Your body knows
how to heal.
We help it remember.
Beyond aesthetics, EMSCULPT NEO®'s functional setting uses clinically proven electromagnetic stimulation to relieve chronic pain, restore mobility, relax restricted fascia, and rebuild the muscular foundation your body needs to move freely — without surgery, without downtime, and without medication.
EMSCULPT NEO® Has Two Sides. This Is the One Most People Don't Know About.
Most people encounter EMSCULPT NEO® as a body contouring tool — reducing fat and building muscle for aesthetic results. And it excels at that. But the same HIFEM+ electromagnetic technology that creates supramaximal muscle contractions in a cosmetic setting can be precisely calibrated for an entirely different purpose: therapeutic rehabilitation and pain relief.
In functional mode, EMSCULPT NEO® targets muscles that have become weak, inhibited, or compensatory due to injury, surgery, chronic pain, or structural dysfunction. It reaches deep muscle groups that neither physical therapy nor voluntary exercise can adequately engage — stimulating the neuromuscular connections that pain and injury so often disrupt.
At Le Sommet, we've used the functional setting to help clients reduce chronic back pain, relieve sciatic nerve compression, rehabilitate compensational muscle patterns after fractures, ease carpal tunnel symptoms, and accelerate recovery following joint replacement surgery. The results have been some of the most meaningful outcomes we've achieved — because for these clients, the goal isn't looking better. It's living better.
- → Eliminates fat & builds muscle simultaneously
- → 30% average fat reduction
- → 25% average muscle mass increase
- → Targets abdomen, glutes, arms, thighs, calves
- → Results measured in appearance & body composition
- ✓ Rehabilitates inhibited & compensational muscles
- ✓ Relaxes restricted fascia & improves mobility
- ✓ Reduces chronic pain signals & nerve compression
- ✓ Accelerates post-surgical & post-fracture recovery
- ✓ Results measured in pain relief, range of motion & function
Both applications use the same device. The difference is the protocol, the placement, and the intention behind the treatment — each tailored specifically to your goals during consultation.
The Mechanism Behind Functional EMSCULPT NEO®
Three distinct physiological processes work together to deliver pain relief, restored mobility, and improved muscular function.
HIFEM+ technology induces muscle contractions far beyond what voluntary effort can achieve — roughly 20,000 contractions in 30 minutes. For muscles weakened by injury, surgery, or disuse, this reactivates dormant neuromuscular pathways, rebuilds strength in stabilizing muscles, and restores the muscular support that protects joints, nerves, and the spine from ongoing stress and pain signals.
Restricted fascia — the connective tissue surrounding muscles — is a primary driver of chronic pain and limited range of motion. The rhythmic, deep contractions created by HIFEM+ work through fascial layers in a way that manual therapy often cannot reach, systematically relaxing adhesions and releasing tension that keeps muscles locked in compensational holding patterns. Clients frequently experience meaningful improvement in flexibility and pain levels within a series of sessions.
Sustained electromagnetic stimulation drives significantly increased blood flow to the treatment area — delivering oxygen and nutrients while flushing inflammatory byproducts from the tissue. For conditions involving nerve compression, such as sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome, reducing the surrounding muscular tension and inflammation can meaningfully decrease nerve irritation and the pain signals it generates, often providing relief where conservative treatments have stalled.
"Chronic pain doesn't just affect the body — it quietly takes away the activities, the people, and the version of life you used to have. Getting that back is worth everything."
Conditions We Treat
These are the specific conditions our team has used EMSCULPT NEO® functional therapy to address at Le Sommet. Every case is individually assessed — if you don't see your condition listed, ask us.
One of the most common and debilitating conditions we treat. Chronic back pain is frequently driven by weakness in the deep stabilizing muscles of the core and lumbar region — muscles that voluntary exercise often cannot adequately reach. EMSCULPT NEO® rebuilds this foundational support system, reducing the load on discs, joints, and nerves and often providing significant, sustained pain relief.
