Frequently Asked Questions

Many painful joint and spinal conditions develop over a long period of time. These joints are comprised of multiple anatomical structures, i.e. cartilage lining the joint, muscles, tendons and ligaments. These structures become damaged (due to degeneration) and lose their capacity to function normally. Patients often obtain greater benefit when multiple specialists treat the different aspects of their condition.

Chiropractors focus on aligning and improving the function of the vertebral column, diminishing the compression of nerve roots from herniated disks and/or inflamed facet joints; physical therapists rehabilitate compromised muscles, tendons and ligaments; and massage therapists break up scar tissue adhesions and minimize tension in shortened, contracted muscles. By combining these therapies, the patient benefits from more complete healing and restoration of function in a shorter time frame due to the synergistic effect of multiple therapies. Close

Many patients have conditions that only require one specialist. For example, if you are suffering with muscular pain and tension, you may require only massage therapy or acupuncture. If knee or shoulder pain is your only complaint, then physical therapy would most likely be recommended for you. If you’re suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the nerves running down the arm from the neck are usually compressed at two sites, in the the cervical spine and the carpal tunnel in the wrist. Therefore, chiropractic care of the cervical spine and physical therapy of the wrist would be the recommended course of treatment.

After receiving a thorough examination from our trained specialists we will discuss your condition with you and suggest a treatment regimen. We welcome your input and will begin treatment when you are ready to proceed with the agreed upon care plan. Close

Chiropractic is a drug free, non-surgical, hands-on approach to health and wellness that is based on the fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism controlled by the brain, spinal cord and nerves of the body. It is a discipline of health care that interweaves science, philosophy and art. The science is based on the relationship between the body’s structure and function. It is the study of how the nervous system affects the body’s system and organization. The philosophy of chiropractic is based upon the body’s innate ability to heal itself. The art of chiropractic is the hands-on sensitivity that the doctor of chiropractic learns through time and experience.

Subtle misalignments in the spinal column that interfere with the normal function of the nervous system are called vertebral subluxations. A vertebral subluxation describes what occurs when a vertebra loses its normal position and/or motion in relation to its neighboring vertebrae. Mechanical stress is generated when vertebrae do not function properly within the spinal framework that accelerates the wear and tear on the surrounding discs and spinal joint cartilage (arthritis) and places tension on neighboring nerve roots. Pain, inflammation, decreased spinal mobility and increased muscle tone results.

When these neural structures are compromised by vertebral subluxations they cause malfunction of the tissues throughout the body resulting in pain and dysfunction. Chiropractic provides a system (method) to detect and correct these spinal subluxations, thereby restoring proper function to the neuromusculoskeletal system.
The doctors of chiropractic at Liberty Wellness & Chiro are experts and want you to achieve optimal health and wellness by keeping your spine, nervous system and supporting muscles in top condition. Close

It is a common misconception that chiropractic careis only for treating pain. In fact patients receive regular chiropractic care because they claim that it helps them with everything from increasing their vitality, improving their athletic performance and focus, to improving their immune system and general health and well being. Everyone eventually undergoes some degree of spinal degeneration over time and chiropractic care is known to help slow this progression. Even if you do not have existing symptoms, spinal subluxations may be present for years without you knowing it.

This often results in a silent deterioration of your spine and health and well being. Our chiropractors are highly trained professionals who can detect and correct these subluxations thus slowing down the progression of spinal degeneration (aka arthritis) and related health disorders. In addition, patients that receive chiropractic care report that they benefit from greater freedom of movement and an improved quality of life. Close

Most of our patients benefit from Massage Therapy at LWCas it is an integral part of your wellness care experience. Your pain or discomfort is first diagnosed by one of our doctors through a careful assessment and evaluation of the condition. An individualized treatment plan will then be discussed with you that will often include medical massage because the soft tissues of the body including skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (the membrane surrounding muscle and muscle groups) benefit from an increase in blood and lymph flow.

