Biceps Brachii Trigger Points

Arm and Shoulder Pain from Biceps Brachii Trigger Point

The biceps brachii muscle is commonly injured with lifting and throwing activities. The eccentric contraction of the throwing motion often causes micro damage and tearing throughout the biceps brachii. In non-throwers lifting is often the culprit, pull ups, pulls, and dumbbell workouts lead to repetitive stress, strain, and eventual muscle tissue damage.

The biceps brachii muscle trigger points can radiate towards the elbow. Likewise they commonly radiate pain up towards the trapezius and lateral shoulder. When the trigger points radiate to the lateral shoulder people often associate this pain with rotator cuff syndrome or supraspinatus tendinosis.

Performing the orthopedic testing and muscle testing for the rotator cuff should not reproduce pain in the shoulder or arm. Resisted elbow flexion often causes dull or mildly sharp pain localized to the biceps brachii muscle. Resisted flexion may reproduce the trigger point pain up towards the lateral shoulder or elbow. Palpation of the trigger points reproduces the pain and radiation patterns.

Therapeutic treatments for addressing soft tissue injuries involve massage therapy, manual therapy, trigger point therapy, Graston Technique, or Active Release Technique. These treatments increase blood flow, decrease muscle spasms, enhance flexibility, speed healing, and promote proper tissue repair.

When these treatments are incorporated into a treatment plan patients heal faster and are less likely to have long-term pain or soft tissue fibrosis or scar tissue in the injured muscle. These soft tissue treatments are incorporated with therapeutic exercise and flexibility programs.

The upper extremity works as a comprehensive unit performing many of the repetitive tasks at home, work, and recreational sports. Injuries to one area of the musculature often indicate that additional damage has been incurred by other muscles. In treatment we often look through all the muscles of the upper extremity including triceps, wrist flexors, and wrist extensor muscles. The biceps brachii trigger points can occur with brachialis trigger points along with trapezius trigger points, or rhomboid trigger points.

In patients who are overcompensating for neck and shoulder injuries they are more likely to develop brachialis or wrist extensor trigger points because of their compensation movements to avoid neck and shoulder pain.

Many therapeutic exercises can help restore proper strength and endurance to the elbow flexor muscles. Isometric exercises are often the initial treatment exercises. Followed by single plane rubber band exercises for elbow flexion, extension, pronation, and supination movements. Dynamic exercises involving stability ball push-ups can be performed on the wall or floor. The more unstable of the surface the more effort and stabilization is required of all the upper extremity muscles.

Push-ups on a stability ball enhances neuromuscular learning throughout the neck, scapula, shoulder, upper arm, and lower our muscles. Additional strength exercises can be found on the arm and shoulder strengthening pages.

Biceps brachii trigger points are easily found and successfully treated. Reproduction of pain is one of the most important factors for a day to find the trigger point. Then proper treatment involving soft tissue treatments, therapeutic exercises, stretching, and neuromuscular learning can help prevent trigger points from developing in the upper extremity due to future home, work, or recreational activities.

Our Chandler Chiropractic & Physical Therapy clinic treats patients with a variety of muscle, tendon, joint, and ligament injuries. The clinic provides treatment for runners, tri-athletes, and weekend warriors in addition to common headache, neck, and back patients traditionally seen in Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy clinics. We work with all ages and abilities of the residents in Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa, and Chandler AZ.