bicep muscle injury?

[jimrothstein]

I've been rowing for about 9 months and gradually increasing intensity, duration etc. (for health, fitness). 56-year old male; lost about 10 pounds; daily exercise now feels great (6x a week).

About 2 months ago, I added modest weight training 2x a week (again: health & fitness) and 'hurt' the area around my right 'bicep'. (I am right-handed.) No sharp pain, but holding pen has become uncomfortable. Now rowing more than 15 minutes seems to irritate muscle. I can feel something in arm. (not pain) and then don't want to hold a pen.

I've tried rest (1 week off); only do weights with my left side; greatly reduced rowing workout intensity and generally tried to 'protect' my right arm.

But the discomfort (again, no pain) in right bicep keeps returning when I row. I think the original cause was weights; but now muscle is unhappy.

Appreciate any thoughts:

-What have I done to my muscle?
-Should I see a doctor?
-Should I stop everything now, cold: rowing and weights? (yikes, I was doing so well!)
-How to heal?


Many thanks.

Jim

[Little John]

Go see a doctor, and try to get to a physical therapist (Dr. probably has to prescribe it for insurance to cover it). It might be nothing, but it's risky to push it.

[Bob S.]

Go see a doctor, and try to get to a physical therapist (Dr. probably has to prescribe it for insurance to cover it). It might be nothing, but it's risky to push it.

In some states (CA for one) a prescription is required even if insurance is not an issue.

[truth1ness]

Probably tendonitis. Which end of your biceps and what exercises were you doing? Get it checked out. But tendons take a long time to heal since they don't get much blood, so it's probably going to be a gradual recovery. The doc might suggest cortisone shots as a quick fix. This kills the inflammation, but does make the tendon weaker in the long run, so avoid it and give your body a chance to heal first unless you have a pressing need for the arm. Does ibuprofin/aleve help?

[HardGainer]

Tendinitis is very common, although if the pain feels more in the muscle belly than, say, around the elbow, it may be something else. Complicating matters is that pain can be referred. Rotator cuff injuries often refer down the arm, although usually on the outside (triceps side) rather than the biceps.

I've had a few dramas with tendons and in my experience PTs are better at diagnosing and treating this sort of stuff than GPs. For instance, I once recognized immediately that I'd ripped off my L distal biceps tendon and went to my GP about it. He diagnosed it as possibly a sprained supinator! So I took it on myself to do directly to an orthopaedic surgeon (who'd done a supraspinatus repair for me a couple of years earlier) and within a week I'd had the rupture confirmed with an MRI (a short waiting time for my country ... unless you're a National sports hero) and was arranging for a surgical repair of the tendon.