On-Site Diagnostic Testing & Other Services
At Ahmad Family Primary Care, we do everything we can to streamline our patients’ visits to our offices, including offering a wide range of on-site diagnostic testing and other services.
Lab Services
Perhaps one of the most common diagnostic tests recommended by a family doctor, blood draws can conveniently available nearby without an appointment. There is no need to bother with making an appointment and traveling to an independent clinical laboratory.
Physical Therapy
Depending on your particular injury or set of symptoms, Dr. Shad Ahmad may recommend physical therapy to help you properly recover from an injury.
This type of hands-on therapy primarily addresses musculoskeletal concerns involving the muscles, bones, tendons (which connect muscle to bone), and ligaments (which connect bones at a joint). Injuries and conditions that may require physical therapy include:
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Chronic Pain (back, neck, arm, shoulder, leg, knee, foot, ankle)
- Fibromyalgia
- Fractures
- Recovery from Surgery
- Sports Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Stroke
- Tendonitis
Therapists utilize manual techniques, therapeutic exercises, and certain treatments such as taping, electrical stimulation (which elicits muscle contractions to loosen tight muscles, improve circulation, and decrease inflammation and pain), or therapeutic ultrasound (to heat tissue deep under the skin to increase blood flow to the area and aid healing).
Patients of all ages are accepted for physical therapy, with therapists able to guide or deliver appropriate therapies, no matter whether the patient is pediatric, geriatric – or any age in between.
Electrocardiogram (EKG)
An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a popular, painless diagnostic test that gathers information about the heart’s electrical activity. Dr. Ahmad may recommend an EKG if he suspects heart rhythm irregularities (arrhythmias) or narrowed arteries (coronary artery disease) as possible causes of your chest pain or heart attack symptoms.
The test is conveniently performed in an exam room on the premises. A technician will place electrodes on the patient’s chest, which records the electrical signals that trigger heartbeats. The entire test takes 5 – 10 minutes. Dr. Ahmad looks for patterns recorded by the EKG to diagnose potential heart issues.
Imaging Tests
On-site imaging tests available to patients of Ahmad Family Primary Care include:
A CT scan is a fast, painless, noninvasive, and accurate imaging test in which X-rays are taken of the patient’s body from different angles. Those images are computer-processed to produce 3D cross-sectional images of bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues inside the body. A CT scan reveals more detailed information than X-rays alone. Dr. Ahmad may order a CT scan if he suspects blood clots, tumors, fractures, or other concerns.
A mammogram is the gold standard screening for breast cancer. During this imaging test, a patient stands next to the machine that produces X-ray images of the breast, which will be used to look for early signs of breast cancer. Annual mammograms are recommended for women age 40 and up. Mammograms can sometimes discover breast cancer up to three years before it can be felt.
An MRI is a common imaging procedure in which a patient lays on a narrow table, which slides into a machine that uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to create detailed images of bones, organs, and soft tissue (such as muscle, cartilage, tendons) inside the body. An MRI does not involve the use of radiation, as X-rays or CT scans do, and it tends to produce clearer images than either X-rays or CT scans. Dr. Ahmad may order an MRI to examine suspected issues involving the brain or spinal cord, or to diagnose a stroke, multiple sclerosis, inner ear disorders, and more.
An ultrasound uses sound waves delivered from a transducer placed on top of the skin to create images of organs and other structures inside the body. Ultrasounds are most often associated with assessing fetal development during pregnancy, but it can also be used to measure the flow of blood within the arteries to diagnose blockages that may lead to heart attack or stroke.
Perhaps the most common imaging test, X-rays are fast, noninvasive tests that create images of internal structures using a type of radiation called electromagnetic waves. Different parts of the body absorb the radiation to different degrees: dense bones absorb the most, so it tends to show up the best, appearing white on X-rays – as opposed to soft tissue like muscle, fat, and organs, which appear gray on X-rays. There are many reasons Dr. Ahmad may order X-rays, including to diagnose bone fractures and infection or other issues involving the chest and lungs.
If you’re coming in to see board-certified family medicine specialist Dr. Shad Ahmad, rest assured that should he recommend lab work, an EKG, or medical imaging, you’ll conveniently be able to get it done in the same location. Who wouldn’t want this type of ease when it comes to visiting their primary care physician?
For more information about the on-site tests and other services available at Ahmad Family Primary Care of Lake Zurich, Illinois, please call (847) 320-1900.