Ankle Injuries

Dear MendMeShop,

I am a 37 year-old who stays fairly active and plays in several flag football leagues each Fall/Winter. Two months ago, after an unusually painful game, I was diagnosed with Bursitis in both of my ankles and was advised not to continue to run or play football for a while. I followed the regiment prescribed by my doctor (stretching exercises, heat, etc.) and took a month off from playing. As I gradually started playing again, I still experienced significant pain in my ankles. While doing research on-line regarding bursitis, I came across your web site, read the information and testimonials, and decided to order the Personal Portable Ultrasound System. As someone who has taught customer service skills, I was very pleased with the high-quality customer service I received and promptly receiving my order in just a few days. After 2 weeks of using the Personal Portable Ultrasound System, I played this past Sunday. I not only played without ANY pain, but received the MVP award for scoring 3 touchdowns and having 1 interception. As a result of my seemingly miraculous recovery, a couple of my teammates have begun coming to my house to use my ultrasound and are planning to order their own. Thank you very much for your superior customer service and for providing a very beneficial product that REALLY works!

Rating: Five Star Rating

Andre Chandler

Shin Splints

Anterolateral Shin Splint, Posteromedial Shin Splint

A shin splint is a painful condition that occurs from damage to muscles along the shin, and the pain can occur anywhere from just below the knee to above the ankle.

The typical cause is continued, repeated stress to the lower leg, and is common in runners.

Shin splints may be caused by:

An inexperienced runner just beginning to run (too much too fast).
Running on side slopes (ie. banked tracks).
Tight Calf Muscles, exerting extra force on shin muscles.
A sudden change from soft to hard running surfaces.
Poor or worn out anklewear.
Excessive uphill running.
Poor running mechanics. This could include:
- heavy forward lean
- excessive weight on the ball of the ankle
- running with toes pointed outward
- landing too far back on the heels causing the ankle to flap down
- overpronation

Of all of the possible causes, pronation (ankle roll) is the most likely to be overlooked.

Anterolateral Shin Splints

Anterolateral shin splints affect muscles in the front and outside parts of the shin, and is the result of a natural imbalance in the size of opposing muscles.

Shin muscles pull the ankle up, whereas the large and powerful calf muscle pulls the ankle down every time the heel strikes the ground when running. These calf muscles can exert a lot of force, enough force that can actually injure the shin muscles.

Anterolateral shin splints will cause pain in the front and outside of the shin. Initial pain is felt when the heel strikes the ground though eventually the pain just stays constant.

To allow this type of shin splint to heal, the person must stop running and do other kinds of exercise recommended by their doctor or physical therapist. Such exercises usually involve stretching the calf muscle, as tight calf muscles put a lot of pressure on the shin muscle and tendons.

A constant regimen of ultrasound is commonly recommended to help massage the affected muscles and tendons, allowing them to heal more quickly and reduce inflammation and pain in the area. Treatment of the calf muscle with ultrasound will also help increase the flexibility of this muscle, thus indirectly reducing the average level of strain on the shin muscle and tendon group.

Posteromedial shin splints

Posteromedial shin splints affect muscles in the back and inner part of the lower leg. These muscle groups are responsible for lifting the heel to support the runners weight on the ball portion of the ankle when running.

This type of shin splint is often caused by running on a banked track or non-level running surface or wearing improper shoes that do not protect the ankle from rolling (pronation).

Pain begins on the inside of the lower leg (usually within 7 inches above the ankles), but will worsen and continue to rise up the leg. Initially, only tendons of the muscles will become inflamed, but if running continues, the muscles themselves could become affected.

At the worst, the tendon could become detached from the bone - a painful occurrence that causes bleeding and excessive inflammation.

To allow a posteromedial shin splint to heal, the running must temporarily stop running and do other kinds of exercise recommended by their doctor or physical therapist. Special shoes may be prescribed during the healing phase, and it may be advisable to look into potential problems with pronation of the ankles. This can often be solved by researching and using shoes that better prevent pronation and/or the avoidance of running on side slopes.

How to Treat Your Tendon Injury

It is important to treat tendon injuries as soon as possible, as any activity or strain you put on your tendon can re-injure it further.

Scar tissue builds on the tendon as the tears heal. The build up causes pain and inflexibility in the tendon making it less flexible and more prone to further injury.

The trick with any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of the tendon fibres as possible - something ultrasound therapy is great at! Even with optimum healing, there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. This can cause the tendon to hurt during exercise and most everyday activities. However, if you heal your injured tendon efficiently and quickly, your chance of re-injury later on is much lower.

Although it is recommended that you rest your injured tendons following injury it can be difficult to do if it is essential to use for daily activities. Fortunately, there are healing tool that can help treat your tendon and speed up the healing process so you can get back to a life without pain and risk of further injury.

