How to Realize When You’re Ready to Relieve the Pain of Your Cuff Tendonitis
Cuff tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendons connected to the shoulder joint. These tendons can be irritated by excessive use, which results in swelling and pain. Injury can cause tendonitis when the tendons are ruptured or if they receive tiny tears.
Pain relievers such as ibuprofen can treat minor cases of tendonitis and help reduce any swelling. Cuff tendonitis caused by sudden injury can be treated with the application of ice packs, since ice can help to relieve the discomfort of swelling, bruising and pain.
Ice or cold packs should be used intermittently for the first 72 hours after the injury. The packs should be applied for 15 minutes at a time every couple of hours whenever an activity causes symptoms to reappear. Heat should only be used to assist physical therapy exercises and not used while swelling is present, as heat will make inflammation worse.
When repetitive movement causes cuff tendonitis, you must cease the activity long enough to heal the tendons. However, during this period you should be doing physical therapy exercises. Stretching and strengthening the rotator cuff muscles is the goal of physical therapy.
Pain and inflammation may be relieved by cortisone shots into the shoulder joint if you suffer form a severe case of cuff tendonitis.
Surgery may be indicated if cuff tendonitis does not heal with other treatments and the condition interferes with activities of daily life. Possible surgeries include rotator cuff repair, tendon repair, and removal of bone spurs.
Impingement surgery may be necessary when there is not enough room to rotate the rotator cuff freely. The removal of bone spurs, and swollen bursa or even the shaving of a portion of the bones may be necessary with this type of procedure. The torn tendons may be sewn to the bone in the upper arm to help repair a rotator cuff.
The tendons of the shoulder area generally has a poor supply of blood, therefore, recovery from cuff tendonitis surgery is most often a long slow process. In order to keep the muscle from wasting away, physical therapy is vital. During this time, the arm may rest in a sling rather than hanging freely as is normal.
Arthroscopic surgery may be required to repair small tendon tears. It only requires a tiny incision, therefore carries a lower risk of complications with a faster recovery period. The use of a tiny camera at the end of a surgical instrument is inserted into the shoulder, this allows the surgeon to repair the tendon as he or she watches the camera feedback on a video screen.
Rotator cuff surgery is not a complicated procedure and is generally done while under a general anesthesia, sedatives or even local anesthetics. Any type of surgery carries its own set of possible complications, such as bleeding, infection or even a negative reaction to the anesthesia.
You may be able to successfully treat cuff tendonitis at home with the help of a physical therapist. Before resorting to surgery, many individuals take this option, since surgery is generally reserved for cases that do not respond will to any other types of non-invasive treatments as well as cases that may result from sudden traumatic injuries.
Tom Nicholson spends his time helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Please follow this link to learn more regardingcuff tendonitis.







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