The biceps is a two-headed arm muscle that starts at the glenoid cavity of the shoulder joint and ends at the forearm in the area of the elbow. It is responsible for bending the arm at the elbow and for rotating the palm upwards. The biceps consists of two tendons, one long and one short biceps tendon.
Usually the long biceps tendon is affected by the inflammation. The inflammation leads to the deposition of calcium salts, which limits the movement of the biceps tendon and causes more and more damage to the tendon over time. In addition to the biceps tendon, the supraspinatus muscle or other muscles of the so-called rotator cuff of the shoulder are often affected at the same time.
Cause
Certain physical activities can lead to inflammation of the biceps tendon. Professional athletes or people who engage in intensive sports are often affected. Among the sports in which biceps tendon inflammation occurs more frequently are weight lifting, swimming, ball and throwing sports.
Generally speaking: Sports that place a heavy load on the shoulder. In rare cases, inflammation can also be caused by trauma. Inflammation of the biceps tendon is often an accompanying phenomenon of another shoulder disease. For example, it often accompanies a so-called impingement syndrome or occurs as part of a rheumatic disease. This is due to the fact that the long biceps tendon runs through large parts of the shoulder joint and is surrounded by synovial fluid, so that it is usually affected by inflammation and other shoulder diseases.
Symptoms
The pain caused by the inflammation occurs mainly in the front part of the shoulder. The pain has a dull, sometimes stabbing character. Sometimes they also radiate into the elbows.
The inflammation is particularly noticeable as pain when the tendon is pressed or the muscle is stretched. Of course, the pain is also caused by movements in which the biceps is tensed, this is the case when bending the elbow, as well as when turning the forearm outwards. The pain also often occurs at night when lying on the shoulder.
There are often severe restrictions on movement. In rare cases, the inflammation causes swelling in the shoulder area. Some patients also report snapping or cracking in the shoulder area.
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