Hi, this week's Stretch-of-the-Week will continue on with the upper arm stretches, this time focusing on the biceps. The biceps brachii is a two headed, two joint muscle which crosses both the shoulder and the elbow and therefore affects both joints. As you may conclude the biceps are primarily involved in the flexion of the shoulder and the elbow but it also help stabilize the humerous during heavy lifting activities. Stretching this muscle before and after exercise is important as it will prevent injury or strain which can very easily affect everyday life.

To stretch the bicep the stretcher must lie supine with their shoulder off the end of the table with your elbow straight and your palm facing inwards . The partner offers resistance by placing a hand on the stretchers shoulder and the other on their forearm and the stretcher attempts to lift their arm towards the ceilling. After this the stretcher relaxes and inhales deeply whilst the partner keeps the arm straight. On the exhale the stretcher contracts their tricep, deepening the stretch.

Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (blog #50).

Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Images from www.exrx.net