Sciatica pain — the radiating, burning, or shooting discomfort that runs from the lower back through the glute and down the leg — is often caused or worsened by tight piriformis muscles, weak glutes, and restricted fascia that compress the sciatic nerve. Functional EMSCULPT NEO® addresses the muscular and fascial root causes directly, reducing the compression that generates sciatic symptoms and helping clients who have struggled to find lasting relief through conventional treatment.
When a major bone fractures — a femur, pelvis, or other structural bone — the surrounding musculature immediately compensates. Nearby muscles contract, overwork, and guard the injury for months or years, often long after the bone has healed. This compensational muscle pattern creates its own chronic pain that is notoriously difficult to resolve through rest or standard rehabilitation. We've seen meaningful improvement in clients dealing with post-femur and post-pelvic fracture compensational pain through targeted functional sessions.
Restricted fascia — whether from injury, surgery, inflammation, or years of postural habits — limits range of motion and creates a cycle of pain and guarding that tightens the tissue further. The deep, rhythmic contractions of HIFEM+ technology penetrate fascial layers in a way that manual therapy, stretching, and foam rolling rarely achieve. Clients frequently experience a meaningful shift in flexibility and ease of movement within a series of sessions.
Carpal tunnel symptoms are caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist, often driven by inflammation and tension in the surrounding musculature of the forearm, wrist, and hand. Functional EMSCULPT NEO® can be applied to the forearm and surrounding muscle groups to reduce this tension, improve circulation, and decrease the inflammatory burden on the compressed nerve — offering a non-surgical path to relief for appropriate candidates.
Recovery following knee, hip, or shoulder replacement often stalls due to muscle atrophy and inhibition — the muscles surrounding a replaced joint frequently shut down from disuse, surgical trauma, and pain-guarding patterns that develop during recovery. EMSCULPT NEO® reactivates and strengthens these muscles at a depth and intensity that post-surgical physical therapy often cannot reach, accelerating the return of functional strength, stability, and range of motion.
Periods of immobility — whether from extended illness, injury, bed rest, or surgery — can cause significant muscle atrophy in a matter of weeks. Rebuilding that lost muscle through voluntary exercise is a slow process, particularly when pain or limited range of motion restricts what the patient can do. Functional EMSCULPT NEO® contracts the atrophied muscle directly, rebuilding fiber density and neuromuscular recruitment patterns from the inside out.
Functional EMSCULPT NEO® is a versatile therapeutic tool, and we continue to explore its applications as clinical evidence expands. If you're dealing with a musculoskeletal condition, chronic pain pattern, or rehabilitation challenge not listed here, we encourage you to reach out. We'll give you an honest assessment of whether this therapy is a good fit for your specific situation.
Benefits of Functional EMSCULPT NEO®
The deep stabilizing muscles of the spine, the piriformis, the pelvic floor — muscles that physical therapy and voluntary exercise struggle to adequately engage. HIFEM+ reaches them directly.
For clients looking to avoid or reduce reliance on pain medication, injections, or surgery, functional EMSCULPT NEO® offers a medically credible, evidence-supported alternative approach to managing chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Sessions are 30 minutes and require no recovery period. Most clients return to normal daily activities immediately. Some experience mild muscle soreness for 24–48 hours — a sign the muscles have been genuinely stimulated.
Functional EMSCULPT NEO® works alongside physical therapy, chiropractic care, and other treatments — not in competition with them. Many clients use it to extend and deepen the gains made in PT, or to address what those modalities haven't fully resolved.
Every functional session at Le Sommet is administered under the medical direction of Joan Shelley, NP. Protocols are built around your specific condition, anatomy, and treatment history — never a generic preset.
Each session builds on the last. Most clients follow a series of 4–6 sessions, with results continuing to develop for weeks afterward as the neuromuscular adaptations take hold. Maintenance sessions extend and preserve your gains.
What to Expect During Treatment
This is a therapeutic process, not a quick fix. Here's what your path from consultation to meaningful results looks like.
