The upper biceps tendon attaches your biceps muscle to your shoulder. Overworking your biceps muscle and tendon can lead to biceps tendinitis, or an inflammation of the upper biceps tendon. Rotator cuff injuries that affect the muscles in your shoulder can make you prone to developing biceps tendinitis, also called bicipital tendinitis or tendinopathy. The primary symptom of biceps tendinitis is pain in the front of your elbow; you may experience a worsening of symptoms when contracting the biceps muscle. Stretches can speed the healing process.
Biceps Stretch
Stretching the biceps can loosen up tight muscles, which can be a cause of tendinitis in any part of your body. Stand with your back to a wall and stretch your arm straight in back of you. Rest your thumb on the wall with your palm down. Turn your body away from the arm that is raised; you will feel a stretch in your biceps. You can also perform this stretch using a table or chair as your support. Rest your hand on the table with your palm up. Lower yourself down toward the ground by bending your knees, while keeping your arm straight to feel the stretch.
Pendulums
Pendulum stretches flex your shoulder and the surrounding muscles, and can help maintain normal range of motion in your arm. Work slowly and gently, extending your arm only as far as you can without experiencing significant pain. Stand or sit up straight with your arm down at your side. Swing your arm back and forth, extending only to a maximum of 12 inches. Then swing your arm from left to right and vice versa. You should feel a pull; stop if you feel sharp pains. Gradually increase the diameter of your movements as your tendonitis heals.
Wall Walks
Stand facing a wall to perform wall walks, a stretch that you will feel in both your shoulders and biceps. Touch the wall with only your fingertips and keep your arms straight at shoulder level. Without moving your shoulders up or down, walk up the wall with your fingers. You may feel minor aching, but no sharp pains. Work up to five minutes of wall walking daily.
Arm Curls
Arm curls stretch and strengthen once you are well on the road to recovery, and several weeks' past the stage of acute pain. Use a light hand weight, a full 16-to-20 ounce bottle of water or a can of soup to provide gentle resistance without overworking your biceps. Begin with your arm outstretched and your palm facing up. Bring the weight up toward your shoulder by bending at the elbow. Hold for just one second, reverse direction and bring your arm back down.
