to her family room in the basement of their home in Peoria Heights, and line dances four times a week.

Sharaon was pain-free until April, at which time she started another series of Hyaluronan injections. Sharaon will not have to complete the entire treatment protocol this time. Instead she will simply continue her home exercises, the five injections – given seven days apart, and whatever other activities she chooses to keep moving. When asked what her knees will be doing this year, Sharaon replied, “I think I’m going to start bike riding this year.”

Sharaon Weininger isn’t the only one who is happy with the knowledge that her knees can go the distance; hundreds of others across Central Illinois have found relief from their knee arthritis pain thanks to this alternative treatment. Dr. Sumer has performed over 5000 knee injections since he started KNAP (Knee Arthritis Program). For more information or to register for an upcoming seminar, call (309) 347-4277 ext 237.