Written by the Phoenix Rehab physiotherapy team.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H.Last reviewed 4 October 2026.
Biceps tendinopathy, often called biceps tendonitis, is an overloaded biceps tendon at the front of the shoulder, where the long head of the biceps runs in a groove at the top of the arm. It aches at the front of the shoulder when you lift, carry, reach overhead or do chin-ups, and the groove is tender to press. It rarely travels alone; the rotator cuff is usually involved too. Most cases settle as the load is adjusted and the shoulder around it gets stronger.
What biceps tendinopathy feels like
- An ache at the front of the shoulder, sometimes running down into the upper arm.
- Worse lifting with the palm up, carrying shopping with a bent elbow, reaching overhead, bench press and chin-ups.
- A tender spot at the front of the shoulder, in line with the arm.
- Sometimes a click or catch, which can point to the labrum where the tendon attaches. See SLAP tear.
Biceps or rotator cuff?
Often both. The long head of the biceps sits right next to the rotator cuff tendons, and the same overload irritates both.1 Pain on the outside of the shoulder, worse lifting the arm sideways and at night, points more to the cuff. See rotator cuff injury. The plan usually treats them together.
A pop and a bulge in the arm
If you felt a pop at the front of the shoulder, the pain eased, and now the biceps bunches lower in the arm (the “Popeye” sign), the long head tendon has probably torn. In older adults this is often managed without surgery, with some cramping and a change in shape; your doctor decides. A pop at the front of the elbow with bruising is different and more urgent: see brachialis strain or torn biceps tendon.
How to treat biceps tendonitis
- Change the load, don’t stop. Lighter, shorter-range curls and presses, carrying in two hands, fewer chin-ups for now. Complete rest makes a tendon weaker.
- Load the tendon in steps. Slow, controlled biceps and shoulder exercises that are built up week by week.
- Strengthen the shoulder around it. Rotator cuff and shoulder blade strength, so the biceps is not holding the shoulder together on its own.
- Injections are a doctor’s decision.
What we measure
- Strength. Elbow bending with the palm up, and shoulder rotation, against the other side.
- Range. Shoulder range in each direction.
- Load. The weight, reps and range you can handle without a flare the next day.
- Return. Bench, chin-ups, overhead work and sport brought back in steps.
Tested, not dated. You lift heavy again when the measures say so. Pain is the first thing to leave. Strength is the last to train and recover.
When to see a doctor first
- Call 995 for shoulder or arm pain with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating.
- Go to the emergency department now for a hot, swollen, painful shoulder with a fever.
- See a doctor the same day for a pop at the front of the elbow with bruising and weakness turning the palm up.
- See a doctor soon for a pop at the front of the shoulder with a new bulge in the arm, or pain that wakes you every night and is getting worse.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
If lighter loads have calmed it and each week you can do a bit more, keep building slowly. You are probably in Stage 2 or 3 of 4.
2. It has stopped improving
Three months of skipping chin-ups. It feels fine at rest. The first set of curls back, the shopping carried on a bent arm, and the front of the shoulder aches into the evening. Resting it calmed it down. It did not make the tendon or the cuff stronger, and that is measurable.
WhatsApp us · Get Assessed & Treated · One 45-minute appointment, $230, nett, no GST.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
After a biceps tenodesis or a shoulder repair, the stages are set with your surgeon. See physiotherapy after surgery. All of it runs on the four stages of the Phoenix Recovery Protocol.
Related reading
Sources: 1. Nho SJ, Strauss EJ, Lenart BA, et al. Long head of the biceps tendinopathy: diagnosis and management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2010;18(11):645-656.
Where we are
Clinics across Singapore
ORCHARD
400 Orchard Road #12-12
Orchard Towers, S238875
NS22 Orchard MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Orchard →
WhatsApp 8800 1830TAMPINES
9 Tampines Grande #01-20
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
Asia Green, S528735
EW2DT32 Tampines MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tampines →
WhatsApp 8780 9608SERANGOON
265 Serangoon Central Drive #04-269
S550265 · Lift C only
NE12CC13 Serangoon MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Serangoon →
WhatsApp 8892 4121TANJONG PAGAR
10 Anson Road #02-77A
International Plaza, S079903
EW15 Tanjong Pagar MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tanjong Pagar →
WhatsApp 8227 7074JURONG EAST
2 Venture Drive #02-02
Vision Exchange, S608526
NS1EW24 Jurong East MRT
Opening 20 October 2026
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Jurong East →
WhatsApp 8242 7340