Shoulder pain relief in San Francisco.
Shoulder pain is almost always a shoulder blade and upper back problem. Something is overworking because something else stopped doing its job. Dr. Garrett finds where your body is out of balance and teaches you how to correct it yourself.
The shoulder is where the pain lives. But it's rarely where the problem starts.
The pattern nobody has explained to you
Your shoulder joint is taking on stress that should be distributed across your shoulder blade and upper back. When the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blade stop doing their job, other muscles overwork to pick up the slack. That overwork becomes impingement, tightness, and eventually pain. Most treatments go straight to the shoulder joint without asking why it's under so much load in the first place.
Why rotator cuff strengthening hasn't worked
If the shoulder blade is still out of position, strengthening the rotator cuff can actually make things worse. You're building strength into a pattern that's already compromised. The pain keeps coming back because the foundation underneath the shoulder joint hasn't changed.
Why temporary relief stays temporary
Injections, massage, and manual therapy can provide real relief. But if nothing changes the positioning problem loading your shoulder, the relief fades. The Amari Method addresses both ends of the problem at once: what's overworking releases, what's underworking re-engages, and the shoulder stops absorbing all the force.
This is exactly what your first session finds.
Book your first session — $225→First session guaranteed · In person SF or virtual
Where shoulder pain actually comes from.
The shoulder joint is the endpoint of forces traveling up from the upper back and shoulder blade.
Your shoulder blade is out of position.
When the shoulder blade tips forward and down, it narrows the space where your rotator cuff tendons live. Every time you raise your arm, those tendons get pinched. This is the most common pattern Dr. Garrett sees in people with chronic shoulder pain. It's correctable, usually within the first few sessions.
Parts of your upper back have stopped working.
Sitting, driving, and phone use change the balance between the front and back of your upper body. The chest gets tight and overactive. The muscles between your shoulder blades stop engaging. When that happens, the shoulder blade drifts forward and the rotator cuff takes over as the primary stabilizer. It's not built for that job. That's where the chronic tightness and impingement comes from.
Your upper back isn't moving the way it should.
A stiff thoracic spine forces the shoulders forward. Before any shoulder work can hold, the upper back needs to move freely. This is a step most shoulder treatments skip entirely. Without it, the shoulder blade has nowhere to sit correctly and the same pattern comes right back.
Your individual pattern is identifiable.
Whether your pain is from impingement, a rotator cuff issue, frozen shoulder, or general tightness, the pattern driving it is identifiable. Dr. Garrett assesses how force moves through your upper back and shoulder and finds the specific imbalance creating your symptoms.
What happens in your first session.
Full assessment, guided protocols, and a take-home practice. 60 minutes.
Assessment
Dr. Garrett assesses how your body moves. Where it's overworking, where it's shut down. He's looking at your whole body, not just the part that hurts.
Guided protocols
Using simple props (yoga blocks, foam rollers, gymnastic rings), Dr. Garrett guides you through protocols adapted to your body in real time. You're not lying on a table. You're moving, finding positions where your body starts to rebalance itself.
What changes
Most clients feel a noticeable shift during the first session. The overworked areas release. The underworked areas start to re-engage. You feel the difference before you leave.
Take-home practice
You leave with a short practice for what was worked on that session. About five minutes. You do it on your living room floor. It maintains the changes and keeps your body moving in the right direction between sessions.
Virtual sessions work well for shoulder pain. Dr. Garrett assesses your posture and movement patterns via live video and guides you through protocols in real time. Most clients notice reduced tension and improved range of motion during their first virtual session.
People who came in with the same thing.
My shoulder was just the weakest link. Huge a-ha moment.
I finally understand WHY my neck has been hurting. That's worth more than any treatment I've ever had.
Most clients feel a difference in their first session.
Book a session with Dr. Garrett. If you don't experience noticeable relief, we keep working with you until you do, at no additional charge.
Common questions.
If something isn't here, ask on a free discovery call. Dr. Garrett answers everything before you book a paid session.