Surgical Rotator Cuff Treatment Options

A Rotator Cuff tear cannot heal completely without surgery; however satisfactory function can often be achieved without an operation. If you continue to suffer from persistent pain, weakness or recurring inflammation after trying the above non-operative treatments, you may require a surgical option.

The type of surgery you require will depend on the size, shape and location of your injury. Your orthopedic surgeon can determine which surgery is most suited to your condition. A number of these procedures can be completed through day surgery; however most will require extensive rehabilitation utilizing the non-surgical procedures. Your surgeon should provide a treatment plan to help you regain normal use as soon as possible.

Arthroscopic surgery involves making tiny incisions around your shoulder joint and inserting a pencil-thin, fiber optic camera with a small lens and lighting system. The surgeon will take a look inside your joint to investigate all the soft tissues and bones. These images will then be transmitted to a TV monitor, which allow the doctor to make a diagnosis and/or perform the repair under video control. At the end of surgery, your incisions are closed, and a dressing is applied.

Impingement syndrome or a partial thickness Rotator Cuff tear are best treated by this type of surgical repair. They may require a debridement (removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue) and/or shaving or removal of bone spurs and fragments that can catch when your arm is rotated.

Traditional Open Repair surgery is often preferred if you have a complex or full thickness Rotator Cuff tear. Your surgeon will use sutures (stitches and/or anchors that hold the tissue together after they have been severed) to help attach the tendon back to the tissue or bone. These are made of metal or plastic, and do not need to be removed.

Open repair surgery is also used when additional reconstruction is required, such as a tendon transfer and/or shoulder replacement.

There are always some risks associated with any surgery, which include but are not limited to possible infection, allergic reaction to medications, and damage to surrounding nerves or blood vessels. However, modern techniques have significantly minimized the occurrence of these problems. Tenderness, pain, stiffness and weakness are very common after surgery, but with proper rehabilitation these should diminish.

Surgical therapy is often recommended for younger individuals, people who continuously use their shoulder for work, athletes, or when non-surgical treatments are not effective. Although surgery is often successful at repairing any damage and/or relieving pain, it does not necessarily return strength to your shoulder. That is why a strong commitment to rehabilitation is essential. Healing and recovery time is generally dependent on the extent of your injury, your age, pre-injury level of function, and your commitment to rehabilitation.

Therapeutic Products

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy

You 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 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!

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.

Or email us at service@MendMeShop.com