Information on Shoulder Tendonitis (Tendinitis of the Shoulder and/or Bicipital Tendonitis)

What You Need To Cure Shoulder Tendonitis:

• A Cold Compression Brace
• An Inferno Wrap™ Infrared Therapy System
• Therapeutic Ultrasound (optional)

In tendinitis of the shoulder usually either the bicep tendon or the rotator cuff tendon is injured and/or inflamed, usually as a result of being pinched by surrounding structures. However, misdiagnosis can occur, as bursitis has many of the same symptoms. With this injury, the shoulder is sometimes stiff, and moving the shoulder just increases the pain. Statistical studies show that 8% to 13% of all athletic injuries involve the shoulder in one way or another. Early symptoms of shoulder tendonitis usually last for only a few days, but may recur or become chronic.

Overuse Tendonitis

Shoulder motions used during activities like tennis, golfing, throwing or overhead lifting may cause repetitive stress within the rotator cuff, leading to irritation, bruising or fraying of the tendon. This can cause shoulder pain and weakness in the joint.

Calcific Tendonitis

Calcific tendonitis refers to a build-up of calcium in the rotator cuff, and is often aggravated by an existing condition, such as Impingement or conventional tendonitis in the shoulder. When calcium builds up in the area, pain results from acute inflammation. Fluid movement of the joint is reduced. Calcium is deposited in the rotator cuff, between the humerus and acromion inhibiting the normal, friction-free movement of the joint. Impingement or tendonitis, which reduce the mobility of the joint leads to degenerative change and Calcium deposition.

Frozen Shoulder

A frozen shoulder is signified by pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint; limited range of motion and pain during nighttime rest are common symptons. A frozen shoulder (known also as adhesive capsulitis) is a condition that commonly occurs in older athletes. Frozen shoulder is five times more common in people with diabetes, though the reason for this is unknown. A lining of fibrous tissue, known as a capsule, surrounds the shoulder joint. The capsule is fully stretched when the arm is raised above the head, and it hangs down as a small pouch when the arm is lowered. Frozen shoulder occurs when this lining becomes thickened and swollen. It is thought a frozen shoulder may come on as a result of a previous injury, but also can come on for no apparent reason or may be triggered by a mild injury in the shoulder area. There are three phases to this condition, starting with pain, then stiffness and finally a stage of resolution as the pain eases and most of the movement returns. This process may take an awfully long time, sometimes as long as two or more years. Frozen shoulder may be associated with diabetes and is also seen in patients with scar tissue in their hands (a condition known as Dupuytren¹s contracture).

Torn Rotator Cuff (Supraspinatus Tendinitis)

Many rotator cuff injuries occur gradually, though many are associated with sports injuries (especially baseball and swimming), falls on the shoulder, or an added injury due to shoulder dislocation in elderly folk.

With a strained shoulder tendon, rest the area (this can be difficult to do, as many common daily activities work this tendon), apply ice for 10-20 minutes at a time for at least 3 times a day. Do this to the injured area for the first day to 3 days. Moist heat may be used after the acute swelling is improved and rest prevents further muscle injury. Ice will reduces initial inflammation and swelling and the moist heat circulates blood through the area to speed the healing process. This can be further helped by the use of our therapeutic ultrasound device applied over the affected area, as it reduces swelling quickly and increases blood flow to the area. If the patient gradually starting flexing and mobilising the area, the muscle would probably heal back close to normal.

However, this is not what typical person does; they may ice once or twice and rest a bit, but most often just take some Advil or Tylenol and continue to commence their activities. If the strain was minor, their body may be able to heal the muscle fibers normally. Unfortunately, this is not the usual result because the injured muscle is being used instead of rested. Because of the stress on the muscle, their body heals the injured muscle fibers by binding them together with fibrotic adhesions or scar tissue. This is done in an attempt to prevent further damage to the injured area. It is a normal protective response of their body.