Your consultation for functional therapy is more thorough than our cosmetic intake. We'll review your full medical and injury history, understand the specific pain patterns and functional limitations you're experiencing, and discuss your previous treatments and their results. We'll assess which muscle groups and fascial areas are most relevant to your condition, and build a targeted treatment plan — including the number of sessions, applicator placement, and intensity protocol — before you commit to anything.
The applicator is placed on the target area — your lower back, glutes, forearm, thigh, or other region depending on your condition. You'll feel rhythmic muscle contractions building in intensity. For functional therapy, the sensation can feel more targeted and specific than cosmetic applications. Intensity is always adjustable, and your clinician will communicate with you throughout the session. Most clients find the experience unusual at first, then genuinely therapeutic — many describe a deep release of tension they've been carrying for months or years.
Mild muscle soreness in the treated area is common — expected, even — for 24–48 hours after each session. This reflects genuine neuromuscular stimulation, not injury. Stay hydrated and avoid strenuous activity in the treated area for the rest of the day. Most clients notice progressive improvement across their session series: some experience early pain relief after the second or third session, while the full structural benefits of improved muscle strength and fascial release often develop over 4–8 weeks following the final treatment.
For many clients, a single series of 4–6 sessions provides lasting relief — particularly when combined with complementary practices like physical therapy, targeted exercise, or chiropractic care. Others with chronic, progressive conditions benefit from periodic maintenance sessions to preserve the neuromuscular gains and prevent compensational patterns from re-establishing. We'll follow up after your initial series and make an honest recommendation based on your outcomes.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Functional EMSCULPT NEO® is appropriate for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. Your consultation will confirm candidacy and identify any contraindications specific to your situation.
- ✓ Adults with chronic back, hip, or joint pain unresolved by conventional care
- ✓ Those recovering from orthopedic fractures with ongoing compensational pain
- ✓ Post joint replacement patients looking to accelerate muscle recovery
- ✓ Individuals with sciatic nerve pain driven by muscular compression
- ✓ People with fascial restriction and reduced range of motion
- ✓ Carpal tunnel sufferers seeking non-surgical relief options
- ✓ Those with significant muscle atrophy following illness or injury
- ✓ Anyone whose PT results have plateaued and needs deeper muscular engagement
- ✕ Individuals with pacemakers or implanted electronic devices
- ✕ Metal hardware in or near the treatment area (screws, plates, rods)
- ✕ Active infection, open wounds, or skin breakdown at the treatment site
- ✕ Pregnancy
- ✕ Acute fracture (bone must be fully healed before treatment)
- ✕ Active malignancy in or near the treatment area
- ✕ Severe cardiovascular conditions
- ✕ Bleeding disorders or recent surgical sites not yet fully healed
The metal implant contraindication is one of the most important to discuss at consultation. Location matters — metal hardware in a different part of the body from the treatment area may not be a disqualifier. We review this carefully for each individual.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the functional setting different from cosmetic EMSCULPT NEO®?
I have metal screws in my femur from a prior surgery. Can I still be treated?
How many sessions will I need to see results?
Can this replace my physical therapy?
I've had a joint replacement. How soon after surgery can I start?
Will it be painful during the session?
Does insurance cover functional EMSCULPT NEO®?
There is life on the
other side of pain.
Let's get you there.
Book your functional EMSCULPT NEO® consultation at Le Sommet. We'll review your history, assess your condition honestly, and tell you exactly what this therapy can and cannot do for your specific situation — with no pressure and complete transparency.
EMSCULPT NEO® is a registered trademark of BTL Industries. Functional EMSCULPT NEO® therapy is a wellness and rehabilitation service and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Results may vary by individual, condition severity, and treatment adherence. All sessions are administered under the medical direction of Joan Shelley, NP, Medical Director, Le Sommet MedSpa. Clients with metal implants, pacemakers, or active medical conditions should disclose full history at consultation.
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