Breaking Pain Barriers in Rural Alaska

In many parts of the country, accessing quality medical care is as simple as making an appointment. But in rural Alaska, where quality care is less accessible, the story is very different.

Dr. John Hinman, a Stanford-trained anesthesiologist and board-certified pain specialist, has spent decades helping patients manage chronic pain. He built a successful practice using the tools he was trained with—injections, medications, and traditional protocols. But over time, he noticed something that didn’t sit right.

His patients weren’t truly getting better.
They were coping. Managing. Maintaining.
But not healing.

It was that very realization set him on a path that would completely change the trajectory of his practice and his patients’ lives.

The access gap in rural Alaska

In rural Alaska, care isn’t around the corner—it’s hours away.

Some patients have to fly to reach a clinic. Others skip appointments altogether because the logistics are just too difficult to figure out. In this kind of environment, conventional options like physical therapy, surgical consultations, or routine injections simply aren’t easily attainable.

For patients living with chronic pain, the stakes are even higher. Delayed care often leads to worsening symptoms, loss of mobility, and declining quality of life.

Dr. Hinman knew something had to change.
So he asked a new question:

What else is out there that’s both accessible and actually works?

Searching for a smarter solution

Driven by a desire to help the body heal naturally, Dr. Hinman began exploring regenerative medicine—therapies like peptides, PRP, ozone, and exosomes. These treatments moved beyond symptom management and into the realm of true recovery.

But even with those advancements, something was missing. He needed a treatment that delivered fast, visible, and accessible results, without relying on surgery or medications.

That search led him to StemWave.

Why StemWave made the cut

Like many other medical business owners, Dr. Hinman was skeptical at first.

He’d seen other devices make big claims and then collect dust as they fail to actually deliver on the promises made upfront.

But StemWave stood out for one key reason: the support around the technology was just as strong as the tech itself, immediately delivering on the claims

• Hands-on training in the first 60-days to ensure confidence surrounding protocols

• A dedicated Account Executive to guide you throughout the whole process, knowing your business model specifically and helping bridge any gap 

• Integrated marketing and business strategies straight from our team for you to bring into your clinic

• Not to mention, the results and revenue brought in within weeks of selling treatment packages

With that, he took the leap. And when the device arrived at his Alaska clinic, the results came quicker than he could have ever hoped for.

The turning point: First patient, first breakthrough

Dr. Hinman’s very first StemWave patient was someone he knew well, an older man who had relied on a walking stick for years.

After just one session, he got up and walked out, all on his own..

“He couldn’t believe it. He just kept asking, ‘What is this?’”
— Dr. Hinman

From there, the breakthroughs kept coming:

• A woman who hadn’t felt her feet in 20 years finally regained sensation and balance.

• A veteran with a frozen shoulder saw 70% improvement after his treatment plan.

• A young athlete recovering from glute surgery regained full range of motion in just three sessions.

And this wasn’t just anecdotal. Patients were consistently reporting pain relief within minutes of treatment. This was something Dr. Hinman had rarely seen with other modalities.

He tested StemWave’s capabilities in Orthopedics and beyond.
Across the board, the response was the same:

Less pain. More function. Faster recovery from the inside out.

From doubter to advocate: A marketer’s transformation

Dr. Hinman wasn’t the only one converted by the results. His marketing partner, Jon Stormark who was a former Division 1 tennis player in college had quietly dealt with shoulder numbness for years.

After just one 15-minute session, the numbness was gone and never returned. 

That personal experience completely changed how he approached outreach for the clinic.

Instead of selling technology, he began telling real patient stories through:

• Local radio ads

• Community newspaper features

• Social media targeted by behavior

• Direct relationship building

This created an easy entry point for new patients to experience the technology firsthand—often within their very first visit.

But once they felt the results, the commitment followed.

“It really creates that ‘aha’ moment.
They walk in skeptical. They walk out asking,
‘Can I do this again tomorrow?’”

Advice to other providers: Start with the results

If you’re a provider considering whether StemWave could work in your practice, Dr. Hinman’s advice is simple:

“Talk to the people who are using it.
Learn how they’ve integrated it.
And most importantly—look at the outcomes.”

In a state where healthcare is often out of reach, one provider created a new model—one that’s simple, scalable, and delivers results that speak for themselves.

If it can work in Alaska, it can work anywhere.

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