An Unexpected Cause Of Biceps Pain
Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert
Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney
It’s Spring In Florida
March is a beautiful time of year here in Florida, and it’s the beginning of Spring for our friends and relatives in the northern states. I lived most of my life in New York, and I loved when the purple crocuses started peeping up through the snow. Spring was on its way!
Of course, on March 17th there is also that fun holiday – St. Patrick’s Day. The parade in New York City is the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world, followed by Dublin. In fact, the first parade in New York was in 1762, a full 14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a huge party, a parade that lasts for hours officially, and then the party continues for many more hours unofficially.
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! So, whether you are born Irish, or you’re just Irish for the day, I wish you this popular Irish blessing…
“May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
And may the sun shine be warm upon your face.”
A Tiny Muscle Can Cause Shoulder And Arm Pain
A tiny muscle that can cause biceps pain.
There is a pencil thin muscle that runs from the cartilage of your 1st rib to the end of your clavicle (collar bone). The name of the muscle is Subclavius.
The subclavius muscle lifts your first rib when you inhale so your lungs can expand, and it also stabilizes the joint between your clavicle and your sternum. It’s a small muscle and most people aren’t aware of it, or how it helps us.
Normally this muscle is not repetitively strained, however during a time of rapid breathing it can go into spasm. Perhaps you have a cough and you are doing sudden, rapid breaths. Or, maybe you are a runner and you’re breathing rapidly. Anything that makes you take deep breaths quickly can cause muscle spasms to form in your subclavius muscle.
As shown by the green shading on the chart, the referred pain for the subclavius goes across the entire length of the front of your shoulder, and then continues down biceps muscle on the front of your arm. The darker shading demonstrates where the greatest pain is felt. While the pain is most frequently felt in the shoulder, biceps pain can also occur.
An Unexpected Cause Of Biceps Pain
If you have pain in your biceps muscle, you may not consider that a muscle spasm in the top/front of your chest is the source of the problem. If rubbing and stretching your biceps isn’t giving relief, you are stuck for a solution. Yet, just putting direct pressure on the spasm, located at your sternum, just under your collarbone, will solve the problem.
Press your finger directly onto the spot. If you don’t find a tender point, move ½” toward the outside and continue pressing until you find a tender point. This is the spasm that is causing the pain pattern.
It’s as simple as that!
Wishing you well,
Julie Donnelly
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
About The Author
Julie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.
She has been widely published, both on – and off – line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.
Check It Out!
If you would like easy to follow instructions on how to relieve joint pain and muscle tightness from head to toe click here to check out Julie Donnelly’s Pain Relief System today. Whenever, I have pain and stiffness I use her techniques. They work!