Heavy Bench Press May Lead to Ruptured Biceps
February 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Photo by Usdoestia
Nothing makes your “balls” bigger than showing off how much you can bench press to your fellow gym members, walking around the gym with your chest pushed out and your arms spread out to the side.
However, over working this exercise can rupture your long head of the biceps. This injury can be easily spotted with bulging biceps in the injured arm.
How Does This Happen?
Your long head of the biceps is attached to your shoulder joint (glenoid cavity) and radius (forearm bone). When you’re performing heavy bench press, it can be easily injured when breaking a fall during sports (snowboarding, skiing, and football) or overstretched arm during the down movement during bench press, incline press.
Who Does This Happen To?
This injury is most common in men who have history of rotator cuff injuries or shoulder dislocations.
Usually, the injury is managed without a surgery unless your job requires a lot of forearm movement. If surgery is required, it is best to get it within three weeks of the injury, after that the injured muscle retracts and the surgery becomes more complex.
Next time you hit the weight room, try not to show off.
Source: Sports Medicine Arthroscopy Review, 16: 148-153, 2008; 16: 154-161, 2008
