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kferg21
Feb 8, 2013, 4:55 AM
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I have started to climb fairly regularly recently and the my bicep tendon where it meets with the elbow starts to hurt after only an hr and half of climbing. At first it wasn't so bad but tonight it was killing me. I iced it for 20 mins on 20 min off, like I was told to when I injured my knee a while back, and took some naproxen sodium and the pain is starting to go away. Is this tendinitis? Also I know I should rest it and not climb for a while, but any idea on how long? Any braces I can buy that might help it? Should I go see a sports medicine doctor that I have access to?
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onceahardman
Feb 8, 2013, 11:00 PM
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kferg21 wrote: Should I go see a sports medicine doctor that I have access to?
yes
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kferg21
Feb 9, 2013, 12:35 AM
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I just wasn't sure if it is something serious enough to go see a doctor for just yet because I only see them for medical emergencies and this isn't life or death or anything like that. I don't want sympathy just advice from those who may have gone through this before.
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bs3589
Feb 9, 2013, 8:23 PM
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Unfortunately theres no set time to that it will take to heal, you simply have to listen to your body. If you do not feel noticeable healing progress after a week or two of staying off of it then you need to get it checked out by a doctor. The most important for you is to not over-exert your bicep, and prolong your healing time.
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jsunmatthews
Feb 11, 2013, 2:21 AM
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Be very wary of online diagnosis. That said, bicep tendinitis usually becomes worse at night. If you make a motion like you are throwing a baseball and the pain becomes intense, then yes, that is likely what you have. A simple way to make a slightly more informative self diagnosis is do what is called a hawkins test. Google it. It will help you determine whether or not you have an impingement, which is a precursor to tendinitis. Very often the condition is tied to shoulder issues, specifically lack of flexibility. Rest, ice it, take NSAIDs, and lay off climbing for a week or so. Perform some basic shoulder mobility exercises and you might want to look into a yoga class (not to get all granola on you but it will help). Age is obviously a factor. If you are young I wouldn't fret a doctor visit right now. If you're 60, god bless you for getting into climbing this late in the game. =)
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onceahardman
Feb 11, 2013, 11:57 AM
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jsunmatthews wrote: Be very wary of online diagnosis. That said, bicep tendinitis usually becomes worse at night. If you make a motion like you are throwing a baseball and the pain becomes intense, then yes, that is likely what you have. A simple way to make a slightly more informative self diagnosis is do what is called a hawkins test. Google it. It will help you determine whether or not you have an impingement, which is a precursor to tendinitis. Very often the condition is tied to shoulder issues, specifically lack of flexibility. Rest, ice it, take NSAIDs, and lay off climbing for a week or so. Perform some basic shoulder mobility exercises and you might want to look into a yoga class (not to get all granola on you but it will help). Age is obviously a factor. If you are young I wouldn't fret a doctor visit right now. If you're 60, god bless you for getting into climbing this late in the game. =)
The Hawkins test and throwing test you describe are for shoulder issues.
The OP actually describes a distal biceps issue ("where it goes into my elbow") I think the differential diagnosis here is actually biceps vs brachialis. Treating a shoulder impingement will have no effect on it.
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jsunmatthews
Feb 11, 2013, 3:52 PM
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Yeah, my point was he can rule out tendinitis by clarifying whether or not he has shoulder ligamentous instability. I think a lot of said issues are tied to the shoulder and the bicep is a secondary result. Granted....it's been a long time since I quit being a paramedic....and I was usually drunk on the job. 
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altelis
Feb 18, 2013, 5:16 PM
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jsunmatthews wrote: Yeah, my point was he can rule out tendinitis by clarifying whether or not he has shoulder ligamentous instability. I think a lot of said issues are tied to the shoulder and the bicep is a secondary result. Granted....it's been a long time since I quit being a paramedic....and I was usually drunk on the job.
You can't rule out "tendonitis" generally, but only to a particular tendon. You were describing tests for proximal tendons in the shoulder, where as onceahardman was pointing out that the OP was complaining of pain in the distal aspect of the arm, namely around the elbow. So the differential is more, like he said, biceps vs brachial is.
Also, shoulder ligamentous instability and tendonitis are not the same. I often find that if I am not 100% certain of the meaning of technical terms I can usually get my point across better, even to medical professionals, using plain english....
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Thxamil
Feb 27, 2013, 9:14 PM
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Take a week or so off, using contrast (hot-cold-hot-cold always ending on cold) to encourage circulation of fresh blood. When you return to climbing, avoid down-climbing, as eccentric (deceleration) movements cause the greatest stress on a given muscle. Take NSAIDs and use ice to manage pain/inflammation post workout.
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qtrollip
Feb 27, 2013, 9:24 PM
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No.
And this for a first post?
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bcrocks
Feb 28, 2013, 4:03 AM
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Had the same. Rest and put ice until pain free. Then do some controlled eccentric bicep curl with a light free weight (use your other arm to raise the weight up and then lower it slowly). Those eccentric mouvements will help in realigning the new collagen fibers and in reinforcing your tendon. You can go back to climbing gradually. Still put ice after each session to prevent inflammation. Continue the eccentric exercice regularly. An elbow brace could be used to remind you to be careful with the underclings... Good luck.
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bcrigby
Feb 28, 2013, 6:30 PM
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No to NSAIDs, unless you want to delay injury resolution. NSAIDs not only block the biochemical pathway which results in pain, it also blocks the biochemical pathways that our body depends upon to repair injured sites.
If the pain is too great and you absolutely feel like you need a pain killer, aspirin is better than the other choices out there. Aspirin, while still relieving pain, has also been shown to promote production of resolvins and protectins. Resolvins and protectins do about what they sound like--resolve inflammation and protect. They appear to play a role in resolving the acute inflammatory response, which in your case is what needs to happen.
Some other things to consider:
1. Natural COX-2 inhibitors such as ginger, rosemary, turmeric, and holy basil. These don't shut down the inflammatory pathways, they just down-regulate it so pain is not so intense but without affecting injury resolution.
2. Fish oil in sufficient amounts. 1.5-3 g/day is probably good without being overkill. This won't necessarily aid in current injury repair, but it will help protect from and resolve future inflammation. Resolvins and protectins are derived from the EPA and DHA in our cell membranes, and the EPA/DHA content of our cell membranes is directly correlated to how much EPA, DHA, and other omega-3s (like alpha-linolenic acid) we consume. It takes time to change the structure of our cell membranes, so this is a long-term action, not a short-term fix.
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