Have you ever experienced shoulder pain after performing a full day of yard work? How about after doing some spring cleaning in the house? Or maybe you had shoulder pain after lifting and carrying 25 bags of mulch to spread around your property. Yep, I’ve had that conversation recently with a patient. You may go online and see a lot of headlines about the rotator cuff muscles contributing to shoulder pain with these activities, however, that is not always the case. The biceps muscles are also hard-working muscles that can also be naggingly problematic in their own right. Understanding how the biceps muscles operate, which activities commonly aggravate them, and which biceps tendinitis exercises are best to do can be very helpful in preventing irritation of these muscles in the future. And if you already have biceps pain or think you do, I’ll show you how to confirm it while also teaching you exactly which Biceps Tendinitis exercises are the best for shoulder pain relief.
Table of Contents
Biceps Muscle Anatomy
The biceps muscle (known formally as the biceps brachii muscle) is a large muscle located on the front side of the upper arm situated between the shoulder and the elbow. There are two different heads to this muscle from where it originates in the shoulder, hence the “bi” part of the name. There is the long head and the short head.
Biceps Tendinitis/Tendonitis describes a type of shoulder injury that has caused inflammation to occur within the Biceps tendon/s. It usually affects the tendon of the long head of the biceps muscle near where it inserts into the shoulder. Tendinitis occurs within this tendon most often because this tendon works very hard to both bend the elbow (like when you pick up something heavy from the floor) and also to depress the round “ball” head of the upper arm bone as it rotates within the shoulder socket joint during reaching movements overhead.
How to Identify Biceps-Related Shoulder Pain?
The primary way to easily identify if the biceps muscle is producing your shoulder pain is to pinpoint the source of your shoulder pain.
Pain that is produced by Biceps Tendinitis will typically include:
Pain located on the top and/or front side of the shoulder
Pain that refers down the front of the upper arm, through the biceps muscle, and down towards the elbow
Pain reproduced with lifting and carrying heavy objects (i.e. carrying a heavy purse, bag, or groceries)
Next, you’ll need to confirm your suspicion that your pain is coming from the biceps. You can do this by gently pressing on the front side of the injured shoulder. You’ll feel a long slender tendon that rolls under your fingertips. This is the tendon of the long head of the biceps. If this structure is tender or painful and this recreates your shoulder pain, then that confirms that you are likely suffering from Biceps Tendinitis.
If your shoulder pain does not seem to be coming from these areas, then does your pain actually feel like it is located on the top/outside of your shoulder and refers down the outside of the upper arm? If so, you’re likely suffering from rotator cuff-related pain or bursitis. You should check out my articles on rotator cuff strengthening for beginners and rotator cuff stretching.
If you’re still scratching your head and not sure of what is causing your shoulder pain, then head over to my “Understanding Types of Shoulder Pain” article to learn how to identify the most common sources of shoulder pain.
What if I Heard a Popping Sound in My Shoulder When Lifting an Object?
Popping sounds can come from several structures in the body.
Synovial Joint Capsule Manipulation
- They can come from the synovial joint capsules releasing CO2 gases, which is what you hear when you crack your knuckles.
Tendons Sliding Over Bones
- They can also be caused by tendons popping or snapping as they pass over-top of a bone. This type occurs in the shoulder frequently whenever the tendons are inflamed and thickened such as in the case of Biceps Tendinitis. The popping itself isn’t problematic, though performing a motion repetitively that causes popping can aggravate the tendon further over time.
- This type of tendon popping is the most common and no loss of function is experienced other than the noise of the popping is unsettling to the individual.
Rupture of a Tendon or Ligament
- The third type of popping noise is the most damaging to the structures. This popping occurs whenever a tendon or ligament ruptures. It is usually followed soon after by pain, swelling, and weakness in the area. In the shoulder, this type of injury most commonly occurs to one of the rotator cuff tendons or the biceps tendon.
If the appearance of the biceps muscle immediately changes after hearing the popping noise, it is likely that the biceps tendon has torn or ruptured and the biceps muscle belly has retracted towards the middle part of the upper arm. This is referred to as a biceps rupture.
For those who have suffered a ruptured biceps tendon, surgical repair should be considered. There are some accessory muscles that also perform similar functions to the biceps muscle, so an individual with a ruptured biceps would still be able to bend the elbow and perform most lifting/carrying activities without issue.
However, for younger adults, a surgical repair of the biceps tendon would likely give the best long-term outcome.
