Complete rupture of distal biceps tendon

Hello everyone

I am a 51 year old male of reasonably good health. I am not diabetic, I have no history of tendinitis or other tendon problems and I am not on any medication. I work in an office, so no heavy lifting is involved.

I completely ruptured my distal biceps tendon a couple of months ago while trying to lift a heavy load and due to various circumstances I was not able to have surgery to repair it. I understand that the window of opportunity for the surgical repair may have closed and the truth is that my arm is nowhere near as bad functionally as I might have expected, so I do not really mind. I can currently lift objects of up to 10-15 kilos with no pain or noticeable weakness, although I have not tried to lift anything heavier than that. I suspect endurance might be an issue if I had to do prolonged activity but it I have not had the opportunity to test this in real life.

My question is more about the future. Are there likely to be any long term complications from essentially not having a biceps, for example in terms of shoulder stability? What would I need to do to keep my arm functional and avoid problems as I get older?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Apollwn,

Good to hear that you are doing well despite the injury at your biceps.

How do you know you completely ruptured your biceps tendon? Did you have an ultrasound scan/MRI? Sometimes some fibres remain attached, maintaining a good level of function. For example, many people have their rotator cuff tendons worn out/torn without knowing it.

It is difficult to say about your future. Some people deal with that perfectly while others may need surgery (maybe to other related locations, not necessarily at elbow joint because of changes of the physiological biomechanics).

Biceps brachii is a key muscle for elbow flexion and elbow supination therefore, an exercise protocol to properly restore these movements may be needed.
Yes, biceps brachii is also an important muscle for shoulder stability/motion so an exercise protocol aimed at the shoulder joint may be needed as well.
The fact that you are are doing well functionally, do not have pain and have limited weakness are good factors for recovery. However, I reckon that a physio assessment will help you better understand your case.

Let us know about your case.

Regards

Hello Guiydo

Thank you very much for your response.

Firstly, I know it is a complete rupture because I went to A&E at the time of the injury and they confirmed it. I say "confirmed" because I knew exactly what had happened. My biceps was all bunched up in the upper part of the humerus. Suffice to say I have a good knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

As I said, my strength and overall function is quite good. The doctor in A&E actually commented on how close to normal my strength was at the time. A few weeks later. I would say my strength was about 90%. I went swimming a few days ago (for the first time in many years, I might add) and I felt a bit of discomfort in the area when I tried to swim at full speed. Otherwise I have not experienced any serious problems.

Would it be possible to have surgery at some point in the future? What they told me in A&E was they surgery to reattach the tendon has to be done in the first few weeks, otherwise it may not be possible. I would be grateful if you could expand on your comment about having surgery in other areas.

Thanks again

Hi Apollwn,

I am very happy to hear that you went swimming and that you were happy with it. That's good news.

As I wrote, surgery in the future is difficult to say. It depends on many factors.

The fact of having surgery to other locations was essentially referred to the shoulder joint. The lack of stability provided by the biceps may alter negatively the stability and biomechanics of the shoulder joint. In the long term this may wear out structures that need to be repaired. However, this is not always true.

As I said, a clinical assessment may better clarify your case.

Please, do let us know how things go on


Regards