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Walter I. Sussman, DO, FAAPM&R, is a board-certified physician specializing in Sports Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, with expertise in musculoskeletal diagnosis, diagnostic ultrasound, image-guided procedures, orthobiologics, and minimally invasive a treatment. He is the founder of Boston Sports & Biologics in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where his clinical practice focuses on the evaluation and treatment of complex musculoskeletal disorders and sports injuries.

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Through SIRVA Expert MD, Dr. Sussman provides independent medical review and expert consultation in cases involving Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA). His opinions are grounded in the medical evidence. 

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About Dr. Walter I. Sussman

Clinical Expertise

Dr. Sussman's clinical practice centers on the diagnosis and management of sports injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.

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His areas of expertise include:

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  • Shoulder disorders

  • Rotator cuff pathology

  • Adhesive capsulitis

  • Bursitis

  • Tendinopathy

  • Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound

  • Ultrasound-guided injections

  • Peripheral nerve hydrodissection

  • Minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedures

  • Percutaneous tenotomy

  • Orthobiologics and platelet-rich plasma

  • Rehabilitation following musculoskeletal procedures

 

This background is especially relevant in SIRVA cases because abnormalities identified after vaccination, such as rotator cuff tears, tendinosis, adhesive capsulitis, bursitis, synovitis, and degenerative changes, may have multiple potential etiologies. Determining causation therefore requires more than demonstrating that a symptom occurred after vaccination.

Education & Medical Training

Dr. Sussman earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an Internal Medicine internship at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.

 

He completed his residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, where he served as Chief Resident, and a Sports Medicine fellowship at Emory University. 

Board Certification & Professional Credentials

Dr. Sussman is dual board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in physiatry and Sports Medicine. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (FAAPM&R), and additional professional credentials include:
 

  • Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography (RMSK)

  • Certification by the American Board of Regenerative Medicine

  • Certification the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians in Regenerative Medicine
     

Academic & Faculty Appointments

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Dr. Sussman has held multiple academic appointments involving medical education, musculoskeletal medicine, rehabilitation, and sports medicine.


He currently serves as:

  • Associate Clinical Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at University of New England

  • Assistant Clinical Professor, Orthopedics & Rehabilitation at Tufts University

  • Assistant Clinical Professor, Family Medicine at Boston University

  • Affiliate Clinical Faculty, Medical Sciences at Northeastern University
     

His academic work includes teaching medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound, image-guided procedures, sports medicine, and orthobiologics..

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Research & Publications

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This peer-reviewed case series described a previously unreported sonographic pattern in patients with SIRVA, and suggest that high-resolution musculoskeletal ultrasound may provide an additional tool for evaluating patients with post-vaccination shoulder pain.

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Dr. Sussman's research emphasizes clinically applicable evidence, diagnostic accuracy, procedural outcomes, treatment standardization, and appropriate interpretation of musculoskeletal imaging.

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View Dr. Sussman’s complete and current bibliography of peer-reviewed publications through the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed/My NCBI database.

Textbook & Editorial Work

Dr. Sussman is a co-editor of the Elsevier textbook:

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Atlas of Interventional Orthopedics Procedures: Essential Guide for Fluoroscopy and Ultrasound Guided Procedures.

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He serves as a peer reviewer for multiple medical journals, including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, PM&R, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, and Journal of Clinical Medicine.

National Presentations & Medical Education

Dr. Sussman is a frequent invited lecturer and faculty member at national medical meetings.

His recent invited presentations and faculty roles have included programs sponsored by:

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  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

  • American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

  • American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

  • Arthroscopy Association of North America

  • Harvard Medical School

  • Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation

  • Orthobiologic Institute

  • American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians

  • Major League Baseball Winter Meetings

 

Topics have included platelet-rich plasma, tendon disease, musculoskeletal ultrasound, orthobiologics, minimally invasive procedures, and advanced image-guided intervention.

Approach to Medical-Legal Review

Independent. Objective. Evidence-Based.

A SIRVA medical-legal review may address questions such as:

  • Is the clinical presentation consistent with SIRVA?

  • Is the timing of symptom onset medically significant?

  • Is there evidence of preexisting shoulder pathology?

  • Are the MRI or ultrasound findings anatomically compatible with vaccine administration?

  • Does the reported injection technique provide a plausible mechanism of injury?

  • Are alternative explanations more likely?

  • Was the diagnostic evaluation appropriate?

  • Was treatment reasonable and medically necessary?

  • What is the expected natural history and prognosis?

  • Does the published literature support the claimed relationship between vaccination and the diagnosed pathology?

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