Diagnosing Frozen Shoulder

To help your doctor or orthopedic surgeon achieve a proper diagnosis, he/she will begin with a medical history about you, your current condition and symptoms. He/she will inquire about the intensity of your present pain, the duration of your symptoms and the limitations you are experiencing. Details about what instigated the problem, when it started, and whether or not you have ever had treatments for this or a similar condition in the past, are very helpful in assessing your injury.

A physical examination will be performed to determine if you have any signs of frozen shoulder or other shoulder injury. Your doctor will visually assess and press on the bones and soft tissue in both your shoulders to evaluate sameness (symmetry) and recognize differences. This will identify any abnormalities, such as mild or severe inflammation, tenderness, fluid, bone or tissue deformity, weakened muscles, redness and/or warmth on the skin. He/she may ask you to complete a series of arm movements, such as raising your arms to the front, back and side, to measure your range of motion and see what causes pain and tightness. Some of these will be performed by you and others will be performed by the doctor. Generally you will not be able to move your arm in any direction at all (or just slightly) if you have frozen shoulder ­ whether you try to move it or your doctor tries to move it. If you have movement when your doctor moves your arm, you may be tested for other shoulder conditions.

Most Common Shoulder Diagnostic Tests:

Diagnostic tests will often help to obtain more detailed information about your shoulder condition.

X-rays provide an image of the overall structure of the shoulder, and are helpful in identifying abnormal bone shapes and/or spurs, arthritis, or calcific tendonitis.

MRIs or CT scans will provide more detailed information and will help to evaluate soft tissue (muscle, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue) injuries such as fluid in the shoulder, tendonitis and/or tears.

Arthrogram contrasts are special x-rays that show details of the shoulder capsule, such as a decrease in size (in a normal shoulder the capsule is rounded, but in a frozen shoulder the capsule is squat, square and contracted).

Blood testing can be done if the doctor suspects the primary reason for your frozen shoulder is a result of a systemic disorder

Our Cold Compression Wraps are recommended by several professional sports organizations, and countless medical professionals. That's why we sell them, because they are the best. 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. 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.

Ultrasound Therapy is also a helpful tool for pain prevention of a shoulder injury, and having a mendmeshop ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you have symptoms or are recovering from a shoulder injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your shoulder muscles, tendons and tissues, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.

In addition to using Cold Compression Wraps and Ultrasound, we also recommend Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy™, another innovative pain relief device from MendMeShop - this technology uses harmless infrared radiation to gently heat and increase blood flow to the treated area (similar to the effects of ultrasound treatment).

REMEMBER: If your shoulder is injured and you continue to strain it through exercise, rigid and solid scar tissue will replace the soft tissues elasticity. This will cause the soft tissue to ALWAYS hurt, during ANY exercise. This condition is essentially incurable, so if you're suffering from a shoulder injury, it's important to treat it and heal as fast as possible.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy™

During normal use, activity promotes blood flow through our body. Our body responds to the activity by sending oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the muscles, joints and tissue. When we are at rest, the blood flow to your shoulder is greatly reduced. But, when your shoulder is injured, it really needs the blood flow to promote the healing process. Since you can't work your shoulder without danger of further injury, you need to stimulate the blood flow another way. Our innovative Inferno Wraps give you the best Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy™ available. Inferno creates special energy waves that stimulate blood flow by penetrating through the outer layers of your shoulder. The energy waves reach deep into your muscles, tendons and cartilage, reducing your pain as they heal the inner tissue.

A Shoulder Inferno Wrap gives you unparalleled blood flow stimulation energy. 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 feel the soothing, deep penetrating warmth as it works to stimulate your blood flow, we guarantee it. Now you can reduce your pain and heal your shoulder anywhere with the comfortable, light weight Inferno Wrap.

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 "where 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.