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What is a Rotator CuffShoulder Joint Overview:  The Shoulder joint involves bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and Synovial tissue. The shoulder joint is made up of three bones: the shoulder blade (Scapula), the collarbone (Clavicle) and the upper arm bone (Humerus). The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body. It is a ãball and socketä joint, which holds the ball (the top, rounded part of the Humerus) in the socket (the shallow, depressed area called the Glenoid cavity, located on the outer edge of the Scapula) What is the Rotator Cuff? The Rotator Cuff muscles are connected individually to a group of flat tendons, which fuse together and surround the front, the back, and the top of the shoulder joint like a cuff on a shirt. The tendons attach the muscles to the bone and allow movement in the shoulder, as well as providing strength to hold the ball in its socket. They are involved in all shoulder motions: when the muscles contract, they pull on the rotator cuff tendon, causing the shoulder to rotate upward, inward, or outward, hence the name Rotator Cuff. The Rotator Cuff ligaments attach bone to bone and provide stability to the shoulder joint bones.
Between the bones, muscle and other soft tissue there is the Bursa (a fluid filled sac) and Synovial fluid (lubricates your joint), which permit smooth gliding between the joint. They also protect the Rotator Cuff from the bony spurs or arches on the shoulder blade.  What muscles make up the Rotator Cuff? The Rotator Cuff is made up of four small muscles situated close to the ball and socket joint of your shoulder (Glenohumeral joint). These muscles work as a unit, rather than individually. Often people injure one particular member of the Rotator Cuff (the most common diagnosis is Supraspinatus Tendinitis), however most injuries usually involve more than one muscle. The Supraspinatus is the uppermost muscle of the Rotator Cuff which passes beneath the bone on the top of the shoulder (Acromion). This muscle permits lateral movement away from the midline of the body, so you can move your upper arm up the side and away (abduction). When your arm is raised in a forward position, this tendon and supporting bursa can be pinched (impingement), which causes them to become inflamed and swollen. The Subscapularis is the Humeral head depressor and internal, medial rotator. This muscle allows you to move your upper arm inward and toward the centre of your body. It is located at the front of the shoulder. The Infraspinatus is the external, lateral rotator which maintains dynamic joint stability. This muscle allows you to move your upper arm outward and away from the centre of your body (abduction). It is found at the back of the shoulder. The Teres minor is the external, lateral rotator which maintains dynamic joint stability. This muscle allows you to move your upper arm outward and away from the centre of your body (abduction). It is located at the back of the shoulder.  What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury? Rotator Cuff injuries are very common, especially in people over 40 years of age. Most problems involve damage and irritation to the Rotator Cuff soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons and bursa) rather than the bones, as they move frequently within a tight space. A Rotator Cuff injury usually begins as inflammation caused by some form of small but continuous source of irritation, such as repetitive overhead motions from sporting activities, work tasks or daily chores, which can lead to severe Tendonitis or Bursitis. -view-should.gif) If you do not address the cause of the inflammation, a partial or complete tear can develop in your Rotator Cuff due to chronic wear and tear of the tendon. A tear may also result at any age from an acute or single traumatic event, such as a fall onto an outstretched arm. Therapeutic ProductsBlood Flow Stimulation TherapyYou can help your body repair itself by speeding its natural healing process using an Inferno Wrap™. The Inferno Wrap's patented design delivers the most effective Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy you can find.  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 therapeutic 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 TherapyOur 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! 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. Always allow the injured area to return to normal body temperature between hot and cold treatments by waiting 60-90 minutes before applying a different therapy. 
