Rupture of biceps tendon/rupture | Therapy for biceps tendon inflammation

Rupture of biceps tendon/rupture

Recurring or severe inflammation can change the composition of the biceps tendon. It becomes less resilient and brittle. In the case of chronic inflammation of the biceps tendon or other inflammatory or degenerative diseases of the shoulder joint, the tendon may tear if the strain is not adequate.

More rare is the rupture of the tendon due to severe trauma. The consequences are pain and a loss of movement, the muscle belly may be shifted towards the elbow. However, the symptoms are often mild and the loss of biceps strength is minimal (about 20%) when the long biceps tendon is torn, so surgical treatment is rarely necessary. Conservative treatment with physiotherapy and short-term pain medication predominates.For aesthetic reasons or in case of therapy-resistant complaints, surgery may be advisable.

Bodybuilding

The overloading with accompanying inflammation occurs particularly frequently with bodybuilders. Isolated biceps training often puts too much strain on the tendon. Furthermore, the muscle also works steadily with other exercises for the upper extremity, so that overloading can quickly occur.

The wrong execution and technique during strength training can increase the mechanical overstrain of the tendon. A missing compensatory stretching program makes the situation worse. In addition, bodybuilders are often under high pressure to perform and ignore the signs of their own body, which should actually protect against overloading.

It is often continued with light to moderate pain until nothing more works and a biceps tendon irritation has already become an inflammation. An unbalanced diet can also influence the metabolism and supply of the connective tissue of the tendon. A balanced, long-term training plan that includes warm-up, regeneration and stretching is essential to keep the body healthy and efficient even during high-intensity strength training.

Summary

The biceps also has functions in the shoulder joint. Here it supports the lifting of the arm forward (both parts) and the spreading of the arm to the side (long head). The long head pulls over a long tendon between two bony projections on the head of the humerus to the shoulder blade.

The short head starts at another point on the shoulder blade. The long biceps tendon is susceptible to painful inflammation due to its course. The short biceps tendon, on the other hand, is very rarely inflamed.

These manifest themselves as acute pressure pain at the front of the shoulder, swelling, redness and warming along the tendon, as well as a painful restriction of movement when the muscle is activated. Changes in the structure of the vision may occur and in the worst case, it may be torn off. In case of a biceps tendon rupture, the muscle belly of the biceps is displaced towards the crook of the arm.

The function it performs in the shoulder joint, especially the abduction, can no longer be performed. Elbow movements may still be possible via the short head, but are restricted. The long biceps tendon is one of the tendons of our body, which tends to become inflamed due to its anatomical position and its often high mechanical stress.

Chronic inflammation can be accompanied by degeneration of the tendon and, in conjunction with other shoulder diseases, is often the cause of dislocation or tearing of the biceps tendon. A conservative therapy consisting of mobilization, strengthening and stretching as well as an improved movement sequence can alleviate the symptoms, but often has to be carried out on a long-term basis. Particularly in weight training and bodybuilding, attention should be paid to warming up, regeneration and a clean technique in order to protect the body from inflammation of the biceps tendon under such high loads.