Frequency-specific microcurrent (FSM) is a painless, non-invasive modality used for potentially reducing nerve and muscle pain, inflammation, and scar tissue using micro-amperage current (one millionth of an ampere). Micro amperage current is the same kind of current your body produces on its own within each cell.

FSM machine serves the purpose of symptomatic pain relief and is approved by FDA as a TENS device for that purpose.

Effectiveness of FSM depends almost entirely on accurate diagnosis of the condition, injury and its sequelae. There are no guarantees that a protocol used will be effective for a patient on any particular condition. If the frequencies selected do not provide relief, they pose no negative side effects.

FSM may be used as a first line of treatment or as an adjunct to other therapeutic approaches like physical therapy and/or acupuncture. Dr Young takes an integrative approach which may involve other modalities including functional medicine, nutritional /natural supplementations, dietary changes and lifestyle changes.

Common Applications of FSM

Accelerated Healing: Patients who are treated within four hours from a new injury eg, car accidents, falls, tissue trauma or surgeries, have reported reduction in pain and accelerated healing.

Shoulder/Hip Pain: These pain may originate from single or multiple sources including tendons, muscles, bursa, nerves , discs, and or joints. FSM is able to treat pain from all these sources if the selection of duration and frequency pairs are chosen correctly.

Muscle Soreness: FSM is effective in treating delayed onset muscle soreness when applied to post-workout. A common application is in speeding up professional sports team member's recovery.

FSM treatment has been reported to benefit:

• Acute (sudden) and chronic (>3 months ) musculoskeletal injuries
• *Achilles tendinitis
• Adhesions
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Arthritis
• *Back pain
• *Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Chronic regional pain syndrome CRPS formerly known as Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Concussion
• Disc injuries/discogenic- and facet-based pain
• *Dysmenorrhea (painful period)
• *Endometriosis pain
• *Frozen shoulder
• *Golfer's elbow
• Gout
• Herpes
• Insomnia
• Interstitial Cystitis
• *Irritable bowel syndrome
• Kidney stone pain
• *Myofascial pain
• *Pelvic pain
• *Plantar fasciitis/pain in foot
• Postherpetic neuralgia
• *Post surgical pain
• Sciatica
• Shingles
• Sinusitis
• Sports injuries ,sprain, and strains
• Temporomandibular joint pain ( TMJ)
• *Tendinopathy (inflammation and/or swelling of the tendon)
• *Tennis elbow
• Tension Headaches
• *Vulvar pain/Vulvodynia, vestibulitis

*Conditions that Dr Young specializes in.

Dr Young has and will work with patients who suffers from chronic pain. Such patients typically have experienced little to no relief having tried most conventional treatments including injections, pain medications, physical therapy or acupuncture.

Procedure

Initial Evaluation:

During your first visit, an evaluation of your condition, including a medical history and a physical examination will be performed. A discussion and plan of treatment that might include FSM will be presented during the visit. Depending on your condition, expect this initial evaluation to last between 30 mins to 1 hour. Typically, treatment can begin on the first visit with agreement of patients.

Treatment sessions:

Please ensure you are well hydrated prior to FSM treatment as your body acts as a conductor of the current. We advise patients to drink at least one quart of water one hour before treatment. Seniors and chronically dehydrated patients may need to drink more water 1-2 days prior to their treatment.

To apply the micro-amperage current, the practitioner will place skin gel pads or damp pads/towels around the neck/body part and connect electrical leads to arms or legs. Treatment typically takes 30 mins to 1 hour.

The key to optimal treatment is accurate determination of the set of frequencies that best addresses your condition. This process begins with established frequencies known to be beneficial to your condition. Application of other frequencies may be used to achieve maximum efficacy.

Course of Treatment:

Some conditions, generally acute, can be resolved or achieve relief in 1-2 sessions. Significant shortening of the healing time of tissues and reduction in pain can be achieved in the first few sessions . Pain from nerves, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, connective tissue, and skin can be reduced or eliminated.

For chronic or complex conditions, a minimum of 2-4 sessions, 1-2 times a week, will determine if FSM is an effective treatment method. 6-8 sessions may be required for optimization.

FAQ:

Are there any contraindications?

Pregnancy, implanted pumps, pacemakers or uncontrolled seizures are counter-indicators.