To prevent this the patient should apply ultrasound treatment on the area up to three times daily. Ultrasonic energy will naturally "work" the tendon, increasing its flexibily while softening and breaking down scar tissue - which is not something you want in your tendon. Scar tissue is inflexible (non-elastic), and can quickly lead to reinjury of the tendon later down the road. If you choose to use steriod injections or are using steriod injections, do NOT treat the area with ultrasound until 30 days after the last injection. Steriod injections break down the tissue in the treated area in an attempt to get it to re-heal properly. Applying ultrasound over areas injected with steriods may increase the damage and can potentially tear the tendon.

The trick to any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of tendon fibres as possible - something our therapeutic ultrasound system is great at! Even with optimum healing there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. The trick is to make sure you heal this the best you can, that way your chance of reinjury down the road is much lower than average - which is well over 50%.

Therapeutic Products

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy

You can help your body repair itself by speeding its natural healing process with Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy. During normal activities, the movement promotes blood flow through our body. Our body responds to the movement by sending oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the muscles, joints, tendons and other soft tissue in the body. When at rest, the blood flow to your tendons is greatly reduced. Unfortunately, when your tendon is injured it requires rest but it also needs the blood flow to promote the healing process. Since you can't work your tendon without danger of further injury, you need to stimulate the blood flow another way. Our innovative Inferno Wrap™ gives you the best Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy available. The Inferno Wrap™ creates energy waves that stimulate blood flow by penetrating through the outer layers of your body. The energy waves reach deep into your muscles, tendons and cartilage, reducing your pain as they heal the inner tissue.

An Inferno Wrap™ gives you unparalleled blood flow stimulation to your injured tendon. You simply won’t find a comparable product on the market. Other therapy products can not come close to offering the comfortable, contoured fit and targeted energy treatment an Inferno Wrap™ provides. You will experience a soothing, penetrating warmth deep in the tissue as it works to stimulate your blood flow, we guarantee it. Now you can reduce your pain and heal yourself with the comfortable, light weight Inferno Wrap™.

The Inferno Wrap™ provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects.

When your tendon has healed somewhat and it comes time for more aggressive rehabilitation, stretching and activity, Blood Flow Stimultation Therapy warms the muscles in the injured area which increases range of motion and allows for a safer more thorough stretch.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Ultrasound Therapy is also a great tool for pain prevention of tendonitis or healing a tendon tear, and having a portable ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you have symptoms of tendonitis or are recovering from a tendon injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your tendons and muscles, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.

Therapeutic Ultrasound heats and massages your soft tissue giving you three primary benefits. First, it increases blood flow in the treated area which speeds your body's natural healing process. Second, it reduces swelling and edema which are the main sources of pain. Third, ultrasound softens existing scar tissue and minimizes the build up of new scar tissue resulting in reduced pain while healing and greater flexibility once healing is complete.

Eucalyptus...
It's in our Gel!

Ultrasound can also be used to administer therapeutic medicines into the body. This is a process known as phonophoresis. Ultrasound with Phonophoresis is rapidly becoming more popular than Ultrasound Therapy alone.

Peppermint...
It's in our gel too!

Our MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel is the only topical therapeutic gel that is also a Phonophoretic Ultrasound Gel. It is made with natural medical ingredients including eucalyptus, peppermint, Bulgarian lavender and menthol. These effective ingredients have anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, decongestant, and circulatory stimulant properties. When applied topically and massaged into the skin, MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel relieves pain and speeds healing without any side-effects.

Cold Compression Therapy

Our cold compression wraps work by interrupting and slowing nerve and cell function in the area of your injured tendon. Once blood vessels are damaged they can no longer carry oxygenated blood to the damaged tissue and therefore cells begin to break-down. The deep cold provided by our cold compression wraps slows cell function thereby reducing cellular break-down. Furthermore, because the cold wraps serve to numb the nerves, the wraps also reduce pain!

Our Cold Compression Wraps are recommended as the top wrap by Leading Health Institutes like, Cleveland Clinic, several professional sports organizations, and countless medical professionals. That's why we sell them, because they are the best. We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our cold wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one - this way they can cool one while wearing the other. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed.