The Painful Long Head of the Biceps Brachii: Nonoperative Treatment Approaches

Authors

Kevin E. Wilk, Marquette University
Todd R. Hooks, New Orleans Pelicans Basketball Team

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

1-2016

Publisher

Elsevier (WB Saunders)

Source Publication

Clinics in Sports Medicine

Source ISSN

0278-5919

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1016/j.csm.2015.08.012

Abstract

Pain associated with the long head of the biceps (LHB) brachii seems to be increasingly recognized in the past 4 to 5 years. The LHB has long been considered a troublesome pain generator in the shoulder. Abnormality involving the LHB brachii has long been an area of debate, with Codman in 1934 even questioning the specificity of the diagnosis of biceps tendinitis. Biceps tendon abnormality is often associated with rotator cuff impingement. Shoulder pain originating from the biceps tendon can be debilitating, causing a severe decrease in shoulder function. As a result of the frequent clinical presentation of biceps pain, there is currently a great deal of interest regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of biceps abnormality. This article describes a classification system of LHB pain and discusses nonoperative treatment concepts and techniques for the painful LHB.

Comments

Accepted version. Clinics in Sports Medicine, Vol. 35, No. 1 (January 2016): 75–92. DOI. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Wilk, Kevin E. and Hooks, Todd R., "The Painful Long Head of the Biceps Brachii: Nonoperative Treatment Approaches" (2016). Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications. 90.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/phys_therapy_fac/90