[jackman]

Yesterday, I was helping a friend load a 140lb spin bike into my truck. I took the heavy side and was very careful about the way I lifted the bike (which was in a carton/container).  As I hoisted the bike into the truck, I heard and felt a strong "pop" in my bicep region, near my elbow.  The pain was intense and my arm suddenly became very weak and I had difficulty supponating (spelling?) my arm - rotating it inward like when you shake hands. 

I immediately put the arm on ice for hours and took anti inflamatory drugs (ibu) until this morning.  The arm has no swelling and I have full range of motion.  It also has no bruising but is painful to move and very weak.  I've been doing some research and will contact my doctor tomorrow to see if I need additional tests.  The research is scary because they say if you tear this tendon or partially tear it, you need to have surgery in order to avoid perminant weakness in the arm. 

Has anyone experienced similar injury?  They say it's fairly common in guys in their 40's, a category to which I belong!  Thanks for the advice.  Not looking for medical advice, just advice of people who have experienced similar injuries.  I am really hoping it's just a sprain.  The pop I felt was real and I'm not looking forward to the doctor visit.

Cheers,

Jack

[Phil A]

Ouch!  I try to be really careful lifting things.  I'm almost out of my 50s (59 next week) and many moons (when I was a 50 year old baby) back I had built a raised landscaping bed next to the deck.  It took fifty forty pound bags of top soil.  The person helping me did concrete construction for a living.  He was unloading 3 forty pound bags and slinging them on his shoulder and throwing them over the fence.  I showed him I had no problem slinging 4 forty pound bags and throw them over the fence.  He looked at me that I was crazy (of course I was).  I was fine for about 2 weeks.  Felt a bit strange.  I could not sleep on my bed for 3 months from the pain (lazy boy chair) when I'd roll the wrong way.  It took a year of therapy and it was tendonitis and bursitis.  I'm probably 98% of where I was.  But it was a lesson.  I called the guy who was helping me and I told me I understood why there were not many 50 year old landscapers.  For the first time last year I hired someone to put down mulch and replace a couple of dead things.  He looked at my landscaping which includes tons of rock, stone and mulch and wanted to know the crew who put it down and I told him you're looking at him.  I did it very carefully and very slowly and a little at a time.  I hope you don't need surgery, but also don't expect it will necessarily disappear without doing something.

[JakeJ]

I feel your pain, brother, I feel your pain.  I tore my "long head" tendon five years ago and have never been the same as it cannot be repaired.  And they say we put a man on the moon, bah!  I have also had a torn rotator cuff, which can be repaired.  I did my injury attempting to lift a transmission by myself.  I no longer try to lift more than 50 pounds without help.

You have an MRI in your future.  From there the orthopedic surgeon will be able to tell you what is needed.  I pray it's a simple and easy remedy.  Mine was not and I would not wish it upon my worst enemy.

Keep us posted as to your progress

[jtwrace]

You might be a perfect canidate for
http://www.regenexx.com/

 My friend just had it done on his torn rotator cuff....

Also there is http://www.getprolo.com/index.html

One of our members is a Prolo doc.  Maybe he'll chime in.

[jackman]

Thanks guys.  I'm encouraged by the fact  that I don't have any swelling or bruising and my arm has full range of motion. I can also feel the tendon in the crook of my elbow so it's not torn fully.  I have no strength in my arm and have trouble holding a coffee cup.  Also, I  felt a sickening pop right before it went out, in the area where people who have had a tear describe feeling a pop.  The arm is very sore, especially when I turn my palm outward (like when you shake hands with someone).  Will continue with ice and ibuprofen, and hope for the best. 

I'm praying it's just a sprain or slight tear because my next two weeks at work will not allow me to go to the doctor.  I'm in London the week after next so I need to see a doctor next week if I hope to go at all!  Not the best timing!

Thank you for your kind words.  I hope to hear from someone who has been through this first hand.  Hopefully, the pop was not a sign of a tear!

Cheers,

J

[jackman]

You might be a perfect canidate for
http://www.regenexx.com/

 My friend just had it done on his torn rotator cuff....

Also there is http://www.getprolo.com/index.html

One of our members is a Prolo doc.  Maybe he'll chime in.

Very cool!  Thanks for the info.  This is something I would consider for  my surgically repaired shoulder (it sucks to get old!).

J

[mikef]

I (partially) tore my bicep near the elbow about 15 years ago. I was moving furniture at the time, and the edge of a table I was carrying slipped and slammed into my fully tensed bicep  - the pain had me rolling on the floor, yelling. My affected arm now has a depression in it where the bicep tore from the forearm. Luckily, it was a partial tear, and I can still move my arm fully, though I'll never be able to do 50-lb biceps curls again with that arm, which is noticeably weaker than the other.

