Distal Bicep Tear

Thebull

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
I have torn my bicep lifting a beer barrel at work a couple of weeks ago today. I have managed to continue working throughout the period at the time. I was given a sling when I initially had it looked at at A & E which I didn't wear. I have mentioned the injury in another thread but on Friday I had an ultra sound scan so I thought I'd Mention it here to see if anyone had a similar injury and could advise or discuss anything in regard to recovery.

I had the ultra sound scan on Friday and it confirmed the tendon has completely detached from the elbow. I am waiting to see the specialist on Wednesday morning but I think they will suggest I have an operation to attach the tendon back onto the bone. I've read online and others have mentioned at the hospital that the operation needs to happen as quickly as possible for the best chance to be a complete success. Leaving it for any length of time the muscle fibres can shorten (I think) making it harder to reattach the tendon. I had spoken to the one of the doctors after my first visit and X-ray as I'm due to go on a family holiday on the 7Th June? I was concerned I needed to have the op and he said he has completed operations up to 4 months after an injury that had been a success.

After my scan the lady at the hospital had said not to eat next Wednesday morning in case they decide to proceed with the op that day. Of course this isn't ideal due the holiday timing and I'll discuss this with them on the day. I did call the specialist on Friday but he is on leave currently and I believe he carry's out or approves all the procedures at my nearest hospital. I have been worried about the injury As I have lost a great deal of strength in my arm. I only get severe pain if I lift something or move my arm at an awkward angle. Up to now I have managed without pain killers.

As with any operation procedure there are risks involved which I'm sure will be discussed. I'm also concerned about having the op before my holiday as I think my arm would be in a sling. They also cut open the arm so if there were any issues after I'd be away and needing medical assistance abroad. I've obviously been looking forward to the holiday having fun with my wife little boy. Saying that the dilemma is I'm sure waiting another 10 days from the 7Th June would lower the chances of the operation been a complete success.

If anyone has had a similar injury or had this operation i wonder if you have any advice for me. It's been a difficult time for me as I'm fairly active and it's quite a long recovery period after the op.
 
Thebull said:
It's been a difficult time for me as I'm fairly active and it's quite a long recovery period after the op.

I'm sorry to hear about your plight. If you are relatively young and fairly active, then the surgery is worth it and should be prioritized. I'm pretty sure that whatever the surgeon recommends will be reasonable enough. If it is only 10 days of holidays, he might not find any trouble in delaying the surgery.

If he recommends having the surgery ASAP, then look at it this way: you can always go on holidays at another time. It is not everyday that you tear your distal bicep tendon.
 
Gaby said:
Thebull said:
It's been a difficult time for me as I'm fairly active and it's quite a long recovery period after the op.

I'm sorry to hear about your plight. If you are relatively young and fairly active, then the surgery is worth it and should be prioritized. I'm pretty sure that whatever the surgeon recommends will be reasonable enough. If it is only 10 days of holidays, he might not find any trouble in delaying the surgery.

If he recommends having the surgery ASAP, then look at it this way: you can always go on holidays at another time. It is not everyday that you tear your distal bicep tendon.
I'm a relatively young 46 year old ;D so maybe not young in there eyes but only in my own head.

I've been coming to terms with what's happened and it's been a busy week for me. I will take the advice from the hospital and we'll see what happens. It will probably mean a period of time off work as well but not much I can do about that.
 
That does sound very nasty. My first instinct would be to get that sorted ASAP - but if you delay by only 10 days then there may not be much difference in terms of operation success. In fact it may give you more time to relax and for inflammation to calm down, possibly helping the operation go better. Holidays are important too, and they don't come often enough.
 
My sibling had a biceps rupture. She waited a long time for diagnosis and treatment. Now, she is told nothing can be done. She has chronic pain, limited movement (now affecting her shoulder too) and some arm atrophy. The injury came from lifting milk cans.
There are a number of new ways to re-attach tendons. Tendons themselves have a very limited blood supply and are v e r y slow to heal.
I (personally) would go for sooner rather than later repair. Let your attending physician guide you, as there may be other factors that influence his recommendation one way or another, relating to your case in particular.
Would it be possible to have the surgery and use the vacation as a relaxing recovery period? You might need to arrange in advance some care option at your destination, in case of complication.
I think it is going to be a while before you are picking up beer barrels again. Bone broth highly recommended.

