ORTHOPEDIC & SPORTS INJURIES
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Home > Blog > Physiotherapy & Hand Therapy > Conditions > Elbow Pain > Brachialis Strain Pain Physiotherapy
Brachialis strain or brachialis tear is a common injury that occurs when you overstretch or overwork the brachial muscle in the upper extremity.
It is typically characterized by:
If you often feel pain shooting up your hand during certain movements, such as turning a knob, holding a cup of coffee, or using a screwdriver, it might be due to brachialis tear.
Brachialis sprains are usually seen in people who frequently participate in physical activities like rope climbing or perform workouts involving a lot of pull ups and curls. Hyperextension or sudden forceful contraction of the elbow joint can also trigger brachialis pain.
The condition is not serious and most of the time, it can be easily treated at home. However, if the pain and swelling persists, you must consult a physician or see our physiotherapists or hand therapists as soon as you can.
In this article we discuss at length the symptoms and causes of brachialis strain. We also explore its treatment options and how physiotherapy can provide lasting relief from brachialis pain.
Brachioradialis muscle
The brachialis muscle is not a commonly known or discussed topic known to a lot of people, which is why many of them have trouble identifying pain associated with its overuse until it becomes too severe.
To understand the symptoms of brachial tear and what can cause the muscle to become strained in the first place, you need to know the location and function of the brachial muscle.
Understanding the anatomy of the brachialis can help you fully recover after an injury.
The brachialis is the main flexor of your elbow joint. It is situated about a centimeter away from the coronoid and attaches the ulna with the front of the humerus. It is covered by biceps brachii and has two main nerves running close to it – the brachial artery and the recurrent radial artery.
Simply put, the brachialis muscle allows you to bend your elbow. Every time you lift something that involves your elbow, such as
your brachioradialis muscle is activated.
A sudden force or extensive use of your arm or wrists may overload the brachial muscle. This can culminate in mild to acute inflammation and in severe cases, lead to muscle tear.
When this happens, you are likely to feel pain in the upper arm. At times, the pain might be accompanied by swelling, numbness, or weakness in the forearm or even fingers.
Delaying treatment and continuing to use a torn brachialis can increase your chances of developing tendinitis. If the muscle tears away from the elbow joint, it can lead to avulsion fracture that can greatly limit your range of motion.
At an even higher stage, nerve damage may occur and show as permanent deformity of the hand.
While it can be hard to identify the exact cause of brachial pain, muscle strain is usually the leading cause this condition.
There are many different factors that can result in the brachial muscle being strained. For example:
They can all contribute to a brachialis strain as they make the muscle tender, and eventually, painful.
A direct injury can also be the causative force behind brachialis tears. For example, falling on your arms or hitting your elbow against a hard object can cause this muscle to become damaged due to the sudden / forceful impact.
Extreme tightness of the muscles in your forearm is the most common symptoms associated with brachialis strain.
Generally, the pain intensifies when you perform certain actions that activate this muscle. This includes shaking hands with someone, opening a door, turning the gear stick with the affected arm, and so on.
The pain is normally felt in the forearm, but depending on the severity of the strain, the discomfort may extend to the back of your hand, especially the thumb and the index finger.
Other ways to identify a brachial strain include:
Brachialis strain and the accompanying pain, thereof, is widely confused with lateral epicondylitis (commonly known as Tennis Elbow).
Although the symptoms of brachialis strain tend to mimic those of a Tennis Elbow, the two conditions are totally different and thus, require different treatment.
Due to the location of the pain, brachialis muscle injury can also be confused with medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow).
Therefore, when describing your symptoms to a physician, try to be as precise as you can.
You doctor might perform additional scans to avoid misdiagnosis and pinpoint where the injury has occurred.
Brachialis strain is usually treated with massage and physical therapy, especially if the pain is mild to moderate. However, aggravated conditions may require supplemental medical treatments, such as cortisone injections. In extreme scenarios where response to conservative treatment methods is refractory, surgery may be required eventually.
People who experience a brachialis strain and seek professional help on time are usually able to recover successfully without the need for surgical methods.
If you are diagnosed with brachialis strain, your doctor may recommend traditional methods for pain control. Some of these are discussed briefly below.
As with most overexertion injuries, the first step to treating brachialis strain usually involves the RICE technique. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It can be effective if you:
While you can implement the RICE method for pain control at home, it is highly recommended that you follow up with a physical therapist for lasting relief from pain.
Our expert physiotherapists can have helped several individuals with brachialis strain get rid of the ache and can develop a personalized treatment plan for you too.
Broadly
speaking, we use special stretching and
strengthening exercises to alleviate pain and help the strained muscles
heal
naturally. Of course we will start the session by first doing in-depth
assessment and differential diagnosis, to pin-point exactly what the
painful condition is (accuracy is key) as well as what is the exact
activities, actions and habits that aggravate it.
If the pain is so severe that the patient has difficulty bending the elbow or rotating their wrist, we begin at the basic moves. Once the pain subsides, we use isometrics and strength training to gradually restore proper function of the affected parts.
Since we follow a holistic approach to treating all muscle and joint injuries, your treatment for brachialis strain might also involve:
Most injuries to the brachialis muscle heal within 6 to 8 weeks. Depending on the nature and severity of your injury, your recovery might be a bit longer or even shorter. Do not delay seeking professional medical help as it is the key to fast, proper, and lasting recovery from a brachialis strain or tear.
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Phoenix Rehab Group works with specialist physiotherapists and rehab therapists who are highly trained, qualified, experienced and passionate to provide high level of expert care to our patients.
HAND THERAPY & CUSTOMIZED SPLINTING
Patients who sustained injuries to their elbows, forearms, hands, wrists (sprains and fractures) and fingers, usually will benefit / require Hand Therapy to
Commonly treated hand pain injuries includes
REFORMER CLINICAL PILATES & WELLNESS PILATES
Clinical Pilates is a form of physical exercise that focuses on posture, core stability, balance, control, strength, flexibility and breathing.
It is a system of safe and effective exercises, which meet specific individual needs, to treat a wide range of injuries and conditions.
You may do Pilates as matwork or with the reformer or both, and every session will be customized 100% to your fitness, injury and tolerance.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM)
DEEP TISSUE RELEASE & SPORTS MASSAGE THERAPY
Sports and deep tissue release massage helps to increase nutrient-rich blood flow to tired, tight and tense muscles to accelerate recovery and shorten downtime / recovery period required.
It also prevents muscles from scar tissue micro-tears (and potential ruptures), and increases muscle performance. Having regular deep tissue and sports massage will keep your muscles healthy and fit with body/movement-confidence.
Read the benefits of regular deep tissue release therapy here.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
All our allied health therapists and TCM physicians are fully insured and registered with Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Board (TCMB).
See our entire team here with introductions and their specializations.
At the first session, our specialist physiotherapists will carry out a thorough assessment, helping them to select the most appropriate treatment to help you recover as well as provide treatment in the same session.
Follow up sessions are inline to provide expert treatment for your pain as well as prescribing specific exercises to reduce your risk of re-injury and giving you a long term solution.
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