This promotes tension relief, stimulates nerves, breaks up adhesions and scar tissue between muscles, and restores muscles to their original length. These massage sessions take place in a calm and relaxing environment and generally last 30-60 minutes depending upon the severity of your condition. What is distinctive about our therapists is that they specialize in manual techniques and joint mobilization to provide you with welcome relief from the symptoms of neck pain, back pain, tension, stress, headaches, joint pain and muscular myofascial trigger points, sports and repetitive stress injuries.With the growing emphasis in our society on wellness and prevention of disease many health plans include massage therapy as a covered benefit. Close

Every patient is different and your needs are determined by you along with our health care specialists. Physical therapy is most beneficial to those patients who suffer from a wide variety of orthopedic conditions including sports injuries, rotator cuff tears, post-arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, ACL and PCL ligamentous and meniscal injuries of the knee, knee and hip replacement, sciatica and chronic pain syndromes. If you need to strengthen and/or increase flexibility of injured muscles and joints then physical therapy is highly effective for restoring functional range of motion. Close

Acupuncturehas been proven effective in treatment of various health conditions as well as the modification of some unhealthy behavior (smoking, weight loss). With the recent trend toward wellness and prevention of disease in our society, Acupuncture is well positioned as a viable treatment option and its acceptance and integration into more conventional health care practices continues to expand. After your initial consultation we will explore and review various treatment options for your condition together, however it is ultimately your decision as to how to proceed.

If you have an interest in learning more about acupuncture, Dr. Qifang Ren, O.M.D., L. Ac., our licensed acupuncturist can discuss the benefits of treatment with you. She utilizes her extensive knowledge and experience in herbology combined with traditional acupuncture techniques to promote good health and alleviate pain.Acupuncture works directly with the body’s energy or chi, the natural flow of energy through the body. Congestion or imbalance of this flow can cause illness. Needles placed in strategic energy or acupuncture points work by re-establishing this balance by releasing obstruction of energy flow (and) thus opening the energy channels and alleviating the source of pain. These small energetic imbalances are corrected before they become major health issues. Acupuncture treatment is effective in removing these energy obstructions. Close

Many patients experience improvement after the first few treatments at LWC. It is important to note that several factors can and will affect your healing process and the length of treatment. Some of those factors include:

• What caused the condition? Trauma, wear and tear (degenerative), repetitive stress syndromes.
• How severe is your condition? Herniated disk, degenerative disc, vertebral subluxation.
• What is your age and current physical condition? This affects your healing capacity.
• How committed are you as a patient to improving your condition?
• Adherence to a treatment plan prescribed in our office as well as with the specific program designed for you when you are away in the gym or at home.

At Liberty Wellness & Chiro we have found that our integrative approach to healing produces much faster, more complete results for you the patient. Close

As an established patient, visits average between 30-40 minutes depending on the treatment(s) you receive. For example if you receive massage therapy, these sessions last 30 minutes and chiropractic sessions average 10-20 minutes, depending on how much stretching and therapeutic exercises are performed. If you are receiving physical therapy as part of your treatment regimen those sessions run between 20-30 minutes. At LWC we are very respectful and understanding of your time constraints and always make every effort to keep to appointment times along with getting you in and out in a reasonable time. Close

The first thing you will need to do is complete a small amount of paperworkthat you can print, fill out, and bring with you to your first appointment. During the first visit you will meet with a member of our office staff who will review your insurance coverage and discuss financial arrangements with you as it relates to your treatment and care. You will then consult with one of our doctors and review your health history followed by an examination to determine the nature of your problem and what the best course of treatment should be. This consultation usually takes between 15-30 minutes depending on the severity and complexity of your condition.

This gives you and the doctor the opportunity to determine which specialist(s) are best suited to treat you. You can receive treatment as part of your first visit, time permitting, depending on the severity of your pain or current condition. In some cases, we may need to first obtain reports and review your findings with the other healthcare specialists at Liberty Wellness & Chiroprior to treating you. If x-rays are needed, our in office, state of the art digital radiography system produces images that provide us with an immediate diagnostic interpretation. If an MRI is deemed necessary, we will refer you to a local facility to perform the study. Close

If x-rays are needed we are able to perform them at the office. At Liberty Wellness & Chiro we utilize state of the art equipment and the safest technology in radiographic imaging called Digital Radiography (DR). This technology offers many advantages over conventional radiography and is highly beneficial for patients in that it significantly minimizes patient exposure to radiation by 70-80%.