I find it useful to ask providers a question like this: What would you do if it was your arm?
Or... What would you tell your brother/sister/mother to do? Often the answer will be a bit different.

Example: I took my mom (82) for a mammogram. Dreaded spots! They were all about getting guided needle biopsy asap. I asked the radiologist what he would advise his own mother to do if this were her image. Answer: These spots are actually pretty common. Come back in 6 months to make sure there is no change for worse. We did. Spots gone.
 
Sorry to hear about this, Thebull. Other than looking after the inflammation pre and post op, one thing that came to mind was homoeopathic Comfrey cream (great for healing bones, ligaments and tendons). Here in Australia it is made by a company called Martin & Pleasance. You can also get Arnica cream too, but that is more for bruising and sore muscles. I would also use DMSO cream after the comfrey has been rubbed in, to increase the absorption. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Sorry to hear about this Thebull. As Arwenn mentioned, comfrey is a well known herbal treatment for muscle tears and bone fractures. Other than that, I'm curious to know how much water you are drinking daily, and what kind of water do you drink?
 
Hi thebull I'm also sorry to hear that, on the up side at least you have a diagnosis and can deal with the problem, not sure if you've already come across this http://www.houstonmethodist.org/orthopedics/where-does-it-hurt/elbow/distal-biceps-rupture/
I found it pretty informative and interesting in regards to distal bicep tears. After surgery hopefully your doctor will refer you to a physio, if not it may be worth looking around for a qualified sports massage therapist or physio or even just a massage therapist that has the knowledge and skills to treat injuries as massage can support healing and lesson tension in muscles that may be put under added pressure because of the damage to your biceps tendon, I hope you have a smooth recovery :)
 
Yupo said:
I (personally) would go for sooner rather than later repair. Let your attending physician guide you, as there may be other factors that influence his recommendation one way or another, relating to your case in particular.
Would it be possible to have the surgery and use the vacation as a relaxing recovery period? You might need to arrange in advance some care option at your destination, in case of complication.
I think it is going to be a while before you are picking up beer barrels again. Bone broth highly recommended.

I find it useful to ask providers a question like this: What would you do if it was your arm?
Or... What would you tell your brother/sister/mother to do? Often the answer will be a bit different.

Example: I took my mom (82) for a mammogram. Dreaded spots! They were all about getting guided needle biopsy asap. I asked the radiologist what he would advise his own mother to do if this were her image. Answer: These spots are actually pretty common. Come back in 6 months to make sure there is no change for worse. We did. Spots gone.
Yes I thought about using the holiday as a recuperation period if I have the op immediately. I would need advice on the health care I could organise at my holiday destination and that is one of the draw backs of an early op. I'm at the hospital Wednesday and it will be decided on the day.

I've been looking into bone broth products on Amazon but I avoided purchasing as I thought they were expensive. I'm not sure I would have time to make my own. Any advice in purchasing bone broth in the uk would be helpful. i will have questions ready for the specialist when I go.

Arwenn said:
Sorry to hear about this, Thebull. Other than looking after the inflammation pre and post op, one thing that came to mind was homoeopathic Comfrey cream (great for healing bones, ligaments and tendons). Here in Australia it is made by a company called Martin & Pleasance. You can also get Arnica cream too, but that is more for bruising and sore muscles. I would also use DMSO cream after the comfrey has been rubbed in, to increase the absorption. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I've never heard of comfrey cream but I will l look into that thanks for the suggestions.

