Dear MendMeShop,

I am a Registered Nurse who works straight night shifts and I have had chronic neck, bilateral shoulder and arm pain intermittently for 3 years. I have seen a chiropractor, a neurologist, and physical therapist. I have tingling and numbness in my arms and hands, especially when I push on the pressure points near my elbows. In fact, most or all of the pressure point in my neck, shoulders, and arms hurt when pressed/massaged. The neurologist said it is probably cervical strain, the nerve conduction test was negative. I just saw my primary physician today and she has referred me back to the neurologist to redo the nerve test because I am starting to drop things. I have tried NSAIDs, massage, tens, heating packs, ice packs, stretching exercises, and traction. The only treatment that took the pain and numbness away instantly and thorougly has been MendMeShop Ultrasound massage therapy.

Rating: Five Star Rating

Cheri -

Wrist Tendonitis Treatments

Tendonitis of the wrist is quite common among athletes; over a quarter of all athletic injuries involve injuries to the wrist or hand. Overuse injuries to the wrist usually involves tendonitis, tenosynovitis, stress fractures and tunnel syndromes (ie. carpal tunnel syndrome). The wrist provides positioning and support for the hand, combining strength, specific positioning and stability with a wide range of movement.

Tendons in the wrist are closely attached to the joint, and this results in high tension in these tendons when powering wrist movement. The anatomy of the wrist is essentially unstable, relying on the restraint of many tendons, muscles and ligaments to prevent collapse of the carpal bones. Any condition affecting the function of the wrist tendons will definitely result in a reduction of grip strength.

Injury to tendons in the wrist typically originate from work related movement (usually from foceful repetitive actions) or from sport activities that involve forced, repetitive overuse of the write. Clarity in determing cause is difficult, as factors such as gender, neurogenic (nerve), hormones and mechanics influence the level of risk for wrist tendonitis.

Wrist Tendinitis Symptoms

If you are suffering from tendinitis in the extensor tendons you may experience one or all of the following symptoms:

For extensor tendinitis the initial pain is over the back of the wrist that is only felt under strain, eventually becoming a sharp or constant dull pain whenever you move your wrist
Stiffness and loss of flexibility in the wrist
Swelling, heat and tenderness in the wrist area
Tingling or numbness in the hand

Causes of Wrist Tendinitis

If tendons are stressed enough from excessive or unconditioned use, the sheath lining can become inflamed and movements may be painful as the tendons glide through the inflamed sheath.

Extensor tendinitis can be caused from overuse of the wrist during an activity. For example, if a person undertakes a massive spring cleaning, the wrist is usually held in a hyperextended position as the palm exerts the pressure. The extensor tendons at the wrist level are strained and tendon sheaths become inflamed.

Activities with frequent wrist actions , such as tennis, bowling, throwing and cathing, typing, sewing, etc., can also cause overuse injuries such as extensor tendinitis.

What is tenosynovitis and tendonitis?

Tendonitis means inflammation of a tendon. (It is sometimes spelled as tendinitis.)
Tenosynovitis means inflammation of the sheath that surrounds a tendon (the sheath is called the synovium). Tenosynovitis can be caused by calcium deposits, repeated strain or trauma, high levels of blood cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or gonorrhea.

These two conditions often occur together.

Treating Your Wrist Tendon

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 will cause the tendon to hurt, during everyday activities. If you heal your injury efficiently and quickly, your chance of re-injury later on is much lower than average.

Allowing your tendon to rest is always recommended following injury. Try to avoid grasping, wringing, twisting and pinching or any other activities that may have caused the injury or irritation and begin cold compression treatments as soon as possible. The tendons in the thumbs and fingers are difficult to rest completely as they are essential for daily chores and activities.

Fortunately, there are healing tools that can help treat your tendons and speed up the healing process so you can get back to a life without pain and risk of further injury. Therapeutic ultrasound and Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ (BFST^®) will treat scar tissue and promote blood flow to heal your tendon faster and more completely than any other methods available.

Although steroid injections may provide temporary relief from the pain of tendinitis and tenosynovitis, multiple injections should be avoided as they weaken the tendon and may lead to a rupture.

Freezie Wrap^® Cold Compression Therapy

The Wrist Freezie Wrap® treats pain, swelling and inflammation caused by tendinitis and tenosynovitis while reducing tissue damage.

Doctors recommend using cold compression as soon as possible following an acute tendon injury and re-injury to reduce pain and swelling and minimize tissue damage.

The Wrist Freezie Wrap^® allows you to treat your tendon in an effective and convenient way. The wrap is versatile with Velcro attachments so you can wrap it around your hand, wrist or forearm where you need it. It's adjustable which allows you to control the compression to your comfort level.

Designed with ColdCure Technology^®, 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 wrist or thumb 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 to 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 the Wrist Freezie Wrap^® 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 of the tendon and sheath while opening up the blood vessels to begin healing.

During the healing process, scar tissue builds on the tendon which can attach it to the shealth 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 tendinitis or tenosynovitis 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.

If you suffer from a long term tendon injury, ultrasound can treat old scar tissue too! By softening the tough, inflexible, scarred tissue you can improve the range of motion in your wrist and hands.

MendMeShop^® Ultrasound System with phonophoresis is safe, convenient, and easy. 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 treatments 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 tendon fibers 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 tissue and surrounding area is recommended. Using Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ will speed your recovery and heal your tendon more completely preparing it for normal use again. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out which strengthening exercises are appropriate for your situation.

Click Here to learn more about Ultrasound Therapy

Inferno Wrap^® Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™

The Wrist Inferno Wrap speeds the healing of tendon tissue and the surrounding area.

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

Tendons receive a limited blood supply by nature and this significantly reduces the ability to heal.

By treating your tendon with BFST^® you can increase your body's blood supply to the wrist and increase your body's natural healing power. 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 Wrist Inferno Wrap^® provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and healing with no side effects.

Click Here to learn more about how Inferno Wrap^® BFST^® works

With these 3 easy therapies you will notice incredible improvement in the health and flexibility and reduced daily pain in your wrist. 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.

Dear MendMeShop,

I recently purchased the home ultrasound unit. I have only used it 3 times so far but do actually think I feel an improvement in my knee. I am also very impressed with the level of customer service your company provides. So rare these days. It is one of the reasons I chose to buy from your company over a competitor. Your easy return policy with no restocking fee is impressive.