We will not take x-rays unnecessarily, and take all precautions (lead shielding) to make sure that when we do, it is safe for you. We will never perform x-rays on pregnant women or those who are trying to become pregnant. Digital Radiographic images are obtained immediately on a computer monitor and our clinicians can enlarge and enhance these images on the screen. These images can be reviewed by other health professionals by providing the images to them on a CD or via e-mail. Advanced imaging studies such as MRI, diagnostic ultrasound, CT scans, and nuclear bone scans are referred by our staff and performed outside of our office. Any imaging reports and films, if available are reviewed with the patient. Close

Liberty Wellness & Chiro is right in the heart of Wall Street and is within walking distance from many areas along with convenient location to many subway and bus lines. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 lines stop at Wall St, the J, M, Z lines at Broad Street and the R and W at Rector Street. Close

We accept most health insurance plans including the most common ones such as United Health Care, CIGNA, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Aetna. PPO plans are preferred because they allow you to benefit from all of the services we offer at Liberty Wellness & Chiro, including massage therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy and pain management.

Several of our healthcare providers are in network for some of these plans. We also accept many No-Fault plans. We encourage you to call us with specific questions about your health insurance plan or check to see if any of our specialists are in network providers listed on your health insurance website. Our friendly and competent staff is always happy to discuss how to handle deductibles, coinsurance or co-payments with you. We offer a number of payment options to ease any financial concerns you may have. Insurance policies do vary greatly and we would be happy to verify any insurance policy to determine whether our services are covered. Close

The holistic healthcare team at Liberty Wellness & Chirofocuses on a conservative treatment approach to the care of your condition. There may be times however when different methods of treatment are appropriate and when combined with conservative care work well synergistically. We can usually establish early on during the initial phase of your treatment if you are responding to the conservative care or know if an adjustment is needed for your condition.

For example, if we find that you are suffering from a chronic muscular condition resulting in the formation of myofascial trigger points, we will likely refer you to a pain management physician to discuss the option of trigger point injections. Trigger points are painful points within a muscle that refers pain in a characteristic pattern when pressure is applied to them. They form when adhesions develop within and between muscle fibers and the surrounding fascial sheath from muscle tension over time. The affected muscle becomes contracted, shortened and restricted in function and circulation.

Because the local circulation within the muscle is compromised, an accumulation of painful metabolites or biochemicals occurs that further diminish muscle function.In cases where a patient has neurological symptoms that do not respond to conservative treatment, a referral may be made to a neurologist for testing to determine the extent of nerve damage or to a spinal or orthopedic surgeon depending on the extent of damage to intervertebral discs or extremity joints.

We are fortunate to work with several renowned doctors to consult with our patients for these conditions requiring non-conservative treatment. Close

Very few patients require surgery. However, in rare situations surgical treatment may be the only option to help you achieve a better quality of life. In the vast majority of patients, spine surgery is only considered after a long course of conservative therapy. Most commonly, doctors will advise at least 3 to 6 months of conservative treatment before considering spine surgery.

For those rare situations where the conservative therapy has not worked Liberty Wellness & Chiro is fortunate to have Dr. Fabien Bitanon staff as our spine consultant. He is Chief of Spine Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and a world renowned spine surgeon. He performs the most innovative, cutting edge surgical techniques, such as minimally invasive endoscopic procedures that result in less post-surgical scar tissue formation and reduced patient recovery time.

At Liberty Wellness & Chiro we constantly strive to enhance and improve our multidisciplinary practice to provide you with the most comprehensive integrative approach to healing and wellness. We will answer any questions you may have and discuss whether a surgical consult with Dr. Bitan is appropriate for your particular condition. Close

Yes. We make every effort to accommodate you and your schedule needs by getting you in and treated as soon as possible. In most cases we can get you in the same day you call for treatment. At Liberty Wellness & Chiro we put you first and do everything to provide the best possible patient experience each and every time. Close

After completing undergraduate study with a concentration in science, chiropractic students attend nationally accredited chiropractic colleges where their graduate education and training is similar to early medical training with an emphasis on anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, neurology, x-ray interpretation, diagnosis and orthopedics. Advanced chiropractic instruction focuses on various methods of spinal manipulation, proper exercise and nutrition, treatment of sports injuries, improvement of poor posture and ergonomic training.

To graduate with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, each candidate passes the National Board of Chiropractic Examination. Once passing that exam the doctors apply for professional licensing and need to pass a state licensing exam to be granted the privilege to practice chiropractic in that state. Many chiropractors go on to obtain post graduate degrees or Diplomates in areas such as sports medicine, orthopedics, nutrition and neurology. Close