Though staying active during recovery is paramount, it's wise to avoid certain exercises that could exacerbate your biceps tendon damage. This includes any exercises that put strain on your biceps, such as lifting heavy weights.
It takes about 3 to 4 months for your biceps muscle to heal. You may be able to do easier daily activities in 2 to 3 weeks, as long as you don't use your injured arm. Most people who work at a desk job can return to work in 1 to 2 weeks.
For a barbell bench press or a flat dumbbell press, you can consciously reduce the range of motion, use a physical block to reduce the range of motion, or do something like a floor press. Alternatively, you might swap the movement out for a push-up and modify that range of motion as needed.
Stretching can help you heal from a muscle strain, as long as it's not severe.
Elbow flexion and extension
Gently bend your injured arm and place your palm up to your shoulder. Put your hand down and repeat the exercise 15 times. Your muscle flexes when you reach your shoulder and extends as you lower down your arm. Rest between 2 sets of this exercise daily.
The most important thing you can do for biceps tendonitis is to take it easy. If you feel discomfort or pain during any exercise for your tendonitis, stop and rest. You can use ice and standard pain relievers to reduce swelling and soreness.
Your initial assessment should ideally be within 48 hours of your injury. Above: Gentle massage can help in the treatment for a bicep muscle tear.
The most common symptom of a bicep tear or strain is a sudden burst of pain in the upper arm near the shoulder. You could also hear a “popping” sound as the tendon tears. Other signs that you may have torn a bicep tendon can include: Weakness in the shoulder.
Your doctor may recommend the following at-home treatments: Rest. Rest the muscle for a few days or until your doctor gives you the okay. If you have a minor muscle strain, you should be able to do some gentle movement after two days.
"Working out when sore is okay as long as it isn't affecting your movement to the point where it's causing you to compensate and do something in a way that's unsafe," says Dr. Hedt. "Muscle soreness can be a deterrent to exercising, but it's temporary and the more you exercise, the less you should feel it.
Push-ups. Avoid these until you have progressed quite a bit with the other strength training exercises, because they create a huge compression force on the bicep tendon. Push-ups often irritate the biceps tendon when you have biceps tendonitis.
The “long head” of the biceps tendon is much more likely to tear than the “short head.” Because the short head is typically still attached, most people can still use their biceps to move their arm, even when there is a complete tear of the long head.
Biceps Stretch
Stand in front of a wall with a 6-inch distance and raise your injured arm palm down, below your shoulder's height. Keep your thumb on the wall and gently turn away from the wall, stretching your biceps as you move. Hold for 15 seconds, keeping your arm straight. Repeat three times daily.
Since the biceps tendon takes more than 3 to 4 months to fully heal, it is important to protect the repair by restricting your activities. Light activities can begin soon after surgery. But heavy lifting and vigorous activity should be avoided for several months.
Of course, you want to give your body the proper rest it needs to recover immediately post-op or when an injury is more acute, but typically after the first 1-2 weeks, go for it! In fact, research shows that it is actually beneficial to perform moderate exercise when recovering from an injury!
Grade 1 tear:
Very few fibres are torn, only up to 20%. You can still pull on a heavy table or lift a full kettle, but pain can be felt during the use of the muscle. Recovery time: 4-5 days for healing to take place so that all the fibres can reconnect and heal.
The Yergason test requires the patient to place the arm at his or her side with the elbow flexed at 90 degrees, and supinate against resistance18 (Figure 2). The test is considered positive if pain is referred to the bicipital groove.
Partial tears may heal and may need protection during healing. Complete tears of the biceps tendon do not heal naturally as the tendon is pulled up into the arm by the biceps muscle.
To get to sleep with bicep tendonitis, it's best to sleep either on your back, or on the non-affected side – using the sleeping positions above. You can also incorporate gentle shoulder stretches into your night-time routine, making sure that you don't push yourself too hard.
Cold should be applied for 10 to 15 minutes every 2 to 3 hours for swelling and after any activity that makes symptoms worse. Use ice packs or an ice massage. Heat may be used before performing stretching and strengthening activities prescribed by your health care provider or athletic trainer.
Symptoms of a Torn or Strained Bicep
Sharp pain in the upper arm and shoulder. Popping sound or sensation in the shoulder. Bruising from the middle arm of the upper arm down to the elbow. Cramping of the biceps muscle during strenuous arm activity.