Spine and Sports Center of Chicago

This was my first time visiting a Chiropractor and I was very happy with the results! Dr. George Nicolopoulos was awesome to work with and really took the time to trouble shoot what was going on with my wrist and back. He was very flexible with my schedule and made sure I left feeling better then when I came in every time.

I went here for a consult because my neck was hurting me. I did not sign up for anything more than a consult. I was told to do one exercise while the chiropractor was not even in the room the whole time and I was charged an extra $ 160 dollars along with my co-​pay. He was listed under orthopedist not chiropractor when I made the appointment. The only thing he told me to do was take two fingers and push my chin back. He did not do anything for me other than brag about how good he was. For me this was a rip off. A great warning sign is when he begged me to put great reviews on Unilocal.If the work is that great you won’t have to ask for a great review. People will do it on their own. Walking out of a room after telling me to push my chin back is not worth what he charged.

I was experiencing lower back pain so bad that I had to use a cane to stabilize myself to even walk into the office. Dr. Art Del Real had me to a variety of exercises that seemed counterintuitive at first but eliminated the pain amazingly quickly. These movements and exercises were totally different than what I had been instructed to do at Athletico years earlier. And looking back, those activities actually made the problem worse.
I also learned a lot about proper breathing and lifting. I’m confident that I can use the knowledge learned at the Spine and Sports Center of Chicago to quickly eliminate pain if experienced again and keep the back issues at bay for years to come.
Thanks Art!

Working with George (mainly) and Tom has been a pleasure. Although I wish that I never needed to work with them, I am so glad that my doctor sent me to SSCC. They worked tirelessly to help me, and even though ultimately there was another underlying issue, I have no doubt that I will opt to return to them after I am healed. I would recommend and refer any of my clients to them as well!

Prior to Spine and Sports Center of Chicago, I experienced years of lower back pain due to a service connected injury. For lack of better words, my life consisted of walking on egg shells trying to avoid episodes of crippling lower back pain. It sucked!
This might sound a bit cliché but after several visit with Dr. Lotus and friends, there has been tremendous improvement in overall quality of life and less pain (THANK GOD). Lauren the receptionist is super friendly and flexible in terms of scheduling visits, etc… The professional make-​up at Spine and Sports Center of Chicago is second to none, and I highly recommend this office for any pain issue… Two thumbs up!

Ever since my back injury 5 years ago I have been in constant pain… add a 100lb weight gain and you can say I was in desperate need of help. Enter the Spine and Sports center of Chicago.
Getting an appointment was so easy, Lauren the receptionist has got to be one of the most positive and funny people I have ever encountered. She was great on the phone explaining the practice in detail and what to expect, and she emailed me over all the forms in advance so i wouldn’t have to come in super early to do it. When I had to reschedule my first appointment 2 or 3 times due to work and I felt like a total jerk she put my fears at ease and let me know life happens, just do your best. Lauren specifically made me really feel like maybe my chronic pain could be a thing of the past even before i set foot in the office.
Once I came in, Working with Dr. Tom Lotus, Kevin, and Dr. George Nicolopoulos has been life changing… I really like their approach to pain management and I am starting to feel relief in my back and shoulders for the first time in 5 years! The team really tries to use different techniques that are new and innovative combined with the thorough knowledge of what works for each specific patient and what doesn’t. I have been able to become more active again and really owe it all to their fantastic approach to pain management.
I love the office, Its a place where everyone just makes you feel at home, and you can really tell how much everyone truly enjoys working there. This aspect is very important to me in a doctors office. When I come to the Spine and sports center, I know that Myself and my injuries are not just a number but a real live person to them.
5 stars just inst enough!

I’ve had chronic cervical neck pain for 8yrs and I’ve been to chiropractors, ortho docs, neurosurgery docs and lots of hours in PT. After 4 sessions with Dr Lotus for the first time in 8 yrs I am pretty much pain free everyday. I couldn’t be happy to not need narcotics to feel better.

Lauren was the absolute rudest receptionist I’ve ever come in contact with. I didn’t even make it into the facility because she is so rude. So my review isn’t much for the facility but for the receptionist — hopefully they get it figured out.