Keyhole said:
Sorry to hear about this Thebull. As Arwenn mentioned, comfrey is a well known herbal treatment for muscle tears and bone fractures. Other than that, I'm curious to know how much water you are drinking daily, and what kind of water do you drink?
Funny you should ask that as I've started logging what I eat and drink. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my water intake was low when I'm off work. I would say when working I drink about 4 glasses a day. If I'm not working maybe a small glass. I may drink a pint with diluted juice.
I only drink tap water currently that's the same at home or at work.
Jennifer said:
Hi thebull I'm also sorry to hear that, on the up side at least you have a diagnosis and can deal with the problem, not sure if you've already come across this http://www.houstonmethodist.org/orthopedics/where-does-it-hurt/elbow/distal-biceps-rupture/
I found it pretty informative and interesting in regards to distal bicep tears. After surgery hopefully your doctor will refer you to a physio, if not it may be worth looking around for a qualified sports massage therapist or physio or even just a massage therapist that has the knowledge and skills to treat injuries as massage can support healing and lesson tension in muscles that may be put under added pressure because of the damage to your biceps tendon, I hope you have a smooth recovery :)
I have a friend who is a physio and I'll look at that after the op but I would think the hostpital will suggest this as part of my rehab anyway. Your link was interesting I wasn't aware I could be in pot. In the end I will have to educate myself and be careful after the op to ensure I give myself the best chance of recovery.
 
Thebull said:
Keyhole said:
Sorry to hear about this Thebull. As Arwenn mentioned, comfrey is a well known herbal treatment for muscle tears and bone fractures. Other than that, I'm curious to know how much water you are drinking daily, and what kind of water do you drink?
Funny you should ask that as I've started logging what I eat and drink. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my water intake was low when I'm off work. I would say when working I drink about 4 glasses a day. If I'm not working maybe a small glass. I may drink a pint with diluted juice.
I only drink tap water currently that's the same at home or at work.
Ok, sounds to me like you are chronically dehydrated and this is most likely why you have actually torn your bicep. Thebull, my advice would be to increase water intake by at least 3 times the amount at work and probably 10 time the amount while at home. Muscles, ligaments and tendons are composed and held together by collagen fibers (a structural protein).

Collagen fibres are meant to give the muscle strength and resistance to stress, and basically to protect the area from tearing. Water is an integral component of collagen and makes up roughly 60% by weight. Chronic dehydration literally dries out collagen causing it to shrink and become brittle. Your environment also determines how easily you retain water in the body. EMF and blue light (working in a pub) lessens the body's ability to retain water, and therefore also factors into dehydration.

Quite simply, your muscle tore because of the lack of water you consume. A good idea would be to drastically increase water uptake, especially at work. This will actually increase recovery time aswell. Hope everything goes smoothly

Finally, if you don't mind me asking... roughly which area in the UK do you live? Most areas are OK, but some area's tap water is heavily fluoridated. If you are drinking fluoridated water, this greatly compacts the problem.
 
Keyhole said:
Thebull said:
Keyhole said:
Sorry to hear about this Thebull. As Arwenn mentioned, comfrey is a well known herbal treatment for muscle tears and bone fractures. Other than that, I'm curious to know how much water you are drinking daily, and what kind of water do you drink?
Funny you should ask that as I've started logging what I eat and drink. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my water intake was low when I'm off work. I would say when working I drink about 4 glasses a day. If I'm not working maybe a small glass. I may drink a pint with diluted juice.
I only drink tap water currently that's the same at home or at work.
Ok, sounds to me like you are chronically dehydrated and this is most likely why you have actually torn your bicep. Thebull, my advice would be to increase water intake by at least 3 times the amount at work and probably 10 time the amount while at home. Muscles, ligaments and tendons are composed and held together by collagen fibers (a structural protein).

Collagen fibres are meant to give the muscle strength and resistance to stress, and basically to protect the area from tearing. Water is an integral component of collagen and makes up roughly 60% by weight. Chronic dehydration literally dries out collagen causing it to shrink and become brittle. Your environment also determines how easily you retain water in the body. EMF and blue light (working in a pub) lessens the body's ability to retain water, and therefore also factors into dehydration.

