Too hard too soon

So I'm about 2 months into my life as a climber and I've developed bicep tendinitis. I guess I got a little ahead of myself. I went from not being all that active to climbing 3-4 times a week and doing a lot of pull ups and push ups. I would love some recovery tips from anyone who has dealt with bicep tendinitis. Thanks!

climb 2 grades below your ability for a while.

Rubbing garlic cloves on your biceps twice a day should help. Keep consistently at it for 2 weeks and you will see the difference.

Try doing reverse bicep curls with light weight. Bring the weight up with your thumb foward and fingers towards your body then turn your fingers to the floor and slowly bring the weights down back to your side.

Billy G wrote:Rubbing garlic cloves on your biceps twice a day should help. Keep consistently at it for 2 weeks and you will see the difference.

That will definitely keep vampires away but do nothing for tendinitis.

Depending on your age the only real way to let tendinitus heal is to rest the affected area for three to six weeks. A little light activity to promote blood flow through the area is desireable, but the emphasis is on LIGHT, non-stressing. Alternating heat with ice is also very effective. Stick to slab climbing for a few weeks and work on footwork until you are sure that the tendinitis has completely subsided because it can easily be re-injured and instead of three weeks of time off you could easily ruin your bicep functionality for several months or longer.

Eccentric bicep exercises worked for me. Lowering a weight with the biceps while bringing it back up with legs.

Steroids

Drink 3 beers every 2 hours while reading posts on MP and responding by talking down and critiquing the techniques/advice/ethics of other climbers.
It won't do much for the tendonitis, but you'll feel better about yourself.

You should stay away from NSAIDS while following this regimen

3 out of 4 dentists recommend ignoring all medical advice dispensed on MP and seeing an actual medical professional.

Roll your forearms and biceps, with either a foam roller or Armaid, twice a day every day.

Thanks for the tips everyone!!

I had tennis elbow last year. I took 2 weeks off. First 2 weeks back it was all about technique. It forced me to focus on footwork and made me into a better climber. It was probably abut 8 - 10 weeks before I felt no pain at all. Oh and I climbed with a brace the entire time, even well past not feeling the pain.

Take the 2 weeks off. The way it was put to me was , it's either 2 weeks now or 6 months later. Grab yourself a foam roller too, I swear by those!

Ryan U. wrote:I had tennis elbow last year. I took 2 weeks off. First 2 weeks back it was all about technique. It forced me to focus on footwork and made me into a better climber. It was probably abut 8 - 10 weeks before I felt no pain at all. Oh and I climbed with a brace the entire time, even well past not feeling the pain. Take the 2 weeks off. The way it was put to me was , it's either 2 weeks now or 6 months later. Grab yourself a foam roller too, I swear by those!

Ya I just started using a roller and I think it's helping. My pain is up in my shoulder rather than my elbow. Anyone know if they make some sort of brace for the shoulder? I assume it's just a sling, which would make for some awkward climbing haha

I did the same thing when I first started climbing. It sucks, but you will need to take a month off and slowly ease back into it. After a month, make sure not to climb in the gym (or hard routes outdoors) more than two days in a row. You can still climb during the month off, just climb easy stuff outdoors where you are not having to pull hard. I usually work out 3 days in a row (1-2 days of climbing) then take a rest day and I don't have any issues with bicep tendinitis anymore.

Climb trad...

Sam Fox wrote: Does it hurt when you put your arm over your head? What about when you roll your shoulder joint around? Shoulder injuries are pretty scary! Especially rotator cuff injuries. Might be a smart choice to go to the doctor. I've heard that ibuprofen is good for tendon healing. Do you remember what the reasoning was behind that?

I did see a PT once. He just said to rest it, ice it and he gave me some rehab workouts. He did seem confident that my rotator cuff was fine so that was relieving. It isn't painful when my arm is above my head, it only is painful when I hold my arm straight out from my body. When my shoulder has to hold the weight of my arm basically

Nate Solnit wrote:Climb trad...

:D...I thought my tendinitis was gone then after a week of 5.8s in Jtree it came right back haha!

Go easy on it. I vote antagonistic PT and no NSAIDS

Micah Kurtz wrote: :D...I thought my tendinitis was gone then after a week of 5.8s in Jtree it came right back haha!

Probably still climbing above your grade most sport climbers do .

Greg E wrote: Too many big words for me to fully understand, but these generally say that NSAIDs are bad for healing. I have had a couple of doctors and PTs tell me the same. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/239… med.upenn.edu/orl/soslowsky… jap.physiology.org/content/… ismoc.net/sportsmedicine/no…

Not so fast. The UPenn study for instance, says it is beneficial after initial swelling. They hypothesize the initial swelling is beneficial to healing. If that is true than even an ice pack could be detrimental initially. They also applied the NSAIDs locally which most of us are not equiped to do. NSAIDs have their place, just like everything else and can be used properly or abused like everything else.