Activities That Can Aggravate Biceps Tendinitis
The biceps muscle has two actions:
- Actively bends the elbow (i.e. picking up a bag of groceries)
- Actively turns the palm upwards (i.e. turning a screwdriver)
As a result, any activity that requires these two arm movements can aggravate biceps-related shoulder pain symptoms.
Biceps Tendinitis aggravating activities can include:
- Carrying groceries
- Carrying a heavy bag or purse
- Repetitive lifting (i.e. moving heavy bags of landscaping mulch)
- Repetitive turning of a screwdriver
- Lifting objects overhead
- Pulling heavy objects (i.e. starting a lawnmower with a cord pull-start)
Steps to Follow if You Have Biceps Tendinitis
- Stop doing any aggravating activities (temporarily)!
- Cold Pack: Ice shoulder 15-20 minutes (2x/day)
9.5- REUSABLE, LARGE SIZE
- LONG-LASTING GEL COLD PACK
- GREAT FOR SMALL BODY AREAS SUCH AS NECK, ELBOW, ETC.
- PROFESSIONAL QUALITY
- FILLED WITH NON-TOXIC SILICA GEL
- Massage the biceps muscle: The muscle will be tight and tender since it’s irritated. Gently massage the muscle to reduce the tightness and decrease the stress in the irritated tissues.
- Oral Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) medications such as Aleve, Advil, Ibuprofen, etc. can provide Biceps Tendinitis pain relief as they reduce inflammation in the inflamed muscle and tendon. These medications can be found over the counter in your local pharmacy or grocery store. Be sure to consult with your doctor before taking these medications to ensure that they are safe for you to take.
- Voltaren Gel– technically this gel qualifies as an over-the-counter NSAID, but is very effective in reducing muscle/tendon inflammation as it is absorbed directly through the skin reducing the inflammation in the tissues beneath the skin in that area. It is massaged into the painful area several times per day.
10- TWO 3.5oz/100g TUBES OF VOLTAREN PAIN GEL
- POWERFUL TOPICAL PAIN RELIEF
- NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
- NUMBER 1 DOCTOR RECOMMENDED TOPICAL PAIN RELIEF
♦Perform Biceps Tendinitis exercises that are described below…
The BEST Biceps Tendinitis Exercises for Pain Relief!
Wand Flexion Overhead
- Use any lightweight, rigid object (i.e. ski pole, golf club, broomstick)
- Allow the non-injured shoulder to help lift and lower the injured shoulder – this will help keep the movement less painful
- Raise the wand overhead until the onset of pain or stretch is felt in the injured shoulder
- Stop at this point, hold for 3-5 seconds, then lower back down
- Perform: 10 reps (2-3x/day)
Prone Shoulder Extension with External Rotation
- With the painful arm hanging off of a table or bed, raise the straight arm up to your side (hip pocket) while simultaneously rolling your palm outwards away from the body
- The thumb will be pointing towards the ceiling at the top position
- Squeeze the shoulder blade down and back towards the spine during the entire movement
- Advanced Position: Use Amazon Basics Vinyl Dumbbells (1-5 lbs.)
- Perform: 3 sets x 10 reps (1x/day)
Prone Shoulder Horizontal Abduction
- With the painful arm hanging off of a table or bed, raise the straight arm directly out towards your side
- Squeeze the shoulder blade down and back towards the spine during the entire movement
- Advanced Position: Use Amazon Basics Vinyl Dumbbells (1-5 lbs.)
- Perform: 3 sets x 10 reps (1x/day)
Side-lying Flexion
- Use This: Amazon Basics Vinyl Dumbbells (1-5 lbs.)
- Start with the hand elevated next to the hip pocket
- Keep the arm straight and shoulder blade pulled back towards the spine through the entire movement
- Pause slightly when the arm gets to the shoulder level, then return to the starting position
- Perform: 3 sets x 10 reps (1x/day)
Triceps Extension with Band
- Use This: Theraband Flat Resistance Bands (HEAVY, MODERATE, LIGHT)
- Hold the band up next to the shoulder on the non-painful side
- Pull the band down towards the opposite hip pocket on the painful side
- You should feel the triceps muscle working on the backside of the painful shoulder
- Perform: 3 sets x 10 reps (1x/day)
Corner Pectoralis Muscle Stretch
- Use This: Theraband Flat Resistance Bands (HEAVY, MODERATE, LIGHT)
- Stand with a tandem stance (one foot forward, one foot back) facing the corner of a wall or standing in an open door frame
- Raise both arms up into a “goal post” position
- Gently lean forward until a moderate intensity stretch is felt across the front of the chest/shoulders
- Perform: 60 seconds hold x 2 reps (2x/day)
