Distal Bicep Tear

[Thebull]

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.

Well that's an interesting point I will increase my water intake especially at work and we'll see how it goes.

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Something you might want to consider also is Magnesium oil rubbed into the afflicted area to help reduce inflammation. Deep tissue massage worked for me when I had a tear in my rotator cuff/frozen shoulder years ago with very little range of motion. Deep tissue massage(and exercise with bands) was painful but I went every week for over a year and got the job done without surgery. Shoulder is 100% healed!

Good luck Thebull and I hope everything works out for you. :)

 

[Ca.]

Sorry Thebull, but your not going to heal correctly if you rush the body's ability to recuperate and repair correctly, (as others have recommended).
Just some general information that may help. As always consult your trusted Practitioner as a cross reference for Nutritional recommendations.

Collagen - What is Collagen?
Nutrition for Distal biceps tendon
http://tendonsurgeryinfo.com/distalbiceps/index.php?topic=3135.0
This Forum is a Social Forum: information is anecdotal and not necessarily true or reliable, information is personal accounts and should never be accepted as facts or research.


US National Library of Medicine
Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012 Dec
National Institutes of Health
REHABILITATION OF A SURGICALLY REPAIRED RUPTURE OF THE DISTAL BICEPS TENDON IN AN ACTIVE MIDDLE AGED MALE: A CASE REPORT
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3537453/

So nice and easy and good luck. FWIW
Time heals all wounds. (English) — No matter how bad something looks, it will get better in time.

 

[Yupo]

Curious about quinolone antibiotic use. Tendon ruptures are a problem with drugs (Cipro family). Have you taken/been prescribed any of this lately?

 

[Thebull]

Sorry Thebull, but your not going to heal correctly if you rush the body's ability to recuperate and repair correctly, (as others have recommended).
Just some general information that may help. As always consult your trusted Practitioner as a cross reference for Nutritional recommendations.

Collagen - What is Collagen?
Nutrition for Distal biceps tendon
http://tendonsurgeryinfo.com/distalbiceps/index.php?topic=3135.0
This Forum is a Social Forum: information is anecdotal and not necessarily true or reliable, information is personal accounts and should never be accepted as facts or research.


US National Library of Medicine
Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012 Dec
National Institutes of Health
REHABILITATION OF A SURGICALLY REPAIRED RUPTURE OF THE DISTAL BICEPS TENDON IN AN ACTIVE MIDDLE AGED MALE: A CASE REPORT
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3537453/

So nice and easy and good luck. FWIW
Time heals all wounds. (English) — No matter how bad something looks, it will get better in time.

Thank you c.a for the information you have posted. I will discuss the rehabilitation with them as soon as I find out when I'm having the op which will be Wednesday morning. The forum info looks interesting and I will delve into that over the coming days. Time heals and as much knowledge I can get to give me the best possible chance of recovery.

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!

Foxx thanks for your suggestions. I'm already using vitamin c but currently I don't know enough about gelatin and glycine. I will have time to decide on a supplement program after the op.

Something you might want to consider also is Magnesium oil rubbed into the afflicted area to help reduce inflammation. Deep tissue massage worked for me when I had a tear in my rotator cuff/frozen shoulder years ago with very little range of motion. Deep tissue massage(and exercise with bands) was painful but I went every week for over a year and got the job done without surgery. Shoulder is 100% healed!

Good luck Thebull and I hope everything works out for you. :)

I wish I could get a full recovery without surgery but from the information I was given without the surgery I would lose a considerable amount of strength in my arm which imo would have a significant impact on my life. The oil is something that could be applied after the operation so could be an option.

Curious about quinolone antibiotic use. Tendon ruptures are a problem with drugs (Cipro family). Have you taken/been prescribed any of this lately?

Yupo i haven't currently been prescribed any drugs. Thanks to all for your input.

 

[Solie123]

Yikes! D: That sounds really painful TheBull. I don't really have anything else to add except that I hope you get it resolved soon.

 

[Thebull]

I went to the hostpital yesterday to see the specialist and discuss my options.

The specialist stressed the operation ideally should take place 2 - 3 weeks after the injury. This is something I already knew but the nhs system here hasn't been able to make that happen. I'd gone straight into A & E when I intially suffered the injury and it's taken that long to get to this point which is now 3 weeks and 3 days. The main surgeon is currently on leave, I had spoken to him after my ultra sound scan and he said he had operated on patients years after they had this type of injury. So after a discussion I've provisionally booked in for the operation on the 20th June.

The earliest the operation could happen would be the 13th June but we are on holiday from the 7th June until 17th June so unable to attend then. I could consider cancelling the holiday but it is important for my family and we wouldn't be able to recoup more than 50% of the cost if that. The problem is the more time you leave the injury before the op the tendon shortens making the recovery a longer process.

