Tricep or Bicep!

After a recent accident (2 Fractures & a lot of swelling near my elbow) my arm is now 40 Degrees from straight, and will not straighten up. I've searched the net and found an interesting article that explains that if the tricep becomes shortened then the arm will not be able to straighten. Is this the case? as It doesnt make a lot of sense as I would have thought that if the bicep shortened then the arm would'nt be able to straighten and not the tricep, I'm appealing to anyone out there with the knowledge to put me right and explain if this is the case?

hi, i think you are completely right. if the biceps is to short, you are unable to straighten the elbow, because biceps has the lengthen and triceps to shorten (contract if movement is active).
maybe the article ment if triceps is to weak? check it out again.
it can also be a capsular problem, after immob. the capsule tends to "shorten" and to fix the elbow. manual therapy might help.

good luck

Hi uknosferat2,

If the fracture happens at the elbow resulting to the shortening of the humerus,
the medial head of the triceps which is inserted in the olecranon process of the ulna would be affected most which contributes to elbow extension restriction eps. in the terminal extension strength for weight-bearing. In this case, it is the shortening of the humerus that leads to the decreased ROM of the triceps....

:D

Thanks for your input, I'm not so sure about the capsular problem as I've not worked out exactly what you mean, as regards to the fracture it happened on the Radius about an Inch from the top and not the humerous bone. I've been studying the anatomy of the arm for the last few days (nothing much else to do) and I've worked out when holding my arm horizonal or just letting my arm lose letting gravity do the work that most of the pain and tightness is eminating from the brachialis where the Tendon attaches to the bone, would this make sence as regards to the lack of movement i'm able to get out of the arm. If so what do I do, I know the obvious answer is see a physio, I allready have one booked for next week, in the mean time is it a case of support the joint and don't stretch or the opposite? Again many thanks for your input.

Hi,

If the tightness is in the brachialis muscle, it is because you are having Myositis Ossificans.There is warmth, restrcition of motion and swelling on the affected area. It is commonly seen on the quadriceps and the brachialis muscle. Joint mobilization, eccentric strengthening of the biceps and brachialis muscle are necessary.

Here is a link about the rehabilitation process of Myositis Ossificans.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pag...geindex=2#page

Do not fret and make sure you go and find a good physio.

Goodluck,
charlize29:D

charlize,
how could you possibly diagnose myositis ossificans from that info.
soft tissue shortening/capsular restriction post immobilisation most likely.

hi roycar,

This is in relation to his previous post regarding "bent elbow" he has posted it under general physiotherapy discussion.

Quote:

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4 Weeks ago I was involved in a cycle accident on a race day, To cut a long story short I was thrown over the bars and came down very heavy on my right hand , palm up. Xray showed two fractures, one to my wrist and one to my arm, and I know I stretched the muscles & tendons in my elbow with the impact as the area was swelled and gave me a lot more pain than the areas where the fractures occured. My arm was in a sling for 3 weeks and I've just started using it again.

My biggest problem seems to be my elbow, I am no longer able to straighten my arm and its about 20 degrees from being straight. I've had differnt opinions on what to do next. The obvious signs of swelling have gone but, I'm told that there could be swelling near the bone which will take time to go and the arm will straighten up or should I go Go to a physio and start stretching the area to bring it back into line, I've tried this at home with no success (gets pretty hot and a sprained feeling) and, the next day the arm is back to square one and I'm worried i'm prolonging the healing period! I'm still doing Rest, Ice ect and when I wake in the morning my elbow feels hot to touch, is this the healing process or just tight ligaments, tendons etc?

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He mentioned about the restriction and at the same time the warmth which is at the elbow. Characteristics of myositis ossificans are as follows: pain, tenderness swelling, warmth and loss of range of motion on the injured area.

those are the charcteristics of most soft tissue injuries. would require x-ray to diagnose myositis ossificans.

I agree that myositis ossificans can be diagnosed with an X-ray to confirm the findings.

I think a lot would depend on the end feel of the joint. You should try and see what the end feel is like. If its bony hard then could be myo ossi but i would only talk about it after xray confirmation. I however think its just post immobilisation problems which should resolve with manual therapy till then keep moving the arm within painfree ranges at least you can preserve what you have then rest of the range can be achieved later on