Shoulder Impairments
Shoulder pain and impairments are often long lasting despite surgery, physical therapy, and other interventions. (1)
The quick improvements on this page show that the impairments need not be permanent.
Althea
Althea is a professional pianist. Her career was nearing an end due to her hand and shoulder impairments.
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She enrolled in PhotoMed's feasibility study in 2013 to see if she could play more sets (45 minutes each) and to relieve shoulder discomfort and limited range of motion (ROM). The therapy was a success.
She came back for a refresh for her shoulder impairments in 2018 and 2023 (her hands were still fine).
Althea (9:55)
Kristin
In 2003, Kristin fell on ice that broke both bones in her right arm. The injury resulted in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in her right shoulder. Her anesthesiologist told her that her career as a Registered Critical Care Nurse was over.
Two sessions were sufficient for all four of her diagnostic criteria for CRPS to resolve and the full range of motion (ROM) restored. Kristin returned to full-time work and continued her career as a nurse until her retirement in 2016. Kristin has had other injuries and surgeries with no sign of the CRPS pain returning.
Kristin (1:53)
Lee
Lee enrolled in PhotoMed's study in Sacramento, California in 2015 with several causes of pain and impairment. His feet were in casts when he was young. He mentioned that his shoulder joint had been replaced in part because he has been on crutches his entire life. His relief from each variable-wavelength session lasted for a few days. He came weekly for over 100 sessions.
At one memorable session, Lee mentioned that his shoulder muscles were so tight that the dry needling that he received earlier in the day bent the needles.
However, the variable-wavelength therapy was able to release the muscles.
Lee (2:07)
Frank
Frank enrolled in PhotoMed's study in Sacramento, California in 2014 with several sources of pain and impairment. He had had a motorcycle accident that injured his shoulder, leg, and foot.
Frank came to the study on a regular basis. His relief usually lasted from weeks to months.
Frank (2:35)
Dave
Dave had a frozen shoulder for more than a decade. He had surgery for bursitis and could not raise his right shoulder.
Dave describes his immediate results from only one session, which continue more than a year later.
Dave (0:58)
Think coordination rather than relaxation
Many therapies aim to prompt relaxation. That's great for releasing muscles.
The Varichrome® Therapy aims to prompt the return of coordinated movements. 2 visits are generally enough to learn if the specific impairment may be addressed.
Like with other therapies, you have to try it to learn if the body responds. The practitioner can now test 1000s of combinations in minutes. That's efficiency.
Only with the Varichrome® Pro.
For the hands-on practitioner, the Varichrome® Pro is an adjunctive tool to accelerate healing. The initial responses usually occur during the 1st or 2nd visit. Additional visits may be needed to maximize or refresh improvements.
(1) Tsay JS, Irving C, Ivry RB.2023 Signatures of contextual interference in implicit sensorimotor adaptation. Proc. R. Soc.B290: 20222491.https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2491
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.2491