Common Rotator Cuff Injuries

Most common types and causes of Rotator Cuff injuries:

Overstraining the Rotator Cuff can lead to inflammation in your joint, which can result in Tendinitis and Bursitis. You can experience these conditions independently or simultaneously. Failure to take action against the inflammation can cause an impingement (pinching of the soft tissue), and produce further degeneration which frequently results in a major Rotator Cuff strain and/or tear. These injuries can often lead to surgery.

People most susceptible to Rotator Cuff injuries are often older than 40 years of age and/ or have bone spurs on their shoulder bone. There is a high incidence of Rotator Cuff injuries among women. These injuries can also affect younger people who often partake in new or repetitive activities, are already injured and/or have chronic weakness in their shoulder.

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis and Bursitis

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis, also frequently referred to as bursitis or impingement, occurs when your Rotator Cuff is irritated on the undersurface of the Acromion (bony knob on your shoulder blade).

Inflammation of your Rotator Cuff tendons or bursa will produce redness, swelling, and soreness in your shoulder soft tissue. Acute tendonitis is often due to overuse or repetitive actions common in athletes or workers who use frequent overhead arm movements such as throwing a ball, swinging a racquet, swimming, lifting weights, dusting high shelves, painting, or completing manual labor tasks. Decreased space in your Rotator Cuff joint will result from the above, as well as from anatomical differences in the shape of your shoulder bone, or Arthritis. These will trigger pain, limit the use of your shoulder, and can lead to chronic tendonitis.

This mild inflammation can cause your Rotator Cuff tendons and bursa to swell and rub against or snag the Acromion, or rub against a ligament at the front of your shoulder. When your arm is raised in a forward, reaching or overhead position the Rotator Cuff tendons and bursa can be pinched (impingement), which causes further swelling. Impingement syndrome occurs when your tendon begins to break down near its attachment on the Humerus bone as a result of this inflammation and swelling. If this continues, your pain will get worse and your tendon may split or completely tear away from the bone.

This condition is often referred to as Swimmer's shoulder, Pitcher's shoulder, Tennis Shoulder, or Shoulder impingement syndrome.

Rotator Cuff Instability

Shoulder instability which may have been present since birth or due to an injury, can also occur over time from overstraining, poor posture or inactivity. The Rotator Cuff is overworked to stabilize your shoulder, which in turn causes inflammation. If your Rotator Cuff becomes weak and tired, the head of your arm bone can squash up against the Acromion and can result in a tear. This is often a major cause of Rotator Cuff tears in individuals over 40 years of age.

A muscle strength and flexibility imbalance or weakness, can cause instability and result in a subluxation or partial dislocation (your shoulder bones slide in and out of their sockets) or a full dislocation (the head of the arm bone slips out of the shoulder socket). These can cause a lot of pain and discomfort in your Rotator Cuff soft tissue. People with frequent dislocations often require surgery.

Rotator Cuff Strains or Tears

As you age, chronic degeneration from repetitive motions breakdown the soft tissue and Collagen (a fibrous connective tissue) in your Rotator Cuff. You may also develop impingements from calcium deposits, arthritic bone spurs or poor posture. Rough or repetitive arm movements, especially when your shoulder is lifted to the limit of its natural range of motion, can weaken the tendons already experiencing tendonitis. This can lead to a tear in your tendon or muscle that is often difficult to repair surgically. Imagine your favorite jeans wearing out; they get more and more worn until the edges fray or a hole appears. It is very common in people over 40 years of age.

A Rotator Cuff Trauma results from a sudden injury such as falling onto an outstretched arm, which can bruise, strain or tear your Rotator Cuff tendon or muscle at any age. Excessive force exerted by lifting or pulling something too heavy, pushing off an object vigorously with your arm, or making a forceful and abrupt forward throwing or overhead action, can also severely damage and tear your Rotator Cuff.

Rotator Cuff injuries can also happen in conjunction with other shoulder injuries such as a fracture.

Types of Rotator Cuff Tears

A partial thickness tear of your tendon or muscle is not torn all the way through. This is related to chronic inflammation or impingement which results from the development of spurs on the underside of the Acromion (often require surgery to remove the bone spur).

A full thickness or complete tear is torn all the way through your tendon or muscle. This generally results from acute or sudden injuries, ongoing impingement, or degeneration of partial thickness tears.

A tendon torn from the bone often results from a traumatic injury or degeneration.

Rotator Cuff Scar Tissue

Scar tissue will often develop as a result of a major Rotator Cuff injury or repetitive motion, once acute inflammation begins to decrease. As your damaged shoulder tissues heal this dead, fibrotic tissue will develop instead of forming brand new tissue. This tissue adheres to your muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerve cells and joints preventing them from moving properly and limiting your range of motion, flexibility and strength. The amount of scar tissue you develop will depend on the size, depth and location of your injury, as well as your age and current health.

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