55 East Bridge Street,
Oswego, NY 13126
Ph: (315) 342 - 6300
Fax: (315) 342 - 6302
Services
In order to fully appreciate the unique experience that each person receives when they come to the office one must first understand the goal when entering a chiropractic office. The KEY is that the purpose of a Chiropractic adjustment is to restore motion to the spine resulting in the patient having increased FUNCTION. The spine like anything else that moves can develop fixations or dysfunction. Consider using a chain as an example for the spine. If the chain on your bike becomes rusted or cannot move properly it creates a situation where the bike is much harder to pedal. Much like in the bike example if there are areas of the spine that are dysfunctional then there are a wide array of problems that can arise. For example, if a muscle is connected to an area of the spine that is not functioning properly then it can tighten and ultimately result in inflammation and pain. What if we expand that problem and take into consideration that inflammation can affect the surrounding tissues? This explains why spinal dysfunction can cause not only pain but also anything from recurring ear infections and sinus pressure to numbness in hands and feet.
Since a manipulation only involves moving the spinal segments a fraction of a millimeter, ALL manipulations should be extremely gentle and to the patient's tolerance. If a patient is not comfortable with their care then they will brace their muscles and there will be very little achieved. That is why I offer a large variety of treatments in order to achieve proper spinal movement.
Become Familiar With Some of the Techniques Used in the Office
Diversified (Hands on) Manipulation
What would be considered the traditional or classic method of a chiropractic adjustment. Diversified manipulation involves getting the spine in the proper position using a gentle force to restore motion to the area. During the adjustment the patient may or may not feel or hear a cavitation, which is an audible release of gas from the joint. Although noisy the diversified adjustment should be very gentle for the patient and offers a fair amount of relief almost instantly.
Instrument Manipulation
For those who do not appreciate hearing cavitations or are not comfortable or able to handle a manual manipulation, we offer a variety of alternative methods restore function of the spine. The purpose of the instruments is to create a force equivalent to hands on adjustment by using increased acceleration. If force equals mass times acceleration (F=MxA) then we can make up for the loss of a large mass (the doctor) putting a force into the spine with the acceleration of a small instrument. Instrument adjusting is extremely effective and utilized very often in our office.
Instruments used in the office
Activator
The activator is a spring-loaded device that offers a single thrust into the joint to restore motion to the joint. Activator methods involve a specific protocol that evaluates leg length inequalities to detect spinal dysfunction. The activator's force can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of conditions and comfort levels.
Impulse
The impulse adjusting instrument was founded by Oswego native Dr. Christopher Colloca. Dr. Colloca developed an outstanding adjustment instrument that I am proud to include in my office. The Impulse has the same safety and comfort of the Activator but instead of delivering one thrust into the joint it delivers a series of twelve simultaneous thrusts in a row. This instrument is my tool of choice for my severely arthritic(degenerative) patients that have very limited range of motion and benefit immensely from the multiple thrusts into to joint. The low setting of the Impulse is extremely gentle and ideal for babies.
Drop Table
Drop table or drop technique implements inertia in order to restore proper motion to the treated area. The table is set based on the patients weight and the doctor pushes into the plane of motion of the joint. As the table drops and come to an abrupt stop the joint will continue in motion based on the doctor's line of drive. Our office has the capability of performing drops on any area of the body including the extremities. This technique is very safe and comfortable to the patient.
Flexion Distraction
Flexion distraction is an extremely effective way of taking pressure off of spinal nerves and discs. During a treatment with flexion distraction the table will oscillate up and down causing the spine to go into a flexed posture and then return to neutral. The doctor will then apply upwards pressure on the area of the spine that correlates to the patient's symptoms. The upwards pressure and flexion of the table provides relief of pressure to the surrounding nerve roots and creates a negative pressure to increase disc space and allow for disc material (nucleus pulposus) to be repositioned. Flexion distraction is also used for mobilization and stretching making it ideal for patients with degeneration/arthritis. Conditions treated with Flexion distraction include but are not limited to: Stenosis, disc bulge/herniation, radiculitis, sprain/strain, spondylolisthesis, osteoarthritis/degenerative disease.
