exploration: palpate the biceps tendon

yogabook / exploartions / palpate the biceps tendon

Palpate the biceps tendon

Feedback: We’d love to hear what you think about this description, give us feedback at:
postmeister@yogabook.org
last update: 29.7.2022
Name: Arm bend in supine position

Instructions

  1. Sit with your hip and knee joints bent in such a way that you can press with the palm of your hand from the outside with a certain force against the leg on the same side in the knee area, preferably against the lateral epicondyle of the femur. This can be done while sitting on a chair or on the floor. The arm is turned in far so that the inner arch points approximately horizontally to the leg,
  2. With the elbow area uncovered, find the biceps and palpate its course distally to the last piece of attachment tendon that is still clearly perceptible.
  3. Now start to bend the right arm slowly, maintaining the force with which the arm presses against the knee. Continue to palpate the insertion tendon of the biceps and observe how it gradually emerges from the inner elbow area.

details

  1. The moderately powerful pressure from the outside against the knee tenses the biceps, whose caput breve has an adducting effect due to its course medial to the glenohumeral joint, so that the biceps shows its contour and becomes recognisable and palpable.
  2. Even in people with very little body fat, the attachment tendon disappears deep into the forearm when the elbow joint is extended, where it finally attaches to the radial tuberosity of the radius. Depending on the tension of the biceps or pressure against the leg and clearly depending on the body fat, the tendon will be more or less easy to palpate and can be followed more or less far. However, it should always be apparent that when the elbow joint is bent towards 90° flexion, the tendon protrudes further from the inner elbow, which significantly improves the lever arm and thus also the torque compared to the fully or largely extended state of the elbow joint. This is one of the reasons for the striking difference between flexing the arm from the supine position and from a standing position in the arm flexion exploration.
  3. The biceps is not the only muscle whose insertion tendon exhibits such behaviour. This also applies to the iliopsoas, for example: if its insertion tendon still rests on the iliopectineal bursa and the pubic bone with a certain amount of pressure in standard anatomical position with a minimal lever arm, the lever arm is incomparably better at 90° hip flexion.