BICEPS TENDONITIS

There are two heads to the bicep muscle — a short head and a long head. The long head is the bigger of the two, as you would expect. Its proximal tendon, located at the top of the shoulder, is the one that is most commonly irritated in shoulder injuries. When the proximal tendon of the long head of the bicep is irritated, it can cause pain and tenderness at the front of the shoulder. This condition is known as biceps tendonitis.

Biceps tendonitis is a common injury among athletes, usually developing from overuse. Sports that require repetitive arm motions can cause a player to develop microtears that lead to tendonitis. Motions such as throwing, serving, or swinging are the most common causes, so we tend to see this in baseball players, tennis players, volleyball players, and swimmers.

Sometimes, a case of biceps tendonitis is linked to other problems, such as shoulder instability or a rotator cuff tear. When we are diagnosing shoulder pain at MOTUS, we look at the big picture so that we can get to the source of the problem and treat it for the long term results and not just immediate symptom relief.

If athletes ignore a pain or discomfort in their shoulder, the tendonitis can get worse and become harder to treat.