Shoulder pain is prevalent in the United States, 9% of American adults reported having shoulder pain in 2006 according to the CDC. Shoulder pain can be the result of many different things from osteoarthritis to a heart attack. One of the causes of shoulder and arm pain that commonly gets overlooked is bicep tendonitis.
The biceps muscle crosses the shoulder and elbow joints and its main action is to flex the arm and supinate the forearm. Both of these movements are used when opening a bottle with a corkscrew; supination to unscrew the cork and second flexion to pull the cork out.
Tendonitis is an inflammation of a tendon, the part of the muscle that attaches to bone. Symptoms of tendonitis can vary from aches or pains and local joint stiffness, to a burning that surrounds the whole joint around the inflamed tendon. With tendonitis, the pain is usually worse during and after activity, and the tendon and joint area can become stiffer the following day as muscles tighten from the movement of the tendon.
Biceps tendonitis can be confirmed by an easy and quick test. Start with the painful arm out in front of you with the thumb pointing up, have someone push down on the arm with even pressure, keep in mind that this is not an arm wrestling match. If weakness is shown, the arm pushes down easily, and pain in the shoulder is felt with this movement than Biceps tendonitis is a possible cause of the shoulder pain.
To confirm find the bicep tendon which is about an inch above the armpit and just inside the ball of the humerus, or the main arm bone. If tendonitis is present the tendon will be relatively easy to find, will feel ropy and exquisitely tender. Once the tendon is found massage in a straight horizontal fashion with the pads of the fingers, not in a vertical motion or in a circle but horizontal only. After 30 seconds or so repeat the thumb up test to see if there is any improvement, if the massage is done correctly the arm should be stronger.
This type of massage used is called cross friction massage and is great for tendonitis. Do this cross friction massage 4 times per day for 30 seconds to a minute each time, followed by ice to the area. Since it is an inflammation of the tendon doing some anti-inflammatory herbs would also help improve the tendonitis. Look for natural anti-inflammatories such as Devil's Claw and Boswelia, I personally like Boswelia Complex by MediHerb.
If diligent with the cross friction massage, ice and anti-inflammatory herbs the tendonitis should clear up in 2-4 wks. If doing a physical activity with the arm such as lifting, pulling or pushing do the cross friction massage before and after the activity. Also a good shoulder adjustment from your Chiropractor can put the humerus back in the correct place and decrease the chance of further injury.
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