The long head of biceps tendon and superior labrum can get a hard time in throwing athletes and patients that fall on their arm or shoulder. This can result in long head of biceps tendon pathology or SLAP tears, and cause ongoing shoulder pain.

A lot of our shoulder tests are non-specific, and are unable to identify particular structures that are irritated or painful in the shoulder. In the case of the long head of biceps (LHB) tendon and slap tears, there are a few useful tests that in combination with a good history can help you identify when the structures are involved in your patient's shoulder pain.

In episode 77 of the Physio Edge podcast, Jo Gibson, Shoulder Specialist Physio and David Pope discuss anterior shoulder pain, LHB pathology and SLAP tears. You will discover:

Anatomy of the long head of biceps tendon and superior labrum
Why the anatomy is important, and may be different to what you learnt at university around the biceps tendon and bicipital groove
The clinical presentation and relevant history of patients with SLAP lesions and LHB tendon pathology
Which patients are more likely to get SLAP tears following trauma
Special tests that may help you identify LHB pathology and SLAP tears
What information imaging gives us
When to request imaging for your shoulder pain patients
Different groups of patients that develop LHB pathology
Rehabilitation of LHB tendon pathology and SLAP tears
When to specifically target the LHB tendon, and when to target the surrounding structures for best results
Other areas to consider in your rehab beyond the shoulder
How the kinetic chain can impact shoulder pain
How someone's hop distance can influence their shoulder pain
How to start treatment of someone with an irritable LHB tendon
Important education components to include in your treatment
Time frames - How long do these injuries take to recover?
Which patients are suitable for surgical management?
Different types of surgery for LHB tendon pathology
Which SLAP tear patients should have conservative treatment?
How suprascapular nerve involvement can present following traumatic shoulder injury, and how to identify patients with suprascapular nerve compression

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Free video series "Frozen shoulder assessment & treatment" with Jo Gibson

Shoulder: Steps to Success online course with Jo Gibson

Improve your assessment and treatment of shoulder pain with the Shoulder: Steps to Success online course with Jo Gibson, now available for enrolment at clinicaledge.co/shouldersuccess

Links associated with this episode:

[Jo Gibson on Twitter - @ShoulderGeek1] JO
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077. Anterior shoulder pain, long head of biceps tendon pathology and SLAP tears with Jo Gibson

Physio Edge podcast with David Pope

077. Anterior shoulder pain, long head of biceps tendon pathology and SLAP tears with Jo Gibson