Please advise the provider if you have recent acute infections or surgeries(with 6 weeks post surgery) - as certain frequencies are not to be used.

What are the risks or side effects?

Side effects of FSM treatment are usually very rare and mild, and may include nausea (feeling sick to the stomach) and drowsiness. Patients have reported mild tingling sensations, warmth and a softening of affected tissues during treatment. When muscles or joints are successfully treated, their range of motion will increase . A patient may find their gait to be awkward initially. As the trigger points, adhesions, or chronic muscle spasms are released, pain may increase temporarily until range of motion returns to normal.

Is FSM FDA approved?

The equipment has a 510k certificate from FDA . This means that it has been approved for use in a medical setting and is substantially equivalent to other devices that have been marketed before it. FDA has approved all microcurrent devices for sale in the category of TENS devices. TENS devices are for pain control only and deliver milli-amperage current. Microcurrent devices deliver micro amperage current, ie 1000 less current than milli- amperage current.

Physicians are permitted to use off label equipment such as FSM devices to treat conditions in addition to pain.

What is the difference between FSM Microcurrent and TENS device?

FSM microcurrent device is approved in the category of TENS devices by the FDA. TENS devices deliver milliampere current which works by blocking pain signal between the brain's pain center, spinal cord and somatic and skin pain receptors. In comparison to TENS device, FSM machine delivers subsensory microamperage current(1000 times less than milliampere) to the nerves and tissues. This increases ATP production in the tissues, decreases productions of proinflammatory cytokines ( interleukin 1, 6), substance P, Tumor necrosis factor, leading to reduction in inflammation. Beta endorphin production thereby increases leading to decrease in pain.

What is the science behind FSM?

Specific frequencies in hz are selected to encourage natural healing of the body. One of the ways FSM achieves healing is by potentially increasing the production of ATP, a major source of energy for cellular reactions thereby helping with recovery. FSM units has 2 channels. Channel 1 is set to the frequency of a specific physiological condition eg, inflammation, fibrosis and scarring. Channel 2 is set to the tissue type

For more information, please see

• https://frequencyspecific.com/faq/
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/15935-frequency-specific-microcurrent

Further Reading

1. The Resonance Effect, McMakin C, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, 2017.
2. Visceral and Somatic Disorders: Tissue Softening with Frequency Specific Microcurrent, McMakin C, Oschman J, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2012, Vol. 18, Number 00, pp 1-8.
3. Frequency Specific Microcurrent in Pain Management, Textbook for practitioners, Carolyn McMakin , Elsevier Science Press, Edinburgh, 2010.
4. The efficacy of frequency specific microcurrent therapy on delayed onset muscle soreness, Curtis D, Fallows S, Morris M, McMakin C, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies; 2010; 14 (3): 272-9.
5. Non-pharmacologic treatment of shingles, McMakin C, Practical Pain Management, 2010, Vol 10; 4; 24-29.
6. Non-pharmacologic treatment of neuropathic pain using Frequency Specific Microcurrent, McMakin, C, The Pain Practitioner, Fall, 2010, pp 68-73.
7. Microcurrent stimulation in the treatment of dry and wet macular degeneration, Chaikin L, Kashiwa K, Bennet M, Papastergiou G, Gregory W. Clinical Ophthalmology, 2015:9, 2345-2353.
8. Cytokine changes with microcurrent treatment of fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine trauma, McMakin C, Gregory W, Phillips T, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2005, 9, 169-176.
9. Microcurrent treatment of myofascial pain in the head, neck and face, McMakin C, Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, Vol.5, I, 1998.
10. Microcurrent therapy: A novel treatment method for chronic low back myofascial pain, McMakin C, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2004 (8) 143-153.
11. The efficacy of frequency specific microcurrent therapy on delayed onset hamstring muscle soreness

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/2/e3.1

12. Visceral and Somatic Disorders: Tissue Softening with Frequency-Specific Microcurrent . McMakin et al Feb 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576917/

13. https://peakmedicine.com/orthopedic-medicine/frequency-specific-microcurrent/

14. A good summary blog on the history of microcurrent by Dr Masiello:

https://www.drmasiello.com/blog/2017/09/frequency-specific-microcurrent