What You lot Need to Know About Biceps Tears

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The biceps musculus is a bipennate muscle (two muscle bellies). The two components are called the short head and the long caput biceps tendon. Each muscle has an associated tendon. The end of the muscle closer to the elbow generally has a convergence of the two muscle bellies and has ane tendon called the distal biceps tendon. The end of the muscle closer to the shoulder has 2 discrete tendons chosen the short caput biceps tendon and the long caput biceps tendon.

When an athlete or patient sustains an injury or in the absence of injury develops persistent symptoms, they should seek medical attention from a fellowship trained sports medicine specialist. While the diagnosis can often be made based upon the history and clinical exam, an MRI is often obtained to analyze the injury completely.

Prevalence of Injury:

Each of these three tendons can tear. Of the iii tendons, the long head biceps tendon near the shoulder is the more commonly torn, side by side is the distal biceps tendon virtually the elbow and the short caput biceps tendon about the shoulder is rarely torn.

The long head biceps tendon can tear without trauma in patients older than 45 and this ordinarily occurs in conjunction with rotator cuff tendon tears. These tears are often life-related, associated with more than of a degenerative process and tin can occur in males and females.

In the younger active population or athletes the long head biceps tendon tin can tear secondary to trauma (such as lifting a heavy box or at the time of a fall on an outstretched arm) or sports. In sports these injuries are ofttimes related to Biceps Labral Circuitous tears associated with the attachment site within the shoulder joint. These injuries can occur in throwing athletes, aristocracy swimmers, athletes involved in collision sports or weight trainers. These tears are sustained in both males and females.

The distal biceps tendon tears occur in younger patients often associated with trauma and in athletes engaged in weight training and collision sports. Occasionally, these tears are sustained in older patients who endeavour to for example, open a window that is stuck. Information technology should be noted that there is a gender specific difference in that most of these Distal Biceps Tendon tears occur in males.

Bicep Tear Handling:

In general, distal biceps tendon tears should be treated with surgical repair in well-nigh active good for you patients, while fifty ong head biceps tendon tears should be evaluated carefully to make up one's mind whether it is an isolated long head biceps tendon tear or combined with an associated rotator cuff tendon tear or a biceps labral complex tear. This typically will require an MRI for a thorough analysis. Treatment is predicated upon the results. Isolated Long Head Biceps Tendon tears are sometimes treated non-operatively in older, lower demand patients. Younger patients and athletes will benefit from surgical repair that is termed a tenodesis in which the tendon is reattached in an appropriate location to restore function and secondarily to improve cosmesis. Combined injuries that include rotator cuff tendon tears and/or biceps labral circuitous injuries more often than not require surgery for a satisfactory result with respect to pain relief and return to activity.

Returning to Total Activity:

When surgery has been recommended, the athlete should seek consultation from a fellowship trained (in sports medicine or shoulder and elbow surgery) orthopedic surgeon.

These repairs typically require several months for the athlete to get dorsum to their prior level of sports activity. There is a menstruum of biologic healing with sure restrictions during the first iv weeks following surgery. Progressive range of motion begins in the second month with early force and conditioning beginning after 10-12 weeks.

Dr. Frank Cordasco, sports medicine surgeonDr. Frank Cordasco is an Orthopedic Surgeon in the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery . The main focus of Dr. Cordasco's practise includes ACL and meniscus injury in the pediatric, adolescent, and adult athlete; shoulder instability; biceps tendon tears, rotator cuff and pectoralis tendon repairs, clavicle fracture surgery and Ac joint separations. Dr. Cordasco's enquiry and education activities parallel and complement these clinical areas of expertise.

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