When your elbow sustains a serious injury, your Scottsdale orthopedic surgeon might perform a unique surgical process known as distal bicep repair. Located at the front area of your arm, the distal biceps muscle is the one which allows you to bend the elbow and rotate your forearm. This is the muscle which contributes in part and is responsible for the stability of your shoulder.
A number of tendons are attached to the distal biceps muscle which is linked directly to the bone. This means that in the event of a tendon tear, the strength in your elbow and arm will be reduced significantly and you will find it difficult to turn your palm in any direction.
One other important characteristic of this unique injury is that once the tendon is torn; it won’t grow back or heal naturally. While minimal protection will be provided to your elbow by the other muscles of the arm, it still will not be able to function at a regular and normal level. You will have to get the torn area surgically repaired, or otherwise risk permanent weakness in your arm.
What Are the Causes Of Torn Bicep Tendon?
A sudden injury to the area is the main cause of distal bicep injury. For example, the injury can be sustained when you fall and extend your elbow straight out to minimize the impact of the fall. You may not realize the injury has occurred straightaway; it will only become obvious when you try to lift a heavy object and cause strain to the torn muscle tendons, resulting in pain.
What are the Symptoms of Torn Bicep Tendon?
You will hear a popping sound, followed by severe pain in the event that the tendon in your elbow is ruptured. After two weeks, the pain will become subdued, although bruises will form around the elbow and the forearm, as well as the occurrence of swelling around your elbow.
You will discover that your elbow and forearm will become very weak and unable to perform any movements, even if the severe pain has gone away. In the most extreme cases, a large bulge will appear in the upper arm or a visible gap.
What Are the Treatment Options For Torn Bicep Tendon?
It’s very important to have this particular injury treated within 2-3 weeks, after getting injured. The most plausible and effective treatment option for distal bicep injury is surgery where your orthopedic surgeon in Arizona will reattach the tendon to the bone through multiple procedures, whether by stitching the tendons together and drilling holes straight into the bone or by surgically implanting the tendon back to the bone.
While there’s some risk of possible complications with this repair procedure, majority of the complications that can arise are standard to every type of surgical procedure i.e. infection or severe bleeding. Any concerns of the patient regarding the risks and complications associated with the surgical procedure can always be discussed with your Phoenix orthopedic surgeon.
