What Is A Bicep Tendon Tear?
A tear in the biceps tendon can be classified as partial or complete. In partial tears, the tendon is not completely severed, whereas in complete tears, the tendon splits into two parts. Distal biceps tendon tears are usually complete and involve the separation of the muscle from the bone. They are often caused by a sudden injury or lifting a heavy object.
Causes
A tear in the biceps tendon can occur due to various reasons such as a sudden injury where your elbow is forced against resistance or while lifting heavy objects. Other factors such as chronic tendonitis can weaken or tear the biceps tendon. Age, smoking, and use of corticosteroids are additional risk factors that can lead to tendon tears.
Symptoms
A biceps tendon tear can be identified by sudden and intense pain in the elbow. You may also hear a popping sound during the injury. Other symptoms of a tear may include swelling, bruising, weakness in the elbow, and difficulty rotating the forearm. A visible bulge in the upper arm may be observed as the muscle is no longer being held in place by the tendon. In addition, a gap in the front of the elbow may be visible due to the missing tendon.
Treatment Options For Bicep Tendon Tears
Non-Surgical Treatment
Rest and activity modification: Rest and avoid activities that cause pain and discomfort.
Ice: Apply ice packs to the affected area for 15-20 minutes, several times a day, to reduce pain and swelling.
Pain medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Physical therapy: A physical therapist can teach you exercises to help strengthen the muscles around the torn tendon, which may help compensate for the lost function of the biceps muscle.
Corticosteroid injections: These injections can help reduce pain and inflammation in the short term, but should be used cautiously as they may weaken the tendon over time.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: This treatment involves injecting a concentrated solution of platelets from your own blood into the injured area to promote healing.
It’s important to note that non-surgical treatment options may not be effective for complete tears or for people who require full function of their biceps muscle, such as athletes or manual laborers. In these cases, surgical repair may be necessary.
Surgery Treatment
Surgery to reattach a torn biceps tendon to the bone is typically not necessary. However, it may be recommended for patients with partial tears who continue to experience symptoms after non-surgical treatments, or for those who require full arm strength restoration, such as athletes or manual laborers.
If surgery is deemed necessary for a distal biceps tendon tear, there are several procedures that a surgeon may consider. One or two incisions may be made, and the tendon is reattached to the forearm bone using stitches through drilled holes in the bone or small metal implants.