West Hollywood Chiropractic: Icing Exercises for Biceps

For twelve years I've been sports chiropractic in West Hollywood. I've seen my fair share of shoulder injuries and conditions. The one I see most is shoulder impingement syndrome, and I find the element most forgotten in this common sports injury is the biceps tendon.

Now you might think, "Wait...my doctor told me I have biceps tendinitis, but it just never got better." Right--because biceps tendinitis is only 33% correct when it comes to impingement syndrome. Two other elements play a major role in this sports injury--the supraspinatus tendon and the subacromial bursa--and so solely focusing on the biceps will not solve the problem.

However...when a shoulder impingement is properly diagnosed, and all instructions are followed, as far as treatment and icing is concerned, then the element I find most responsible for any stubbornness to healing and persistence of pain is the biceps tendon.

The final solution is two-fold. First is icing and cooling down that inflamed tendon. In the video below, I show the best way to ice the biceps tendon. It's important to get the long head tendon out to the surface--you'll get the most complete icing that way. To do this you will need to externally rotate the arm. I instruct my clients to do this seated in a chair or couch, or anywhere in which the arm can be help up and rotated outward. This movement brings the long head of the biceps from the deep interior of the axilla (arm pit) out to the exterior, and the back rest can be used to hold the arm in place, because remember icing should be done for fifteen minutes, no more, no less.

Watch the video to see how to best ice your biceps-persistent shoulder impingement syndrome, and we'll discuss the second step in a future post.

Advanced Stretches for Shoulder Pain and Surgery Prevention

I recently showed you a great shoulder stretch for relieving pain from a tight posterior capsule. As I explained in that post, that first stretch was the basic, and that I would show you an advanced stretch for shoulder pain relief and prevention.

The posterior capsule, when tight, can cause pain in the back of the shoulder joint (GH). A tight posterior capsule can lead to "dead arm" in throwers like baseball pitchers, shoulder impingement syndrome, and labral tears (SLAP lesions). Stretching the posterior capsule, consequently, can prevent the above conditions and even avert surgeries to repair  labral tears/SLAP lesions.

Watch the video below to see the advanced posterior capsule stretch. I call it the 90°-90°-90° stretch, but it also known the sleeper stretch. I advise any athlete that throws or uses a racket to do this stretch. So baseball and tennis players will get a lots of use out of this one. And I would do it daily. Studies show that Major League Baseball pitchers that incorporate this stretch into their routines have less shoulder injuries and repair surgeries than those not doing the stretch regularly.

And if you are just a regular Joe with shoulder pain, then definitely get checked by a Los Angeles sports chiropractor, but also try these stretches--they are that useful and can only help (people with shoulder impingement syndrome might have increased shoulder pain when doing this stretch--more reason to see a sports doctor). Enjoy.

Home Stretches for Shoulder Pain Relief

Posterior Capsule

Shoulder pain is probably the condition I see most in my Beverly Hills chiropractic practice. Because of the mobility of the shoulder joint, it is prone to all kinds of pain conditions. In an attempt to stabilize an often non-stable shoulder joint, the body will create certain circumstances that can lead to pain and discomfort of the shoulder.

One such situation occurs with a tight posterior capsule, which is a connective tissue at the back of the glenohumeral (GH) joint. When this tissue gets tight, it can cause a narrowing of the subacromial space, increasing the probability of pinching off and thus causing inflammation to the elements that sit in the space, or causing a shoulder impingement syndrome.

To stretch a tight posterior capsule at home you can do this following stretch (demonstrated in video below). This excellent shoulder stretch loosens the tight posterior capsule, allowing the subacromial space to open and thus preventing shoulder impingement.

Try the stretches in the video below to relieve shoulder pain and prevent shoulder injuries. But don't forget to visit your friendly neighborhood Beverly Hills sports chiropractor for shoulder pain relief.

Serratus Anterior Exercises for Shoulder Pain Relief

The serratus anterior is an oft-neglected muscle of the shoulder girdle, simply because the average person doesn't know about it.  As a result, it can get weak disrupting shoulder joint biomechanics.

The serratus anterior attaches to the shoulder blade (scapula) and the thoracic cage (essentially the upper and mid-back).  It's main function is to act as a scapular stabilizer; in other words, when we do shoulder movements, particularly reaching over head, the scapula must get locked into place against the t-cage, allowing unimpeded movement.

When serratus anterior muscle gets weak, stabilization is lost, and it can lead to a number of dysfunctions, including shoulder impingement (very painful), and degeneration (even more painful).  The classic postural sign of a weak serratus anterior is the shoulder blade protruding at its medial border, or the edge closest to the spine.  "Winging," as it's called, is not an uncommon sight among thin women (in fact, I observe it quite regularly here in Hollywood and Beverly Hills), but plenty of men have it too.* 

The answer to a weak serratus anterior is to strengthen it with an exercise called a press-through (aka push-up with a plus).  The actual movement is called protraction of the shoulders, which is the exact opposite of retraction (pulling the shoulders back).  I prefer the weight-bearing version for the use of gravity to help strengthen the muscle, but some people are not strong enough initially to do that.  For those that need to build up to the weight-bearing press-through, there are two alternate versions they can do.

And some people have difficulty just initiating the protraction movement altogether.  For these people, the neurological connection to the muscle and that movement has been disrupted.  The wall version of the press-through is what I recommend to re-establish this neurological connection.

Watch the video below to see a demonstration of the best serratus anterior exercise (weight-bearing press-through), as well as instruction on doing the two alternate versions.  Remember to build up to doing the weight bearing exercise, as this will ultimately give you the strength you need to maintain proper shoulder biomechanics.  As a plus, you'll reduce winging, which will look better as well.

*Severe and one-sided winging should be checked by a doctor as it could signify a neurological lesion of the long thoracic nerve.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Bicep Stretches for Shoulder Pain Relief

Shoulder injuries are some of the most common conditions people walk into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office with, and treating them can be tricky.  I find that shoulder impingement, along with rotator cuff syndrome, has become increasingly problematic for people, especially as people pick up exercise as a lifestyle habit.  Now everyone knows that I think doing so is of mega-importance to achieving and maintaining great health, but it's not without its challenges.

First, without proper form, most people lifting weights can cause injury to themselves.  So form is foremost, period.  This is true whether were talking about lifting weights, doing yoga, Pilates, or whatever.

Poor form during shoulder exercises can lead to impingement syndrome.  I find that in stubborn cases of impingement syndrome, the offending agent is an inflamed biceps tendon.  Please don't take this to mean that the biceps is the primary problem in shoulder impingement syndrome--it's one of three structures that can get inflamed--but it is the most often missed and neglected during the treatment process.

What you can do on your own to speed up the healing process for shoulder impingement syndrome is to ice and stretch.  Watch the video below to see the best home stretch for a biceps tendonitis.

When dealing with a stubborn shoulder injury (that means chronic, not one you've just hurt), go see a sports chiropractor right away.  But you can help your own case by icing and stretching your shoulder, particularly the biceps.  Enjoy.