Quite simply, your muscle tore because of the lack of water you consume. A good idea would be to drastically increase water uptake, especially at work. This will actually increase recovery time aswell. Hope everything goes smoothly

Finally, if you don't mind me asking... roughly which area in the UK do you live? Most areas are OK, but some area's tap water is heavily fluoridated. If you are drinking fluoridated water, this greatly compacts the problem.

I appreciate your view on this and I can understand that I need to increase my water intake, saying I am chronically dehydrated may be a bit strong as wouldn't I have felt the effects of this? I'm not sure what you mean by the working in the pub environment effecting my health (emf and blue light?).

I would agree I need to increase my water in take though.
 
I've been looking into bone broth products on Amazon but I avoided purchasing as I thought they were expensive. I'm not sure I would have time to make my own. Any advice in purchasing bone broth in the uk would be helpful. i will have questions ready for the specialist when I go.

Gosh, don't buy it. Make it for almost free. Find a little crock-pot that works at a thrift shop ($2 where I live). Put a piece of meat with bone in there (or a bone with meat, maybe available for free at a grocer), maybe some celery, carrots and water. Make soup by cooking it near to death. Refrigerate. If it gels, you have your product. This method is travel and budget-friendly if you have an outlet, a refrigerator and proximity to a grocer. Bring along salt, spices, favorite herbs.
I wish you a fast recovery and a great outcome.

BTW, what's nice about shopping at thrifts is that there might be a bunch of the same type, so it is easy and affordable to have spare parts for the heater and also the inserts. 3 inserts are ideal. One in the wash, one in the cooker and one in the refrigerator.
 
Thebull said:
I've been looking into bone broth products on Amazon but I avoided purchasing as I thought they were expensive. I'm not sure I would have time to make my own. Any advice in purchasing bone broth in the uk would be helpful. i will have questions ready for the specialist when I go.

In this case, since it sounds like you have limited time and if you're getting surgery, a good quick option would probably be gelatin. According to Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple, since gelatin is just protein without any fat (which is where grass fed plays a more important role), any should do fine, though I personally tend to use this brand:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Unflavored-Gelatin-Kosher/dp/B0008D6WBA/

I suspect you'll probably want to use a lot to repair the collagen, perhaps even to the level of multiple tablespoons a day. In addition, the flavor alone isn't particularly fantastic, so you may want to mask it with something. You could probably take it dissolved as a liquid in water with some kind of flavoring (I think hot water is better for dissolving), or make it into the more standard solid gelatin form. In the past, I've used a silicone ice cube tray to make little gelatin snack things, so that's another option that could be easy to work with.

Glycine is another option and could be a good addition, though I would probably go with either gelatin alone or both, since gelatin has glycine as well as other amino acids that are helpful for collagen. Probably any powered glycine would be fine and the dosage for that would probably be in the range of one or more teaspoons a day.

Vitamin C is also involved in the production of collagen, so that would likely be a helpful addition as well.

Sorry to hear about the injury Thebull and I hope you have a speedy recovery!
 
I appreciate your view on this and I can understand that I need to increase my water intake, saying I am chronically dehydrated may be a bit strong as wouldn't I have felt the effects of this? I'm not sure what you mean by the working in the pub environment effecting my health (emf and blue light?).
Interestingly enough, you probably wouldn't have felt any effects of this, no. Acute dehydration is typically the feeling of thirst accompanied by headache, lethargy etc. On the other hand, chronic dehydration happens at the cellular level and is a long, gradual process. Drinking only enough to quench the thirst is not sufficient to keep the body fully hydrated.

Regarding your working conditions, you work in an enclosed space with lots of different people coming in and out, all with their mobile phones likely on connected to cell towers and wifi networks. Secondly, i presume that you are usually indoors for the whole shift? A lot of people in a small space, each with their mobile phones one, is enough to dehydrate you at the cellular level. Basically, what i'm saying is that when you work in an environment like that, you should try to offset damage by drinking a lot more water than you ordinarily would. Sorry if the previous post did not make much sense.
 
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