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PNA RESEARCH CASE LIBRARYMusculoskeletal · 2026

Clinical Reasoning-Led Physiotherapy Intervention for Biceps Tendinopathy: A Case Report

Siddiqua Syeda Ummul, Kazi Md Azman Hossain, Fabiha Alam, Saleha Fazal, Farzana Sharmin, Md Mafrohi Sattar, Md Ershad Ali

Clinical Case Reports · 2026 · DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.72189

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THE CASE IN PLAIN ENGLISH

What happened?

A 56-year-old woman with chronic anterior shoulder pain was assessed using a clinical-reasoning approach and the ICF framework. The authors identified long-head-of-biceps tendinopathy in a presentation where overlapping shoulder conditions can complicate diagnosis.

Clinical findings

  • Baseline pain was 7/10 with restricted shoulder and elbow movement.
  • Shoulder strength was graded 4/5 and functional disability was substantial.
  • The assessment considered the clinical presentation within an ICF framework rather than relying on one isolated test.

Rehabilitation described in the report

  • A six-week individualised programme included pain management, manual therapy, range-of-motion exercises, strengthening and patient education.
  • The report describes a combined programme; it does not isolate the effect of any single component.

Reported outcomes

  • Pain decreased from 7/10 to 1/10 and muscle strength improved from 4/5 to 5/5.
  • SPADI decreased from 62.3% to 12%; DASH decreased from 55.6/100 to 9.7/100 by discharge.

Clinical lessons to consider

  • Anterior shoulder pain requires differential assessment because several shoulder disorders can overlap.
  • Combine impairment measures with patient-reported function when monitoring progress.
  • Use individualised loading and education rather than assuming one technique is responsible for recovery.

Limitations — what this case cannot tell us

  • Single-patient case report without a comparison group; it cannot establish treatment efficacy or causation.
  • The combined intervention prevents attribution of the observed changes to a specific treatment component.

Original source

Siddiqua Syeda Ummul, Kazi Md Azman Hossain, Fabiha Alam, Saleha Fazal, Farzana Sharmin, Md Mafrohi Sattar, Md Ershad Ali. “Clinical Reasoning-Led Physiotherapy Intervention for Biceps Tendinopathy: A Case Report.” Clinical Case Reports, 2026. DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.72189

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This page is an independently written educational summary, not a reproduction of the full paper. Check the original article for complete methods, outcome tables, references and licensing.