Distal (elbow end) biceps tendon repair?

[Simkie]

Soooooooo it’s now looking like I ruptured my biceps tendon at the elbow end sometime shortly after elbow surgery in Feb. BIG SIGH.

I have an MRI to confirm later this month & we’ll see what the surgeon wants after that. Hopefully there’s no massive urgency to fix this since we’re already well out of the “best to fix within 4-6 weeks of injury” time frame. I have shit to do this summer but am definitely noticing weakness. Hoping I can delay until fall or maybe even after Thanksgiving. :-/

But has anyone had to go through this, either a repair or reconstruction? Any feedback recovery, or your outcome, or how long it took to feel (and look) normal again?

[RMJacobs]

I know nothing about it, but am so sorry it happened to you.

[Simkie]

Thank you, that’s so kind of you! And me too, geez. Another elbow surgery sure wasn’t on my bingo card for this year.

The only bright side is this particular malady comes with something called the “Popeye sign” which hahahaha is hilarious. (Not as much fun to HAVE it but still kinda funny!)

[Marla_000]

Bummer. Sorry you’re facing this.
So how does one go about getting a Popeye bicep?
Did you know when it happened?
I swear, as I age I get more farm related aches and injuries.
Here’s wishing you a speedy treatment and recovery.

[Simkie]

Oh that’s the easy part, you just gotta detach the biceps from one end or the other

The best graphics show a rupture from the shoulder side of things, like here:

It just bunches up more toward the shoulder instead of the elbow, with a rupture on the elbow side.

I don’t know what I did. It was okay before I went in to repair a badly torn extensor tendon & address a median nerve compression in Feb. I kinda suspect that maybe the biceps tendon was on last legs, and releasing the lacertus fibrosis (which is kind of an extension? related, at least? to the biceps tendon) did it in. Hell, maybe the biceps tendon was toast before surgery and the LF was just doing the job. I dunno. The tendon looked … okayish … on the last MRI, but then I rebuilt some of my run in shed. And resided it. And put in a floor. Whoops. I totally agree that there seem to more consequences to farm work now, getting older. Dumb

Thank you very much for your well wishes!

[SpicyPRE]

What?? I nothing to add but wanted to say this just sucks and wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Simkie]

Thank you! It definitely sucks Kinda tired of an otherwise successful surgery coming with a surprise bonus surgery. Sigh.

[SpicyPRE]

UGH! Wishing you a speedy recovery!!