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// Timestamps //
Special Report! (00:00)
Video Overview (00:38)
Anatomy - Why It Matters For Climbing (01:14)
Who Cares? (02:15)
Risk Factors (02:38)
Crazy Case Study (05:03)
Symptoms (05:23)
Testing Yourself for this Injury (06:32)
Treatment (07:45)
The Big Picture (08:48)
// Intro //
Brachialis! The workhorse elbow flexor that literally is overshadowed by the biceps brachii. In this episode, we take a look at the brachialis, the prime elbow flexor of the arm. A muscle that has been misunderstood over the years, to the point where, even recently, text books will have inconsistent writings of origins, insertions, and even the fact that there are 2 muscular heads! So, stay with us fellow anatomy, rehab, and most importantly, climbing fans, as we look at the function, signs and symptoms of injury, testing, and rehab of the all important brachialis muscle (BM).
Side note, I want to explain that in general, brachialis injuries are quite uncommon. In fact, nearly every article I read (and reference in the show notes) starts something like “injury to the brachialis muscle is a rare injury”.. So, as you can imagine, there isn’t a ton of available published research regarding the brachialis and climbing injuries. BUT, we know that climbing places stress on the elbow flexors unlike many other sports, so we need to take the literature that is out there, utilize the knowledge we have of anatomy, and develop a deeper understanding of this workhorse.
// Anatomy //
The brachialis muscle (BM) has a superficial head (SH) and deep head (DH). The deep head, based on it’s mechanics, is best for helping initiating elbow flexion when the arm is in full extension. It also will continue to assist the arm through further flexion. (3, 5, 6). The SH helps in stabilizing the arm during mid flexion (5, 6) and really has its greatest mechanical advantage “when the arm is at 90 degrees flexion” (3). Together, the two muscles provide a sort of sling, which can provide a form of rotatory torque on the proximal part of the ulnar. This makes it well positioned to dynamically stabilize the forearm against rotation. In other words, it can help lock the elbow when it is threatened with rotatory instability (5).
// So, what the heck does this all mean for climbing?! //
Well, duh, a lot. It initiates elbow flexion, it sustains mid flexion, and it stabilizes against rotation (see: barn dooring). SO, I’ll let you take a moment and use your imagination on how it can help us with climbing.
OK, OK, I get it, it is helpful for climbing, why does it matter? Well, now, with more people being introduced to hangboard programs and doing home training (quarantine 2020), we may be doing more pull up variations, more lock off training, and we may set ourselves up for a new injury. So, let’s look at some of the common risk factors and mechanisms of injury.
// Climbing and Training Mistakes //
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// Image Attribution //
Anatomy: Anatomography / CC BY-SA 2.1 JP (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Stock footage provided by Videvo, downloaded from www.videvo.net