When you're suffering from a torn rotator cuff, a muscle or tendon within this area of the shoulder has sustained a tear. This tear can range in severity from a very small split to a complete separation of the tissue, dictating the type of treatment necessary to heal the injury. If the tear is relatively minor, you may only need to use a form of cold treatment to help you recover.
Cold Treatment
With a torn rotator cuff, cold treatment is used to both lessen inflammation and decrease the associated pain. By reducing the temperature within the rotator cuff, you're actually forcing the blood, which is currently rushing to the tear in order to help heal the injury and subsequently causing the area to swell, away from the injured muscle or tendon. And since the blood is now moving away from the tear, the swelling should subside, thereby easing the pain.
More commonly known as cold therapy, a bag of ice is probably the easiest option to reduce the temperature along the affected tissue, but you may instead want to use a package of frozen vegetables or an actual cold pack to administer this treatment.
To use this method of treatment, simply hold the ice on the shoulder for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes at a stretch a number of times throughout the day. Any longer and you could risk worsening the injury. Cold is applied to the injured area for the first couple of days. After this time, you should begin to switch off between cold and heat therapy. You should see an improvement in your condition in three weeks to a few months.
Follow-up Care
As you allow the tear to heal, consider employing some follow-up care in conjunction with the cold treatment. Not only should this include the heat therapy, which is applied to the injury for the same amount of time as the ice, but you'll also benefit from a little rest and gentle exercise. Resting is simply taking it easy on your shoulder and avoiding those activities that could exacerbate your condition, such as tasks that require you to reach over your head. With exercise, you want to stretch the shoulder and later incorporate some light weight training to ensure you maintain strength, flexibility and full range of motion within your shoulder.
If the pain persists, or even worsens, take a couple of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and contact your doctor. The injury may be more severe than you think and medical intervention could be necessary to properly heal your rotator cuff.
Tags: rotator cuff, away from, cold treatment, heal injury, heat therapy, muscle tendon, your condition
