Bicep Tendonitis

Posted by deborahs18 @deborahs18, Apr 9 6:51am

I have been dealing with chronic bicep tendonitis in my left arm for 5 years. I’ve had 3 cortisone injections over the years. The first one was very successful, the second was mildly successful and the third did nothing. I now have it in the right arm as well.
I’m curious to hear if anyone has had successful treatment of this condition.
The pain flares reach a point that I can barely push a shopping cart. Thank you!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Apr 9 9:49am

@deborahs18 I feel your pain! I have had tendonitis too many times to count, and treatment success has varied widely. Mine is complicated by both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, as well as the inability to use NSAID medication to manage the inflammation.

Here is what Mayo Clinic has to say about managing biceps tendonitis:
https://sportsmedicine.mayoclinic.org/condition/biceps-tendinitis/
I hate to ask a lot of questions, but we need a bit more info to lead you to the right discussions where you might get some helpful suggestions.

Can you tell us a little more about other bone/muscle/tendon/joint issues you may have? And are you being treated by an orthopedist/sports medicine doc, or your primary? What treatments have you used other than steroid injections? What imaging has been done to see if there are tears or other issues to address?

twistedwillow | @twistedwillow | Apr 10 4:02am

I went through all the stages like you and finally had very successful surgery for both osteoarthritis and a tear in the biceps. .

deborahs18 | @deborahs18 | Apr 12 10:55am

In reply to @sueinmn "@deborahs18 I feel your pain! I have had tendonitis too many times to count, and treatment..." + (show)

@sueinmn
Thank you for your response. Like you, I cannot tolerate NSAID medication so I use ice to try to get the inflammation down. I had an MRI 4 years ago that showed a small rotator cuff tear in the left shoulder. The problem has gotten much worse since then, and as I mentioned, I now have it in the right arm as well. I am scheduled to have an MRI in both shoulders in 4 weeks.
In addition to cortisone injections I have tried PT exercises which help a bit but not enough.