After suffering for years from what several doctors and PTs said was piriformis syndrome, I went to see Dr. Artemio Del Real. A previous PT had told me to stop running or walking when I felt pain, maybe running wasn’t possible for me anymore, this happens when you age (I’m only 36!)… blah, blah. In the first visit Dr Del Real told me the previous PT was insane and he gave me a simple exercise that immediately gave me relief. After years of constant and chronic pain I nearly cried.
He continued to work with me after we discovered a secondary issue in my calf. I was so grateful that unlike most doctors, this office is willing to admit they may not know the answer right away but will keep trying new techniques until they find the true cause of the problem. I also saw Kevin for massage therapy, who after a few visits suggested that we work on a different area that ended up being the cause of my calf pain. Dr Del Real and Kevin together helped solve the issue and I’m finally running again. I wish I would have came here first, I wasted so much time and money at other doctors/​PT making no progress!
I highly recommend this office to anyone with pain issues, they know what they are doing and are a fun group to be around!

I wish I knew about these guys when I was pregnant instead of seeing them for my postpartum symptoms alone. Nine+ months of suffering erased in a few visits. Eureka! Dr. Tom identified my misdiagnosed carpel tunnel symptoms as a neck issue, gave me exercises and adjusted me. In less than eight visits my symptoms have improved 100% plus I know the actions I take to bring them about and exactly what to do to eradicate them again. It sounds simple and they make it look easy but for a new mom nursing a newborn, this treatment was a godsend. I thought I was stuck with my pain as a rite of parenthood passage. Also worth noting is the organization in the office and the scope of services — I saw Kevin for manual therapy and it was like he gave me new hands and arms! Plus Dr. Tom’s wife evaluated my vitamin intake and suggested a new source of nutrients while I am breastfeeding. One stop shop for all of my postpartum needs — highly recommend.

I have had back problems for the last 7 years and have seen numerous doctors and therapists. I’ve tried just about everything, including surgery for herniated discs. After a few weeks seeing Dr. Lotus and the team at Sport & Spine I’m already feeling significantly better and have confidence that I’ll be able to get back to 100%. I went for a run for the first time in 4 years and am feeling great.
Their approach to treatment is refreshing in that they actually listen to my feedback and adjust their methods as needed. Most PT centers I’ve been to rigidly stick to their predetermined exercises even if they aren’t delivering the desired results. I feel comfortable with the doctors and I believe they truly want to cure my problems. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking to get better and stay better!

After months of PT because I was skeptical of Chiropractors, I visited Dr. Tom based on a recommendation for RIC. I was surprised to learn that my appointments with him more closely resembled a PT session, «adjusting» wasn’t even part the process, and it worked. I now know what stretches to relieve pain and how to prepare for workouts and activities. Game Changer.

Too often we spend our time chasing after symptoms instead of addressing the root cause.
I was having a myriad of issues –neck, shoulder, hips — and so I came in to see Dr. Artemio Del Real (Arty) and he has helped tremendously. The neck and shoulder pain was fairly recent, but my hip had been hurting me off and on for going on 5 years. I saw a few different Chiropractors, I went to a few physical therapists, got massages, and did tons and tons of stretching over the years but nothing really fixed the problem. So I decided to give it one more shot and test out a few places in River North. All of them did the same thing of looking at each issue separately, but Arty was completely different in that he immediately went after the root cause which was my lower back. I didn’t even know that my lower back mobility was restricted — because it had basically been like that my whole life — but Arty quickly identified it as the root cause and so very quickly we’ve been able to improve my lower back mobility, and then from there address my posture, hips, shoulders, neck, etc.
Had we spent our time addressing my hips, shoulders, neck straight away as I initially intended — and like all the other Chiros and PTs have done thus far — then I’m sure that I’d be right back where I started within no time, because the root cause lower back issue would still be there. So mad props to Arty and his team. I highly recommend them and suggest that everyone experiencing symptoms focus on understanding where that pain or stiffness originates from in order to identify the few targeted exercises that specifically address the root cause issue.

I cannot recommend this place enough. For five years I had low back pain and saw many doctors to help relieve and completely fix the problem, but no one that I saw seemed to have an answer that worked. Each doctor or massage therapist I saw seemed to have a different answer to the problem than the doctor before. Frustrated with no results, I did research of my own and essentially ended up learning how to manage the pain myself for five years.
Having a spa day with my girlfriend one day in August, I got paired with Kevin, a massage therapist who works at Spine and Sport, and he was incredible. I am a triathlete and could use a massage every day for the activity level I had. It was painful, but well worth it. During my appointment Kevin recommended I check out the doctors at Spine and Sport for my back problem. Honestly, with all of the experience I had before with other doctors, I would have just brushed it off continuing to think no one was going to be able to fix me. However, I figured since I had reached my deductible for the year why not give it a chance?
Going into Spine and Sport I was completely skeptical and already negative about the outcome. I had seen so many people, was this doctor, Arty, really going to help me? Well, after 3 months of therapy and continuing, Arty has changed my life. I cannot give enough praise for his help in fixing my back. I finally have found someone who knows what they’re talking about. I love that he takes each session at a time to figure out what the plan is for the next couple of days. Three months in and I have no back pain. I’m unable to do all of the activities I love, but that will come in time. As I said, I’m still in therapy.
I highly recommend Spine and Sport, specifically Arty, to help with your back pain. He really is a gem.

My PT Alex at UFC South Loop referred me to Dr. Del Real. I am so glad that he did. I had shoulder pain that was so bad it would wake me up at night. The osteo Dr. at Rush did an x-​ray and it was not the joint, so I had given up hope. Dr. Del Real gave me the exercises first to alleviate the pain, then to work to strengthen the muscles that would prevent its reoccurrence. I am 70 years old and can now do my workouts and aqua aerobics 5 — 6 days a week. I can use both arms and hands to style my hair. I can empty the dishwasher and put away the dishes in the cupboards that are above my head. Dr. Del Real met with my 2 personal trainers and they formed a team to keep me strong and pain free. In three months I have completed my course of treatment. You just have to love a doctor who cares as much as Dr. Artemio Del Real. I highly recommend him.

Despite my previous skepticism about chiropractors I give Dr. Artemio Del Real the absolute highest recommendation of any medical professional I’ve ever seen. IN MY FIRST VISIT HE IMMEDIATELY RESOLVED THE CAUSE & PAIN OF MY LOWER BACK PROBLEM!
I’m a generally very healthy & active exerciser. After suffering my latest bout of four weeks of lower back pain I booked an appointment to meet Dr. Del Real. I found him by looking up UnitedHealth preferred providers, checking Unilocal reviews & then looking at SSC’s web site. I needed relief from the lower back pain which plagues me for 1 – 4 weeks about every 18 months for past 30+ years. I’ve been treated by 4 other chiropractors in recent years with nearly zero relief (I’ll review them too now that I’ve learned my lower back problem was very resolvable). But I’ve also paid orthopedic specialists, physical therapists, fascial stretching experts, masseuses… all of whose treatments yielded me minimal relief or results overall.
I can’t praise Dr. Del Real highly enough for how he quickly diagnosed what causes my back pain episodes and then prescribed a simple stretching exercise. I was shocked when 15 minutes into my first visit I could bend forward & touch my toes without any back pain! And he didn’t lay a hand on me. I’ve seen Dr Del Real 5 times & I’ve learned 3 more exercises to use with my primary stretching exercise. I’ll go one more time and then I’m done! I recommend Dr. Del Real to everyone I know who’s having physical issues!
One final thought — he recommended a $ 30 lumbar roll which I purchased. Once I saw it I remembered I bought the identical item 3 years ago from another chiropractor who this lumbar roll confirms is trained in same treatment method as Dr Del Real (the «McKenzie Method» which teaches practitioners to assess & treat lower back and other pain by teaching patients specific exercises to treat & prevent their problems). But after paying for 5 visits to my previous chiropractor I stopped seeing him because his treatment hadn’t delivered even 1% of the relief Dr Del Real delivered immediately! I highly, highly recommend Dr. Del Real!

