Bicep tendon inflamed

[Shane88]

Hi I've had troubles with my bicep tendon it got inflamed a few days ago and the annoying feeling is still there just in front of my shoulder, it's not painful or nothing but I can just feel my tendon slightly just wondering what would be best to do to heal it, allot of guys I've talked to at the gym get it allot also and Said they "work round it" but I'm afraid of doing that an just making it worse, but I still have been going but it's not getting worse or better so any help would be great...

 

[stevesmi]

when you pound away at an injury it will become chronic. those guys at the gym giving you advice i have to scratch my head and wonder if they understand that your injury will likely get worse without rest.

and if you take anti-inflammatories you can really screw yourself up long term.

 

[ExtraMile]

Since the post above just told you what is WRONG and not what to do that is RIGHT, I'll briefly explain the things I have used when I got an inflamed tendon:

used a combination of ice and heat. I would use ice for 10-15 mins then heat for 10-15 mins and alternated between the two

very light, high rep work on the inflamed muscle, mine was a tricep tendon so I did a few sets of 30-50 reps of pushdowns with an extra light band looped over a door

rest from weight work on the target area

mine got better within a few days, yours may take longer though if it's a problem that has lingered for a while...

 

[FlexManning]

It's really a tricky thing. Anytime you deal with pain in the shoulder area you have the same issue which is you're dealing with the most complex joint in the human body and to put it simply there's a lot of crap packed in there and any of it can go wrong and screw up your rotator cuff.

Of course you don't want to be stuck using NSAIDs long term, but I tend to think in the short term along with ice they may take a little pressure off the area. It's something you may have to consider if you do physical labor.

I'd strongly consider eliminating pressing exercises for a little while, and instead do some rotator cuff work, mainly external rotation. (For instance adduction on the cables with the forearm held at a 90 degree angle to the body and the elbow held in place at the side. The exercise where you place the elbow on your knee while you're on a flat bench with one knee high is great too.) As a bonus it's absolutely not unheard of for a guy to strengthen his external rotators with no benching whatsoever for weeks and actually increase his bench press. How can you lose?

I'm sure there are some rehab type exercises specifically for biceps tendonitis as well. The others are right though if you simply continue as you have been what you're gonna end up with is a torn rotator cuff and a lot of calcifications in the area assuming you don't completely tear the tendon.

 

[Shane88]

So you think still working out but will lower weight would be fine, I'm
Worried that it could make it worse by doing that...

 

[JAKE-PATRIOTS]

I damaged the tendon in my right elbow last August.

I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee with that hand for two months. Do some research and see if there's a movement you can do that will confirm your diagnosis. If it is a tendon, my advice is to rest it, you don't want to get laid up for MONTHS waiting for it to heal. FTR I still don't do skull crushers and it's been a year.

 

[FlexManning]

I damaged the tendon in my right elbow last August.

I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee with that hand for two months. Do some research and see if there's a movement you can do that will confirm your diagnosis. If it is a tendon, my advice is to rest it, you don't want to get laid up for MONTHS waiting for it to heal. FTR I still don't do skull crushers and it's been a year.

Did you lose any range of motion in that arm?

 

[JAKE-PATRIOTS]

Did you lose any range of motion in that arm?

Temporarily I couldn't use it at all. The mechanical test for that tendon is to hold your arm out straight, palm out and fingers up straight, like the sign for stop. Then pull your fingers back to you with your other hand. If the tendon is damaged you will punch a baby. Do the same thing with your fingers pointed down.