Shoulder tendinopathy typically isn’t caused by a sudden injury, but rather long-term wear and tear on the rotator cuff. Jobs or activities that involve frequent use of the shoulders are often contributors to the development of shoulder tendinopathy. When the shoulder is overused, one of two tendons—the bicipital tendon or the rotator cuff tendon—can become irritated and swollen, resulting in pain and stiffness.

Typical symptoms of shoulder tendinopathy include:

• Shoulder pain when lifting with a straight arm, or while lying on the affected shoulder.
• Pain or clicking when the arm is held at shoulder height or behind the back or head.
• Generalized shoulder and upper arm pain, potentially all the way down to the elbow.
• As symptoms worsen, pain may become constant.

Shockwave Therapy Treatment

Because shoulder tendinopathy involves inflammation and irritation of the rotator cuff tendon, it is an ideal candidate for treatment with shockwave therapy. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is an FDA-cleared treatment involving the use of high energy acoustic waves to stimulate injured tissues. This nonsurgical intervention stimulates the generation of new blood vessels and nerves, and kick starts the body’s natural healing processes. With a few treatments, inflammation of the affected tendon is greatly reduced, eliminating pain and allowing the injured tissue to heal.

MYOSYTETM’s shockwave therapy allows people suffering from tendinopathy to experience almost immediate relief from their symptoms—and resolution of the underlying causes after a few treatment sessions—without the inherent risks of surgery or analgesics.

Additional forms of treatment, such as laser therapy and magnetic field therapy (PEMFT) also show great promise in treating some cases of shoulder tendinopathy.