The surgical options at the time sounded pretty unappealing to me. The orthopedist said they would drill a hole in the forearm bone (radius?), pass the end of the biceps muscle through it and knot it in place. The arm would be immobilized for a minimum of 6-8 weeks, then I would need 12 weeks or more of physical therapy. I voted against it, and the orthopedist agreed. I'm not sure if there are other better options today for surgery.

The only long term effect for me, aside from being weaker in that arm, is that I don't wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts anymore, as that arm looks kind of weird compared to the other one.

Good luck, and I hope your injury isn't serious!

Mike Fox

[gprro]

Ouch is right. Bad news is the pop, which is always sickening when you can hear it. Sounds (no pun intended) like something tore a little. Good news is hopefully not too serious. An MRI is probably in your future. If the muscle was torn you would have serious bruising by now I would think. I don't know how much tendon tears will bruise up. If it was a major or complete tear of tendon or muscle, your bicep would be distorted or balled up into your arm, and you have range of motion. May still be some partial tendon rupture, hopefully just rest will be needed.

I tore my chest (pec major) at the insertion point right in front and in the armpit. Within two days, the entire inside of my arm, down to the elbow was the sickest color of purple from the internal bleeding. Weird thing is it didn't really hurt, although it may have included some nerve damage. Couple MRI's and an orthopedic consult ended with no surgery. The first guy thought it would heal ok, and have an almost full return of strength. He was one of the surgeons for the Carolina Huricanes, and an arena football team. He was wrong. It's been 7 years and the strength is about 65% what it was on that side, and there is a decent hole where that muscle was. Another Dr. a couple years later said it should have been fixed and would have gone back in to fix it, but I didn't feel like being sidelined for another 3-4 months.

Good luck with it. If it's still off in a couple weeks definitely get to the doctor. I don't know if there is a time issue though. Hopefully one of the doc's on board can jump in. Protect it too, don't worsen it more.

Giyan

[jackman]

Hi Guys, thanks for the advice and encouragement. 

It's Monday morning and my arm feels better.  No swelling, full range of motion, no bruising, etc.  I still am very weak and the arm feels still and sore at the crook of my elbow and bicep muscle.  After a day, I'm convinced nothing is torn (no swelling or discoloration) and it appears the pop was not my tendon popping.  After doing some research, I'm very sympathetic to anyone who has gone through a torn bicep tendon.  On the positive side, if you have one, get it fixed right away and your chances of full recovery are very good. 

The operation involves attaching the tendon to your forearm bone.  Sounds painful but it's relatively straightforward.  If you don't get it fixed within a couple weeks (assuming you have a complete tear), the tendon will shrink and the corrective procedure is much more involved and painful (they remove a tendon fromo youor achillies). 

I'm going to rest the arm and continue Ibu and ice.  Will resume workouts  in a couple weeks.  Whew, I hope I dodged a bullet!

Cheers,

J

[Stu Pitt]

Jackman,

I'm an Athletic Trainer (Sports med, not personal trainer), so I have a little insight.  I deal with NCAA athletes, and haven't seen a torn biceps tendon, so take that as you will.

Just because there's no bruising or swelling doesn't mean there's no tear.  Its a good sign that it may not be a significant tear though.  I've seen people with significant hamstring strains/tears, and the bruising didn't surface for 2-3 weeks.

Its also a good sign that you have full range of motion, but there are a few different muscles that are responsible for elbow flexion that may be picking up the slack, so to speak.

Seeing swelling is an art, not a science.  Kind of like evaluating stereos.  I don't have exceptional vision, but I often point out swelling to my athletes who 'didn't see it.'

The best advice I have is to get checked out by a doc (preferrably an ortho) as soon as possible.  You could be doing your arm more harm than good.

A member by the name of orthobiz is an orthopeadic doc.  He may be by shortly.  Nice guy.

[jackman]

Update***

Okay, I never went to the doctor and my arm is slowly recovering.  No joke, it's way weaker than it was before the incident but pain is minimal and I'm starting to lift light weights. 

Thankfully, you  don't  need bicep muscles to ride a bike!  We are in bike season pretty soon and I'm more concerned about my legs.  If it continues hurting, I'll see a doctor and update the thread.  Thanks for all of the advice.  It's not a torn distal bicep tendon afterall because it would be much more painful and would not have recovered as much as it has. 

Thanks!

Jack