I have been a sufferer of lower back pain for over 6 years now. I have wasted many of those years trying to improve the severe pain by spending countless hours with chiropractors and physical therapists. It even got to the point where I broke down and decided to have surgery a year ago. You can only imagine my frustration when the pain came back 8 months after surgery. I was about to throw in the towel and just live the rest of my life in pain.
A friend told me I should give Dr. Lotus one last attempt to try and solve my issues and it has been the best decision in my life. I walked into his office for the first time in a back brace and couldn’t even walk without wincing in pain. Not joking, 8 appointments later I was on a treadmill running a mile without pain.
I was extremely skeptical of his approach. I didn’t see how simple exercises would be able to fix my problem when way more expensive and in depth methods never helped. Man did he make a believer out of me. Not only was he able to eliminate my back pain, he gave me the tools to get rid of it in the future if it ever came back.
Dr. Lotus’s sincerity about making you better and positive attitude makes the appointments very fun. With the way health care is today, it is refreshing to meet a Dr. who actually cares about making you better. I highly recommend Dr. Lotus and the Spine and Sports Center of Chicago and if I ever have any other back issues, you can bet I will be scheduling with Dr. Lotus first!

I came to dr. Del Real with a diagnosis of early osteoarthritis. (I.e., OA is a breakdown in the cartilage covering the ends of bones where they meet to form a joint and allow movement. As the cartilage wears away, the bones become exposed and rub against each other. The deterioration of cartilage also affects the shape and makeup of the joint so that it no longer functions smoothly). This is a degenerative condition that does not really have a cure if not prevention at least at the early stage. This condition caused me a lot of back pain and I came to dr. Del Real with the hope of (at least) improving the situation.
I found a very prepared and sympathetic doctor! We started a training of exercises and work out program to reduce my pain. At the beginning it was pretty intense since I had to repeat my exercises every 1 or 2 hours and at the end twice per day. I followed his program strictly without missing one session and after the first month I was already able to feel the benefit of it. After 4 my pain condition was reduced abruptly and my lifestyle went back to normality!
I would recommend dr Del Real for his professionally and positive attitude. Because of the diagnosis I was a bit depressed when I started the treatment, but thanks to him I became more optimistic about the situation, I gain hope and determination. He taught me how to deal with my pain and how to reduce the symptoms when they appear.
Follow up:
8 months after the treatment my situation is stil great, my back pain is still reduced to 20% of what it was when I first went to dr Del Real, and when it happens I feel pain I know how to deal with it.

The staff at Running Away Multisport referred me to Dr. Lotus when I mentioned I was having pain in my legs from running. They said they all go to him when they experience pain or injuries. I saw that he was covered under my insurance (BCBS PPO) and sprang on the opportunity.
My whole life I’ve had pain running that limited me to no more than 2 miles at a stretch. That all changed after I saw Dr. Lotus. He immediately identified the issue that no other PT or doctor had before. He manipulated my legs and feet and gave me a number of specific stretches. After 2 weeks I was running 4 miles and after 2 months I was running 8.
More than just being knowledgeable in treating my sports injury, he was able to connect me with a number of different professionals that have enhanced my running and overall health. Through Dr. Lotus I was introduced to a running coach, a nutritionist, and a massage therapist. The staff are really friendly and Dr. Lotus is really cool. He knows how to be professional and relatable at the same time. I owe a lot of my healthy new habits to Dr. Lotus and I couldn’t recommend him more if you too are looking to treat pain or injury.

I just walked, make that strutted, out of my fourth visit with Dr Lotus at the Spine and Sports Center of Chicago.
When I first visited Dr Lotus, a month ago, I limped into his office due to my Achilles pain (ah the perils of being a runner and triathlete). He told me he’d be able to alleviate 90% of my pain within 3 visits. Trust me, I was skeptical. I’d visited physical therapists before who told me to stop running for at least 6 months. Oh hell no! I have a race schedule to complete. I continued to race through the pain. Dr Lotus is also an athlete. He understood my pain and also my stubborn nature. He devised a simple plan to strengthen my Achilles and keep me racing.
After one week I immediately noticed a difference. 2 weeks in he added acupuncture. I had never tried acupuncture before. I ran a half marathon a day after acupuncture and didn’t feel any pain in Achilles. WOW! Now I’m a believer in acupuncture. Those little needles worked magic on my legs.
I didn’t think it was possible to erase what has been over a year of pain in just a month but Dr Lotus did it. I’m eternally grateful and highly recommend his practice.