Ever had shoulder pain? So bad you couldn’t lift your arm up? It could be stemming from your neck or it could be coming from your biceps tendon. (Among other things.) But lets talk about the biceps tendon for this blog!

The biceps is a muscle on the front part of the upper arm. The biceps includes a “short head” and a “long head” that work as a single muscle. The long head runs through a groove on the bone.

When it gets irritated it gets inflamed. Think of extra fluid and swelling now inhabiting a space that is not large enough for everything. This can cause sometimes extreme pain.

Anatomy

The biceps is attached to the bones in the arms by tendons. The tendons that connect the biceps muscle to the shoulder joint in two places are called the proximal biceps tendons. The tendon that attaches the biceps muscle to the lower arm bones (radius and ulna) is called the distal biceps tendon.

There are a few tests that can be done to see if it’s a true biceps tendonitis.

• Speed’s test: A person holds her arm out with her elbow slightly bent and her palm up, while the health care provider presses downward on the arm. Pain in a specific area of the shoulder during Speed’s test suggests biceps tendonitis.
• Yergason’s test: A person bends the elbow 90 degrees (at a right angle) while gripping hands with the health care professional, who applies pressure to the arm. Pain in a specific shoulder area during the test suggests biceps tendonitis.
• Range of motion: Limited range of motion can signify biceps tendonitis
• Palpation: Tenderness in the front of the arm where the biceps tendon attaches is usually a good indication of a a biceps tendonitis.

Symptoms include tenderness in the front of the shoulder, which worsens when lifting overhead. Occasional snapping noise in the shoulder. Even though it hurts to move your arm, it is important to continue to move it so you don’t develop frozen shoulder.

Chiropractic

I have found with many patients that have biceps tendonitis, also have neck involvement. You will be tender to palpation on the front of your neck. This could be because you have changed the way you hold your arm, move your arm, or it could be due to a neck injury.

The brachial plexus is a bundle of nerves that runs from your neck and supplies your arm. Nerves control everything in your body, so it’s easy to see how the involvement can be common in arm, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand pain.

In our office, we use muscle therapy to help with the inflammation (pain). We also access the neck and adjust accordingly. When x-rays are warranted, we do take x-rays. We also have the patient use ice and after we get some relief of pain, we can start the patient on some exercises for the shoulder.

If you have any type of arm, shoulder or neck pain, give us or a chiropractor near you a call! I’ve always said start small. Conservative methods should be approached first, if they fail you can then move to something more invasive. Most of the time though, they are all that you need!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036