Shoulder Bi-Ceps tendonitis
Biceps tendonitis, also called bicipital tendonitis, is inflammation of the tendon that attaches the biceps muscle to the shoulder or forearm. The tendon most commonly irritated is the one that attaches the top of the biceps muscle to the shoulder, so it is this injury that we will discuss here.
The most common cause of biceps tendonitis is overuse from certain types of work or sports activities. Biceps tendonitis may develop gradually from the effects of wear and tear, or it can happen suddenly from a direct injury. The tendon may also become inflamed in response to other problems that affect how you use the shoulder, such as rotator cuff tears, an impingement in the shoulder, or shoulder instability
Biceps tendonitis causes
There can be multiple causes for biceps tendonitis.
The most common cause is an overuse of the biceps.
If you, for example, have worked out very hard on your biceps this can cause a small rupture in the tendon. To repair the ruptures, your body starts an inflammatory reaction.
The other possible cause for biceps tendonitis is compression between your upper arm and the roof of your shoulder blade. When the space your biceps runs through is too small for the biceps, it causes compression.
The compression irritates the tendon and can eventually also cause a rupture of the tendon. This can also lead to shoulder impingement syndrome.
Overuse of your biceps is the most common cause of biceps tendonitis.
It causes pain and a little swelling in the affected tendon. You can feel this both when you use your arm, but also when you’re at rest. Within a few weeks, the reaction disappears due to the healing of the tendon.
But sometimes the repair is insufficient. This can be due to overuse of the biceps during the recovery, which results in incomplete recovery.
When this is the case, you’ll continue to feel pain when you bend your arm lifting something, but not when he’s at rest. You’ll usually don’t feel it when just raising your arm without weight. It is irritation of the short head of the biceps, connected to your coracoid process.
When the space in your shoulder is insufficient for your biceps, the symptoms are different. Now you’ll usually feel it when bending your arm, but you’ll feel it when you lift your arm sideways. It causes pain at the outer side of your shoulder because it affects the long head of the biceps.
This is because the space in your shoulder decreases when you do this. Because space is already limited, it will cause compression of the biceps tendon which causes pain.
Because this happens every time, it prevents the recovery of the tendon. It maintains the swelling of the tendon and will keep causing pain.
Biceps tendonitis exercise 1: Increase the mobility of your neck
This might sound a little strange, but decreased neck mobility is a common cause of shoulder pain.
This is because when the mobility of your neck is insufficient, it reduces the space in your shoulder.
This can increase the compression of your biceps tendon, which is one of the causes of your biceps tendonitis not recovering.
It’s also a great exercise against neck pain.
But with this exercise, you will increase the space in your shoulder joint, reducing shoulder pain in general and also with biceps tendonitis.
Perform the exercise like this:
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- Wrap a towel around your neck
- Take with your left hand the right side of the towel and with your right hand the left side
- Now lift the hand that is in front up until the towel is at the same height as your cheek
- Now pull with your arm and the towel your head in the full rotation to the side
- Repeat this ten times and then change to the opposite side by changing your hands
- Finally, grasp the towel normal and lift your arms and look up at the same time
Biceps tendonitis exercises 2: Increase the strength of your biceps
The second exercise is designed to increase the power of your biceps.
When using your biceps doesn’t cause much pain anymore, it’s time to start training your biceps.
This will result in complete repair of the tendon which ends your pain.
You can perform the following exercise to do this:
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- Stand up straight with your arms hanging down
- Now bend your elbow
- Keep your upper arm still, don’t let your elbow come forward
- Repeat this ten times and do this three times
- When it doesn’t cause pain or is to easy, you can add some weight to it
Biceps tendonitis exercises 3: Improve the strength of your shoulders
The purpose of this last exercise is to increase the strength of your shoulder muscles.
Strong shoulder muscles prevent stiffening of the shoulder, which can lead to biceps tendonitis. By training your shoulder muscles you can prevent shoulder pain, neck pain, and arm pain.
You can perform the exercise like this:
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- Stand up straight and lift your arm sideways until it hurts
- Repeat this ten times and do this three times
- If this is to easily repeat it 15 or even 20 times
- You might also add some weight if it doesn’t increase the pain
*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
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