Bicep BooBoo?

November 21, 2008 8:09 PM

What muscle did I pull in my arm?

In June, I pulled a muscle in my upper arm trying to lift a heavy suitcase-like item. I stopped the gym for a few months, but the pain didn't seem to subside.

I thought it was my bicep, but I am wondering if it might be something else. here are the symptoms:

- I used to feel a sharp pain when I curled my bicep (for example, if I made my fist touch my elbow), but this pain doesn't seem to be there anymore
- I don't feel any pain when I do bicep curls at the gym
- I do feel significant pain in my upper arm, more specifically in the fleshy crook of my elbow, when I try to do pullups.

So I'm thinking it's not necessarily the bicep, but some other muscle that comes into play when I do pullups. What is that muscle and how can I make it better?

posted by bitteroldman to health & fitness (3 comments total)

Did you have a doctor check it out? You could've torn a ligament in your elbow.
posted by scabrous at 8:17 PM on November 21, 2008

Well, if your fist could touch your elbow, you must be pretty skilled. I think you mean "fist touch your shoulder."

This action is elbow flexion.

Two muscles that contribute to that action are biceps and brachialis. Brachialis is the stronger of the two, and is located more distally on the arm (meaning further down).

I'd recommend that you talk to a doctor or a physiotherapist or a orthopedic specialist.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:25 PM on November 21, 2008

Probably the brachialis, very easy to screw up.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:41 PM on November 21, 2008