Dr. Richter's Shoulder Program is used in the care of rotator cuff tears, frozen shoulder, shoulder impingement, bursitis, labral tears, and chronic shoulder pain — without surgery or cortisone. It combines Storz Medical shockwave, Class IV laser, EMTT, chiropractic adjustment, manual therapy, and rehabilitation, and it looks at the cervical and thoracic spine as well as the shoulder itself. Whether it's appropriate for you depends on what your examination and imaging actually show.
Dr. Richter's Shoulder Program is built for patients diagnosed with the conditions below — including those who have been told surgery is their only option. Whether our approach fits your case depends on your examination and imaging.
Each of these helps some people, and some of them belong in your care. But they work on different parts of the problem — and if one of them had resolved your shoulder pain, you probably would not be reading this page.
An injection can quiet down an inflamed bursa or tendon, and plenty of people get real relief from one. For some, that relief holds. For others it fades, and they come to us wanting an approach aimed at the tissue and the joint mechanics rather than another round.
Surgery is genuinely the right answer for some shoulders, and when we think you need a surgical consult we will say so directly. It's also a significant step with a long rehabilitation — which is why most people want to know they've worked through their conservative options first.
Medication can make daily life manageable while you sort out what's wrong, and for some people that's exactly the right role for it. What it doesn't do is change the joint dysfunction, postural pattern, or soft-tissue restriction underneath. Many patients tell us the pain is waiting for them when the bottle runs out.
PT rebuilds the rotator cuff strength and scapular control a shoulder depends on, and it's valuable work. It uses a different mechanism than shockwave or laser, and it doesn't by itself address cervical and thoracic referral into the shoulder. In shoulder cases the approaches are usually complementary rather than competing.
For a recent, mild shoulder strain, time and sensible activity are often enough. When shoulder pain has been going for months, waiting tends to be the thing patients say they'd do differently — a stiff shoulder generally does not loosen on its own, and the supporting muscles get weaker in the meantime.
Adjustment addresses joint motion and alignment — including the cervical and thoracic contribution to shoulder pain — and it does that well. It isn't the same mechanism as acoustic wave therapy or laser applied to the soft tissue itself. For shoulder cases specifically, our doctors generally combine adjustment, shockwave, laser, manual therapy, and rehab rather than relying on any single one.
Dr. Richter's Shoulder Program doesn't mask shoulder pain with cortisone or push you toward surgery before non-invasive options have been worked through. It's a structured protocol addressing the shoulder joint, the cervical and thoracic spine that feeds it, and the soft-tissue stability around it. It's often a fit for patients who have already tried injections, PT, or other approaches without getting where they wanted to be.
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Several therapies used together, each doing a different job. Which of them apply to you is decided by your examination — not everyone receives all of them.
The office has two Class IV therapeutic lasers, including a 40-watt LightForce deep tissue unit. Laser is applied over the rotator cuff, bursa, and surrounding soft tissue as part of the program.
Both Storz Medical shockwave types are available here: radial (RSWT), which disperses energy over a broader, shallower area, and focused (F-SW), which concentrates energy at a selected depth. Acoustic wave therapy is applied to chronic soft tissue and calcific deposits around the shoulder.
Extracorporeal Magnetotransduction Therapy — a high-energy pulsed electromagnetic field device used for musculoskeletal conditions. Contact-free, and often applied in the same visit as shockwave.
Addresses cervical and thoracic alignment and motion, which can refer pain into the shoulder — an easy contributor to overlook when the shoulder is the only thing being examined.
Hands-on techniques to address adhesion in the shoulder capsule, restore glenohumeral mechanics, and free the joint to move the way it's supposed to.
Progressive exercises to restore range of motion, rebuild rotator cuff strength, and stabilize the joint long-term.
No surprises. Here's exactly how it works from your first call to your recovery.
Most shoulder patients have already tried cortisone or PT, or considered surgery, without the relief they hoped for. The $59 New Patient Exam removes the financial hurdle — anyone can afford to find out exactly what's wrong with their shoulder and whether we can help.
Visit 1 · ~30-35 minFull assessment with your doctor — including X-rays if clinically indicated, range of motion testing, rotator cuff and labral evaluation, plus cervical and thoracic spine assessment (a commonly overlooked source of shoulder pain). We work to identify the specific cause, whether that's a rotator cuff tear, frozen shoulder, impingement, bursitis, or referred pain from the cervical spine.
Visit 1 · Same dayYour doctor explains what the examination showed so far, what still needs review, and what to expect at your Diagnosis & Treatment Plan visit. If we have printed information relevant to your case, it goes home with you.
Visit 1On Visit 2, your doctor walks you through the whole program before you decide anything: which therapies your shoulder needs, how many visits it will take, how long it will take, and the exact cost. You will hear one of three things: (a) you're a strong candidate and here's your shoulder program, (b) we believe you'd be better served elsewhere and here's where to go, or (c) further conservative care is unlikely to help. We tell you the truth — even when it costs us a patient.
Visit 2 · Included in $59If you're a fit and decide to move forward, your first treatment begins on Visit 2 — combining adjustments, Class IV laser, shockwave, EMTT, joint mobilization, and rehab. Therapies are sequenced to address pain first, then range of motion, then strength. Both of your first two visits are covered by your new patient exam; the shoulder program itself is billed separately, at the cost you were quoted on Visit 2.
Same day on Visit 2 if you choose to proceedThe goal of care is restored range of motion, the ability to lift and reach again, sleeping without being woken by your shoulder, and a return to the activities you've been missing. Shoulders respond slowly, which is why the number of visits and the timeline are spelled out for you on Visit 2 instead of somewhere down the road.
Individualized care planAfter your evaluation, if our protocols aren't a good fit, your doctor will tell you honestly — and help point you in the right direction. That's the Richter Family Chiropractic promise.
You may be a candidate if you have:
We'll tell you honestly if we can't help with:
The only way to know definitively is a full evaluation. Your doctor will assess your condition and give you an honest answer — for just $59.
Book My New Patient Exam →No obligation · A straight answer, even if it's not us
Take the first step — a full New Patient Exam with one of our doctors for just $59. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help.
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