Biceps are an underrated muscle to everyday life. Especially now with a lot of people working from home and sitting at computers . Your biceps are constantly in a shortened state for 5-8 hrs a day. When you finally break from that repetitive motion you will more then likely have stiffness, less flexibility, and some pain/discomfort.
The bicep muscle has two tendons that attach at the top of the arm and scapula. These tough bands of tissue can become very sore and painful if they are over worked. Athletes , like baseball players, swimmers, golfers etc. Sometimes develop tendinitis. The connective tissue and muscle should work harmoniously together. There is a balance that needs to happen between not enough use and over use.
As a massage therapist when a client comes to me with discomfort at the top of the arm/ shoulder joint I think about,
- What action is causing the pain?
- What does the muscle need?
I would take the client through range of motion exercises to see how much flexibility the client has, and to determine where exactly the tension is originating . I would then spend more time working on the tissue to help create space and openness in the joint allowing the fascia(tissue) to glide over each other properly. Cups can really help with this!! But that’s another blog.
Sarah Paladin
