Supraspinatus Tendinitis (Rotator Cuff)

The Rotator Cuff is a term given to three main tendons that wrap around the shoulder joint, the supraspinatus tendon being the tendon coming off the shoulder blade in the top portion. A patient with an injured rotator cuff will have pain and/or difficulty accomplishing either of the 2 dumbbell exercises outlined at the bottom of this page:

• The Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• The Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Many rotator cuff injuries occur gradually, though many are associated with sports injuries (especially baseball and swimming), falls on the shoulder, or an added injury due to shoulder dislocation in elderly folk. If you've ever been diagnosed with bursitis, it's possible the Supraspinatus is the true source of your pain, not the shoulder bursa. In this case, the pain does not resolve with typically prescribed anti-inflammatory medications.

Cold Therapy

When treating a strained supraspinatus tendon, rest the area (this can be difficult to do, as many common daily activities work this tendon), apply ice for 10-20 minutes at a time for at least 3 times a day. Do this to the injured area for the first day to 3 days. Ice will reduces initial inflammation and swelling and the heat circulates blood through the area to speed the healing process.

However, this is not what typical person does; they may ice once or twice and rest a bit, but most often just take some Advil or Tylenol and continue to commence their activities. If the strain was minor, their body may be able to heal the muscle fibers normally. Unfortunately, this is not the usual result because the injured muscle is being used instead of rested. Because of the stress on the muscle, their body heals the injured muscle fibers by binding them together with fibrotic adhesions or scar tissue. This is done in an attempt to prevent further damage to the injured area. It is a normal protective response of their body.

Ultrasound Therapy
To prevent this the patient should apply ultrasound treatment on the area up to three times daily. Ultrasonic energy will naturally "work" the tendon, increasing its flexibly while softening and breaking down scar tissue - which is not something you want in your tendon. Scar tissue is inflexible (non-elastic), and can quickly lead to re-injury of the tendon later down the road. If you choose to use steroid injections or are using steroid injections, do NOT treat the area with ultrasound until 30 days after the last injection. Steroid injections break down the tissue in the treated area in an attempt to get it to re-heal properly. Applying ultrasound over areas injected with steroids may increase the damage and can potentially tear the tendon.

The trick to any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of tendon fibers as possible - something the Ultrasound is great at! Even with optimum healing there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. The trick is to make sure you heal this the best you can, that way your chance of re-injury down the road is much lower than average - which is well over 50%.

Heat Therapy

Heat may be used after the acute swelling is improved and rest prevents further muscle injury. An Infrared Personal Therapy system is one of the most helpful tools for a shoulder injury. Through the absorption of infrared thermal energy, tissues are safely and gently heated - increasing blood flow within the treated area. Your body's natural response to this increased temperature is to try to maintain a condition of homeostasis - a balanced environment or state of equilibrium throughout the body. To do this, your body responds with a rapid increase in blood flow to the area (this is known as vasodilation), increasing the supply of nutrients to injured cells and flushing out toxins (including lactic acid, commonly found in trigger points) to promote healing. Our Thermotex Shoulder Pain Relief Device provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects.

Prevention

Dumbbell Shoulder Press Preparation
Position dumbbells to each side of shoulders with elbows below wrists.
Execution
Press dumbbells until arms are extended overhead. Lower and repeat.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Preparation
Grasp dumbbells in front of thighs. Bend over at hips slightly with knees bent.
Execution
With elbows slightly bent, raise upper arms to sides until elbows are shoulder height. Maintain elbows' height above or equal to wrists. Lower and repeat.

If you suffer from mild inflammation or pain after certain activities or movements use ultrasound therapy when you complete the activity and then rest and elevate your shoulder. Limit the application of ultrasound to a couple of treatments per day (the manual will recommend treatment frequency depending upon the injury). In between ultrasound treatments, maximize your pain relief and injury recovery by using the Thermotex Personal Therapy System. When you're on the go, and not near an electrical outlet, take advantage of the "wear anywhere" concept of our hot/cold wraps - the highest rated wraps in the industry. Proven Performance, Proven Relief - only found at MendMeShop.com. If you have been given a treatment plan by your health professional, make sure you adhere to it to ensure pain free living. In general, people who are committed to their therapies and exercises will have the best medical outcomes.