FREQUENCY SPECIFIC MICROCURRENT (FSM) FOR HEAD, NECK, AND FACE PAIN
Myofascial trigger points are a well-documented source of head, neck, and face pain. These trigger points have been mapped by Travell and Simons, and you can see maps of trigger points up on the walls in our clinic. As some of you well know, myofascial pain can cause severe and debilitating pain in the head, neck, and face, and can lead to restrictions in the normal motion of the joint. Myofascial pain can also lead to impairment of neurological function, circulation, and lymphatic flow. Other related problems may include sinus congestion, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, dizziness, tinnitus, dry cough, blood pressure fluctuations, paresthesias in the face, eye pain, blurred or double vision, migraines and tension headaches, and restrictions in cervical motion. Repeated experience of a sympathetic stress, biomechanical overuse, crush injuries, or trauma will cause predictable tissue changes; these changes result in triggerpointsdue tobiochemical changes in the muscles. Treatment of trigger points by frequency specific microcurrent: It is hypothesized that frequency specific microcurrent causes changes in fibrosis,
scar tissue, mineral deposits, inflammation, and spasms when specific frequencies are used for veins, connective tissue, arteries, and nerves. The response is frequencyspecific.An inappropriateor ineffective frequencyproducesnochange in tissue nomatterhow long it isapplied.Acorrectfrequency often produces the characteristic softening of the tissue in moments. Another hypothesis about the effectiveness of this modality is that it increases ATP production, protein synthesis, and membrane transport at a cellular level, all processes that are required for normal tissue function. Thistreatment isutilizedaspartofacomprehensive approach including specific manual therapy techniques, exercise prescription, and diet modification. We are starting to see changes in clients who have had long-standing neuropathic pain, post-concussion syndrome, migraines, and scar tissue that affects their lymphatic flow and postural imbalances. Frequencyspecificmicrocurrentasan independent modality is not covered by insurance. If utilized in treatment,weconsider the treatmentbundledwith
other techniques including manual therapy and exercise prescription.Depending on the diagnosis, recommended intervention is 2-3 times per week. We have priced non-bundled treatment at about one dollar per minute. Some protocols run 20 minutes, while some run over 80 minutes. Patientsare required tobehydrated,andareasked to drink up to two quarts of water within the two hoursproceeding treatment toget themost from it. (Excerpts from this article taken directly from “Microcurrent treatment of myofascial pain in the head, neck, and face,” Carolyn McMakin, MA, CD, with permission)
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Staff Spotlight
Shauna Burchett, OTR/L Owner
Shauna Burchett is the owner of Synergy Healthcare in Spokane Valley and in Coeur d’Alene. She graduated from University of Alberta, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy in 1993. Shauna has been in private practice since 1998. She began her career as an occupational therapist specializing in traumatic head injuries. She fell in love with that population and continues to develop her skills with post concussive injuries, strokes, and traumatic brain injuries. She describes herself as a “nose to toes” kind of therapist. She’s always up for a challenge – perhaps that’s why she is the owner. She loves craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, and lymphatic drainage. Her perspective on healing and recovery has been influenced by many osteopaths whose classes she has taken, but more importantly by the clients who have taught her through their injuries and illnesses.
ShaunaBurchett,OT (owner)and family
She loves the expression “If you listen hard enough to a patient they will tell you what is wrong with them, but if you listen even harder they will tell you how to fix it.” It is the framework on which she built the clinic. The perspective she tries to lead from and from which she tries to live her life is: “I think we don’t listen enough”. Shauna enjoys spending time with her husband, Robin, and three sons, Ethan, Parker, and Sawyer. She also enjoys traveling, playing the piano, and studying yoga.
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