What are the symptoms/findings of bicipital tendinitis?
Achy anterior shoulder pain, worsened by overhead activity, lifting of heavy objects, and elevated
pushing/pulling. Rest is usually beneficial, whereas flexion of the elbow against resistance is detrimental.
Pain is vague, though at times it may become localized to the anterior humerus. On exam, there is point
tenderness over the bicipital groove, which is the area where the long tendon is anatomically exposed. This
lies 3 inches below the anterior acromion and may be best localized by holding the arm in 10 degrees of
external rotation. Pain also can be elicited by passive abduction of the arm in a painful arc maneuver
,which is typical of impingement syndrome, although at times it also may be positive in patients with isolated biceps tendinitis.
Achy anterior shoulder pain, worsened by overhead activity, lifting of heavy objects, and elevated
pushing/pulling. Rest is usually beneficial, whereas flexion of the elbow against resistance is detrimental.
Pain is vague, though at times it may become localized to the anterior humerus. On exam, there is point
tenderness over the bicipital groove, which is the area where the long tendon is anatomically exposed. This
lies 3 inches below the anterior acromion and may be best localized by holding the arm in 10 degrees of
external rotation. Pain also can be elicited by passive abduction of the arm in a painful arc maneuver
,which is typical of impingement syndrome, although at times it also may be positive in patients with isolated biceps tendinitis.