Cold compression therapy, therapeutic ultrasound and BFST^® will reduce pain, swelling and tissue damage, treat scar tissue, and promote blood flow to heal your tendon and attached muscle faster and more completely than any other methods available.

Cold Compression Freezie Wraps^®

Doctors recommend using cold compression as soon as possible following a tendon injury and re-injury to reduce pain and swelling and minimize tissue damage that occurs with soft tissue injuries like tendon tears.

The Freezie Wraps^® allow you to treat your tendon in an effective and convenient way. The wrap is adjustable which allows you to control the compression to a level that is comfortable for you and the gel packs are chilled in the fridge not the freezer. This eliminates the risk of cryoburn, or 'cold burns', on your skin that can be cause by ice and strandard freezer gel packs. You can also wear the Freezie Wrap^® for longer treatments so you can enjoy even more relief from your pain!

Cold Compression Therapy works by interrupting and slowing nerve and cell function in the injured area and reducing swelling that can block blood vessels. This is important because once blood vessels are blocked or damaged, they can no longer carry oxygenated blood through the tendon and tissue cells begin to break-down. Without cold compression therapy cellular break-down and tissue damage continues as the cells do not get the oxygen they need to survive. By limiting the amount of damage done to your tendon, you also limit the amount of healing that needs to occur. This is a very important step to heal your tendon faster and with less pain!

The deep cooling effect provided by Freezie Wraps^® gives you the fast, effective relief your sore tendon has been looking for!

Click Here to learn more about Freezie Wrap^® ColdCure Technology^®

Ultrasound Therapy

Ultrasound Therapy increases tissue elasticity while promoting the flow of blood (filled with vital oxygen and nutrients) to your injured tendon. This cleans the injured area by getting rid of damaged tissue and reducing the inflammation on the tendon while opening up the blood vessels to begin healing.

During the healing process, scar tissue builds on the tendon and can attach the inner layers of the tendon to the surrounding sleath that it glides through, limiting the flexibility and movement of the tendon. Fortunately, you can treat your tendon with therapeutic ultrasound to soften scar tissue and improve the gliding motion and flexibility of your tendon.

MendMeShop Therapeutic Ultrasound treats tendon injuries and reduces inflammation and scar tissue

Not only does ultrasound aid in the duration of healing, but it helps to prevent long term complications. Pain, lack of mobility, tendinosis, or a complete tendon rupture are some of the more common long term complications that can occur when tendon injuries and tendinitis go untreated. By treating your tendon with ultrasound, scar tissue becomes softer and the tissue becomes stronger reducing the risk of chronic problems in the future.

For those who suffer from long term injuries, ultrasound can help. Ultrasound therapy can help to break up scar and fibrous tissue that has built up over time on the tendon and restore flexibility in your joint.

MendMeShop^® Ultrasound System with phonophoresis is safe, convenient, and easy and generally requires between 5 - 15 minutes per treatment. It is based on a form of deep tissue therapy, which is generated through high frequency sound waves (that we can not hear). These waves send vibrations deep into your body and slightly increase the temperature of your soft tissue cells. The waves are delivered through a hand held transducer and conductive gel that are used together in a slow, circular motion on your skin over the injured area.

MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel enhances your ultrasound therapy to give your tendon the ultimate in scar tissue treatment and improved healing power.

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.

Using MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel during your therapy gives you 2 therapies in 1. You get the benefit of the regenerating sound waves from the ultrasound device itself AND the added bonus of the therapeutic ingredients inside the gel being delivered into the tissue where it is most effective. 1 FREE bottle of MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel comes with every MendMeShop^® Ultrasound System and it contains the therapeutic essential oils of natural Bulgarian lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, and menthol.

Once the inflammation of your tendon injury has been reduced, nourishing and strengthening the tendon tissue and surrounding area is recommended. Using Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ will speed your recovery and heal your tendon more completely preparing it for strengthening exercises. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out which exercises are appropriate for your situation.

Click Here to learn more about Ultrasound Therapy

Inferno Wrap providing superior blood flow stimulation.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™

After the inflammation and swelling is gone you can begin to treat your tendon with Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™, or BFST^®. BFST^® increases the amount of blood that flows naturally to your tendon to nourish and speed healing.

Tendons naturally receive a limited blood supply and this significantly reduces its natural ability to heal themselves. And when you stop moving because you are hurt, your tendons get even less blood flow.

By treating your injury with BFST^® you can increase your body's blood supply and increase your body's natural healing power, in a convenient, painless treatment that just feels good!

In addition, the fresh blood flow whisks away dead cells and toxins that have built up from the injury leaving the area clean and able to heal faster. Our Inferno Wraps^® provide effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and healing with no side effects.

Click Here to learn more about how BFST^® works

With these 3 easy therapies you will notice incredible improvement in the health and flexibility tendon and reduced daily pain. The more diligent you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results!

Please be aware that this information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.