Lifting weights can do wonders for your muscles and bones but sometimes, overexertion can lead to torn tendons which can be quite painful. Not only that, your range of motions will be affected as well which can set back your exercise regimen. Most of the time, torn tendons in the biceps will need to be repaired through surgery plus a month long of recuperation. Eventually, you will need to retrain your injured biceps so here are some exercises that can help rehabilitate your muscles.
- Range of Motion. If your doctor has given you his approval that you can start exercising your injured muscles, you will need to start small first. A good way to test your biceps is to simply hold out your arms with palms facing upward. Bend arms at the elbows just like you would when doing a bicep curl. Try to bend your arm as far as you can go before straightening it out. Add some weights to your arm slowly as you progress with your exercise. You can start with a spoon, then a ladle, to hammer, and then eventually to a dumbbell.
- Single-arm Shoulder Flexion. Stand up straight with the injured arm at your side. Make sure that you keep your arm straight as you raise your arm in a forward position then up towards the ceiling. Stay in this pose for five seconds before going back to first position. Perform 2 sets of 12 repetitions. Once you find this exercise easier, add some weights to increase the challenge to your muscles.
- Isometric Training. Although the tendons in your biceps will be a bit sore during the first few months after you had your surgery, you can still do some easy isometric exercises along with your range of motion workouts. To do this, you should start by standing in front of a mirror with your arm flexed. Your elbow should be at a 45 degree angle Flex or engage your bicep and hold it as long as you can manage. This exercise helps boost blood flow and increase oxygen in the injured area which can help with the healing process.
Resisted Shoulder External Rotation. Stand in a sideway pose next to your door with the injured arm away from the door. Make a knot at one end of the tubing and secure it at the other end of the door by shutting it close. The tubing should be at the same height as your waist. The other end of the tube should be held by the injured arm. Place the hand of your injured arm across your waist. While keeping the elbow of your injured arm at your side, rotate arm outward and away from the waist. Go back to the first position slowly. See to it that your elbow is bent at 90 degrees and that your forearm is parallel to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Try to do 2 sets of 10 to 15 reps if you can.