Traction
Manual and mechanical traction are often utilized in the office to pull pressure off of the nerve roots and reduce radicular symptoms. Traction is mainly used when the patient demonstrates symptoms of a radiculitis (often referred to as a pinched nerve). Each table in the office has traction capabilities. Home traction is also offered for a trial basis and can be ordered based on insurance.
SOT (Sacro Occipital Technique) Blocks
SOT blocks wedges that can be positioned to allow for stretching in various areas of the spine. Most often they are used in my office to correct Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. Sacroiliac Dysfunction or a Sacroiliac sprain/strain presents often with a pelvic deficient or short leg. SOT blocks when offset allow for stretching of the pelvis and correction of the pelvic deficient leg. This not only offers relief to the patient but also assists in stretching the surrounding ligaments in preparation for the adjustment.
SOFT TISSUE TECHNIQUES
Whenever there is spinal dysfunction there is always muscle involvement. I often hear concern from a patient whether or not their condition is due to spinal dysfunction or if it is simply a muscle strain or spasm. You cannot have one without the other. It creates the age-old scenario. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the muscle spasm cause spinal dysfunction or did spinal dysfunction cause the muscle to spasm. That is why every condition treated in my office includes soft tissue manipulation. The most popular soft tissue techniques in the office are:
Nimmo
Nimmo much like a deep tissue massage involves tracing the fibers of specific muscles and applying ischemic pressure to areas of adhesion or trigger points in the muscle. The combination of manipulation and Nimmo technique offers an instant relief to acute and chronic muscle hypertonicity.
ART (Active Release Technique)
Active Release Technique is one of the best ways to stretch a muscle and facilitate healing to the area. ART involves using steady pressure and actively taking the muscle from its shortest or contracted position to a fully stretched position. Although aggressive ART breaks up adhesions in the muscle fibers and causes blood to flow to the area to speed up the healing process.
Sinus Drain
The sinus drain involves using percussive tapping and manipulation of fluid to from the sinus cavity to relieve the symptoms of sinus pressure. The percussive tapping over specific sinus cavities allows for the inflamed sinus membrane to pull away from the sinus wall, a steady pressure is then applied to move the fluid from the sinus cavity into the Eustachian tube where a Galbreath technique is applied to drain the fluid into the throat. The sinus drain usually lasts several hours and provides in the least case temporary relief of sinus pressure.
Nutritional Consult
Dr. Licatese brings his specialty of nutrition to the office. Dr. Licatese is a faculty member at SUNY Oswego teaching his students functional nutrition and healthy nutritional habits.
The doctor will take the time during your visit to address any nutritional concerns. He works with weight loss and covers various nutritional needs from weightlifters to expecting mothers because regardless of where patients are in life, nutrition in today's society plays a key role in an individual's health.
Whether you need one on one consultation concerning a specific disease or just have a question about your nutritional well being, the doctor can offer you a wealth of knowledge.
Additional Services
Hydromassage and Intersegmental Traction Tables
At a small additional cost Dr. Beth offers her tables that patients have enjoyed at her previous locations. The benefit of these services is to promote more rapid healing of soft tissue injuries through increase in local circulation. Also both tables increase patient's musculoskeletal flexibility and intersegmental mobility, which complements our treatments immensely.
Electrotherapy
Dr. Beth offers ultrasound for treatment of both acute and chronic pain symptoms.
Orthotics
Here at Licatese Chiropractic we are able to mold and create custom orthotics for our patients and athletes. Custom orthotics can help to elevate low back pain, hip pain, and knee pain. Orthotics work by supporting the three arches in the foot, missed positioned joints in the foot can cause a synergistic effect that can cause pain at different point in the body. With joints in the foot properly supported it helps to allow the joints to properly work together, and relieve some of the pain an individual might normally feel when walking or exercising.
The services listed are only a preview of what is offered to each patient as treatment options when they come to the office. All treatments are custom tailored to the patient's specific symptoms and are not limited to the treatments listed on this page. Stretches and rehabilitation exercises are demonstrated in office (instead of a paper handout) to reduce any confusion and allow for me to evaluate if the exercise is being done correctly. I pride myself in keeping up with the most recent treatment and rehabilitation of any musculoskeletal condition. I also pride myself in working closely with other health care professionals to determine the absolute best course of care for YOUR CONDITION.