| Dear MendMeShop, I have been using the Platinum Plantar/Spur Therapy Combo which includes the Ultrasound device, Inferno Plantar Wrap, and Freezie Plantar Wrap for about 10 days now to treat my plantar fasciitis. PF is a very painful condition that made it impossible for me to run, jump, walk my dogs, or keep up with my family on outings of any length. Mornings were especially tough-going, as I would sit and do stretching excercises that would provide me little relief, just so I could get from the bed to the coffee. I have experience with treating PF in my left foot about 5 years ago. There had been no recurrence, and since I have had no problem with any activity or with wearing any style of shoes on that foot, I thought I had conquerred PF long, long ago. Who knows what brought it on this time? I felt quite responsible that I had done something wrong and really bore the guilty feelings that I had messed up my foot doing something stupid. My nurse practitioner said that while there are bad habits that can cause PF, he truly thinks from his experience that I probably didn't do anything in particular to bring it on. I was, honestly, just living my active life when suddenly, I couldn't walk from the bed to the bathroom. This time, when I had the first signs of PF in my right foot in late April, I tried the things my doctor had prescribed in the past on my own. Stretching, night splint, and non-steroid antiinflamatory. After a couple of weeks, I realized I needed something more. I have a big trip planned with my family at the end of August, and I really don't want to have too much trouble keeping up with everyone. I went to the nurse practitioner, and he recommended physical therapy but cautioned that since I would probably go only a couple of times a week, the results would take awhile. He suggested that I look into home ultrasound. Then I could do the treatment myself, and therefore, administer as many treatments as I could a day. He suggested three times a day. I looked on the internet for a reputable company with a good return policy and a wide selection of products. I found MendMeShop.com and ordered the Platinum Package to take advantage of heat, cold, and ultrasound therapy. I have only been using the products for a short time, but I have had a noticeable decrease in my pain and an increase in my range of function. The ultrasound is my magic wand to me. I know it is this product that has made the most change, since I had already been using heat and ice on my own. It is an easy to use device, even accounting for the awkward position one must get into in order to apply it to the bottom of one's foot. Although I had been applying heat and ice before, the Inferno Plantar Wrap and Freezie Plantar Wrap are much more efficient ways to do it. The wraps fit comfortably on my small foot and apply the correct or even adjustable levels of temperature. The compression does its job physiologically, but it just plain feels good! And when you have PF, that alone is a joy! My therapy of a NSAID along with a night splint now includes the ultrasound two or three times a day for fifteen minutes, heat wrap on wakening and after ultrasound, and the Freezie Wrap only after much acitivity. To turn around PF, one must take therapy seriously and not go at it in a hit or miss manner. Keeping to this treatment plan, I am able at day ten to wake without pain, walk at a moderate pace, and participate in my desired activities at a much more active level. Although it seems time-consuming, I only have to think of all the wasted time and missed fun of spending time in a chair while friends and family are up enjoying activities I could not possibly participate in. I am quite optimistic that continuing this therapy plan on my own will lead to a painless, comfortable foot. I look forward to my vacation feeling quite certain that I will be in good enough shape to enjoy it. I can bring the US therapy, and heat and cold wraps along; they are so easily portable. I know that this condition may take about a year to fully resolve in my left foot, so having products that are easy to transport are a must for me. I travel often, and I don't want to be without the benefit of continued therapy for anytime at all. Thank you very sincerely for your high-quality product and kind personal attention. I also want to add that it is quite easy to waste a lot of money when you have this condition. I have enough worthless shoes, insoles, arch supports, splints, heat wraps, and ice bags to fill a foot hospital! To purchase a product with a 60 day money back guarantee is a relief. That amount of time is truly necessay to see if it provides long-term relief. I know this is a long testimony, but I hope I have adequately expressed to you my satistaction. I can honestly say that I couldn't do without these products, and I highly recommend your website to friends and family. I believe in you so much that I might honestly approach a limping stranger on the street and tell him about the Inferno Wrap and my 'magic wand ultrasound therapy'! Thank you Paul for you kind phone call yesterday, your suggestions, and encouragement. It is slow-going to see improvement in this condition, it is sometimes hard to stay optimistic, it is easy to have set-backs, and often it is quite misunderstood by other people. Your product truly supplies hope for PF sufferers like me. Rating: S Reedy           | ||||
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