When you think of the biceps you think of the muscular portion 💪, but did you know the biceps tendon is a common cause of shoulder pain?
💀The Biceps spans from the radius ➡️ into two tendons. One inserts into the coracoid process of the shoulder blade (short head). The other tendon inserts into a intra-articular attachment to the shoulder labrum (long head)
🏋️♀️Long Head Tendon Biceps pain is extremely common in any overhead sport or activity, especially weightlifting. In most cases it’s not direct overuse of the biceps tendon that causes inflammation, it’s that the other rotator cuff muscles (supraspinatus, subscapularis) aren’t doing their job, creating compensation for the biceps tendon.
💢The other main cause of biceps tendon pain is direct trauma to the shoulder. Under age 40 there is usually damage to the labrum, and over the age of 40 it’s usually trauma to the biceps tendon itself.
👀Symptoms of biceps pain include painful clicking and popping, loss of power overhead, and either specific pain in the bicipital groove or deep pain within the shoulder.
❓Recovery can take from 6-8 weeks so it’s important to be patient. If there is significant loss of daily function and therapy doesn’t work, this is a condition where more invasive procedures CAN help.
