Your biceps are used for far more than just doing biceps curls at the gym. These upper arm muscles are involved in almost every arm movement you do. However, moving your arm can become much more difficult and painful if you have bicep tendinitis. 

Also called an inflamed biceps tendon, this condition occurs when the upper biceps tendon is irritated or inflamed. One study found that biceps tendon inflammation accounts for 5% of all injuries to this tendon. A physical therapist can help you figure out the cause of your biceps tendinitis. They can help you find effective treatment for your inflamed biceps tendon as well. 

These three issues could be the reason you have biceps tendinitis

To determine the cause of your inflamed biceps tendon, a medical professional will need an in-depth knowledge of the human musculoskeletal system. That’s exactly the type of knowledge that physical therapists have. In fact, physical therapists can help identify causes of biceps tendon inflammation like: 

1. Natural degeneration — Osteoarthritis is the most commonly known example of a body structure naturally degenerating as you age. But joint cartilage isn’t the only structure that experiences this issue; your muscles and their tendons do, too. Natural tendon degeneration is a common cause of inflamed biceps tendons. 

2. Overuse — Body structures, like pencil erasers, tend to wear out faster the more you use them. That’s why people who do a lot of arm movements are more likely to develop biceps tendon inflammation. Some people who are more likely to experience this issue include: 

• Swimmers 
• Baseball players
• Tennis players

3. Other shoulder conditions — In many cases, an inflamed biceps tendon occurs along with other shoulder problems. For instance, rotator cuff injuries are a common partner of this biceps tendon inflammation. Inflammation in this tendon is also common if you have: 

• Shoulder osteoarthritis
• Chronic shoulder instability
• Shoulder impingement
• Subscapularis injuries

How can physical therapists help treat your biceps tendinitis?

There are many techniques that your physical therapist can use to address an inflamed biceps tendon. A few of these techniques include: 

• Therapeutic exercises designed to stretch and strengthen the biceps muscle and other arm and shoulder muscles. 

• Joint mobilization intended to improve mobility in your shoulder joint. 

• Trigger point release therapy that can help break up knots of tension in the biceps muscle. 

• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) that focuses on breaking up scar tissue in the affected muscle. 

Find effective treatment for your biceps tendinitis at Franklin Rehabilitation

Keen to find biceps tendinitis treatment that works effectively for you? Our physical therapists at Franklin Rehabilitation are primed to help you find the treatment you need for this issue. We can start by performing a free screening that can confirm your symptoms are being caused by an inflamed biceps tendon. Then, our specialists can build you a personalized therapy plan designed to reduce your symptoms and prevent a recurrence of this issue. 

Contact our team today for more information about how we can help treat your arm and shoulder issue or to schedule an initial appointment.