Bicept Tendonitis

Been there, done that. Have gone the pt route, the drug route and the surgery route. Most successful with the surgery route although sometimes need a "tune-up" with drugs and have had 1 steroid injection. I have had some success when the tendonitis flairs up with a biceps strap from Cho-Pat which goes around the upper arm and prevents the bicep from "rocking" back and forth. Does leave an odd tan line however in outdoor swimming! Technique can be part of the problem. Get that checked out and get some PT instruction in rehab exercises. I did the surgery after X-rays, MRIs and PT. Had surgery on both shoulders for impingement syndrome. Right shoulder has had 2 surgeries and left has had 4. The impingement syndrome is the most troubling of all (except for a stretched shoulder capsule) and after having one injection (not as bad as I thought it would be--had an orthopod with heavy sports background who gives quite a few injections to the biggest babies--the pro athletes!) and taking off a number of weeks from swimming--it did clear up. I've given this non-medical suggestion before on this forum--one cause of impingement syndrome can be your sleeping position. Having the forearm wrapped around a pillow and placing your elbow ABOVE your shoulder = impingement syndrome. Try to learn to sleep with an elbow BELOW the level of your shoulder--will help prevent/heal some impingement syndrome problems.

If the orthopedist is considering surgery, I assume you've had an MRI. Is your orthopedist a specialist in sports medicine (many are not)? You mentioned PT--how long were you involved with it and have you been following a home exercise program (elastic bands, etc.)? Are you taking an antiinflammatory agent? Did you stop using paddles? I think it all depends on the diagnosis. My understanding is that surgery can be avoided in many (most?) cases of tendinitis/swimmer's shoulder. The most frequent cause is a muscle imbalance causing instability in the joint and impingement of one of the tendons by the head of the humerus. Stroke mechanics can contribute. I would opt for the steroid injection before an operation. A rotator cuff tear is a different story.

Hi Danielle, I ended up developing bicep tendonitis while in college flaired up at the the end of polo season and steadily got worse as we started swim season. The school trainer was able to get the symptoms under control lots of PT (heat, ice, stretching and weights) plus anti-inflammatory and some reduction in my workouts - where the main focus was on technique which cured the problem, I have now been swimming incident free for over 10 years. Good luck - a second opinion wouldn't be a bad thing to get especially if your first opinion is really pushing the surgery. Good Luck. Jeff

The crazy part of this whole thing is....the doc would rather go in and scope the shoulder without doing an MRI. This makes me a little nervous. He said there is some instability in the shoulder which would need to be fixed as well. I'd lose a lot of flexablility in the shoulder which means not a whole lot of swimming in the near future. I was in therapy for over 6 weeks. I continued at home with the exercises but I don't think making all the fire runs was helping the situation. Thanks for all your ideas. Call me a frady cat because I really don't want to go under the needle or the knife. I'm thinking about finding a pilates instructor with some PT experience. Thanks again and keep on swimmin! :D

Most surgeons would like an idea of what they are facing when they get "into" something. The mri can give a better idea of torn muscles, inflammation and other soft tissue problems. The looseness in the shoulders is easily diagnosed by the manual tests the doctor gave you (hopefully) in his exam. It's called (I think) capsular instability where the shoulder capsule has stretched. I had an arthroscopic procedure in 1998 to "shrink" the shoulder capsule but I think alot of doctors have now gone back to the old open procedure. While I've had 5 years of success--many other people haven't had the same luck. If your surgeon does alot of shoulder work--he probably has seen quite a few examples of your current problems and pretty much knows what to expect. You're right about losing some swimming time--recovery isn't fun (I've currently got a friend in a sling from this surgery for 6 weeks) and then you've got the PT for a period of time. The suggestion of doing PT and even a Pilates instructor is good-- exercises can help strengthen the shoulder and even if you do have the surgery--the recover isn't as bad if you go in in good shape.

I just had an MRI on my right shoulder and the only two options given to me were a cortizone shot or surgery. I did the cortizone shot (my first ever after 25 years of swimming). I was referred to a Physical therapist who is a pilates teacher here in Salt Lake City to the help strengthen, stabalize, and rehab my shoulder. I am already feeling much better and don't have much pain in my shoulder. I'm not swimmng yet, but the out look is good. If you can find a good pilates teacher with some rehab or PT background I think this might be a good option to avoid surgery. Good luck.. Dennis

Reviving an old topic here!! Anyhow, as many of you know I have had problems with my LH shoulder which are improving with some exercises and some swimming. I have recently noticed a minor bump on the front of my shoulders, mostly on the RH, that I think is my biceps tendon. It grows when I raise my arm out to the side or when I flex my bicep. Two things bother me about it, it is slighlty tender and I don't remember seeing it before. I am thinking of swinging by my therapists office tomorrow and having him take a look to see if I am smoking crack or am actually on to something. Those who have had biceps tendonitis, does this minor swelling sound familiar?

bump...bump

If it is just tendonitis, the thing that worked for me when I used to play racquetball was a liquid called DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide). Type in the letters DMSO and read about it. Not for everybody, but definitely works for me.

I am inpatiently recovering from both a severe sprain in one rotator cuff, as well as severe tendinitis in both biceps. The MRI shows no actual tear. I can't swim, but I can finally brush my teeth. I see that options other than surgery or injections can work long term. I don't have to explain to you folks that I "need" to get back in to the pool. Therefore, my questions are, how long did it take before you could swim free, and how long did it take before you could swim fly after these types of injuries?