The hostpital said If I don't have the operation I would lose 20% strength in lifting and 50 % while twisting (if I was using a screwdriver). I was advised I would be 2 months minimum in a sling. I asked if I would be able to function at work after the sling was removed for example using my injured arm to pull a pint and they said not when I'd come out of the sling. So it could be 10 weeks before my return to work depending on how quickly I heal.

I am quite concerned about the surgery and talking to the specialist didn't really help me with those concerns. I need to decide while I'm away whether I should go through with the procedure. At the moment I feel I should have the operation but worried about the lay off and work. My work have said they would pay me in full (the injury happened at work) but obviously losing me for that length of time will be very difficult for them. I'm probably just coming to terms with the injury but for the first time I am now starting to think whether I should have the op.

Thanks for listening. I realise it's not a major thing compared to some of the things happening in the world and what other people are going through that post here.

 

[Pierre]

I need to decide while I'm away whether I should go through with the procedure. At the moment I feel I should have the operation but worried about the lay off and work.

If you look at the global picture, it seems worth to sacrifice several weeks of work in order to prevent a life lasting handicap.

I had several injuries (broken nose, broken fingers, herniated disk, abductors tear,...) that required surgery but I didn't do it because my rugby team 'needed' me. Some injuries never properly healed. If I had known, I definitely would have gone for surgery.

I realise it's not a major thing compared to some of the things happening in the world and what other people are going through that post here.

Having a crippled arm for the rest of your life is not a minor thing. In addition, with a fully functional body you will be more efficient in helping and solving the major problems others encounter.

 

[Yupo]

Having a crippled arm for the rest of your life is not a minor thing. In addition, with a fully functional body you will be more efficient in helping and solving the major problems others encounter.

Not only the disability of your arm to consider. There will be other issues to come along from compensating for this weakness. Better to maintain as much balanced strength and function as possible. Keep your expectations reasonable as recovery is a gradual path. Getting out of the sling is not the same as being back to 100%.

 

[Gaby]

I'm probably just coming to terms with the injury but for the first time I am now starting to think whether I should have the op.

I think you are just probably coming to terms with the injury, but haven't fully accepted it in terms of consequences and what it takes to heal, i.e. proper care and rehabilitation.

It is reasonable to have this surgery. It wouldn't make sense just to walk out as if it never happened.

 

[Ca.]

Having a crippled arm for the rest of your life is not a minor thing. In addition, with a fully functional body you will be more efficient in helping and solving the major problems others encounter.

Not only the disability of your arm to consider. There will be other issues to come along from compensating for this weakness. Better to maintain as much balanced strength and function as possible. Keep your expectations reasonable as recovery is a gradual path. Getting out of the sling is not the same as being back to 100%.

I think you are just probably coming to terms with the injury, but haven't fully accepted it in terms of consequences and what it takes to heal, i.e. proper care and rehabilitation.

It is reasonable to have this surgery. It wouldn't make sense just to walk out as if it never happened.

I could not agree more. It may be arduous, but the benefits out weight the difficulty. So in future, the need of both arms may serve you, for own your safety. In my limited HO.

Ask Dr. Geier – Distal Biceps Rupture
August 14, 2011 • Ask Dr. Geier, Surgeries
http://www.drdavidgeier.com/ask-dr-geier-distal-biceps-rupture-8-15-2011/

Dr. Geier,
I am a 39-year-old male. I have a distal biceps tendon rupture that occurred on May 13th while arm wrestling. It bruised at the elbow and forearm. I thought it was just a muscle strain, and a week later I continued to work out with weights. I started noticing that my biceps was moving up towards the shoulder like Popeye. I did the “hook method” in which there is no tendon to hook on the right arm from the bicep to the forearm. It has been 3 months since the injury. Is it possible to repair it with surgery, or have I waited too long? I am very active in multiple sports and really need the full use of my arm.
Please advise me, and thank you.
Storm

Storm, thank you for the question. Statistically distal biceps injuries are more common among people in their fifties, but I typically see them in active individuals in their thirties. That might be a result of the patient population I see, though.

For readers unfamiliar with Storm’s description of the injury, let me explain what he sees and feels. A Popeye deformity occurs when the biceps tendon tears off the bone (the radius) in the forearm and allows the muscle to retract up the arm. The retraction allows the biceps muscle in the arm to look larger than normal. The hook test is a test where a physician tried to hook his or her finger around the biceps tendon in the front of the elbow. If the tendon has torn and retracted, there is no tendon to hook.

I think surgery is necessary in active individuals, whether they are in their thirties or fifties or sixties. It is certainly possible to have a good outcome without surgery, but most patients complain of residual weakness. The weakness is more related to decreased supination than elbow flexion. Common complaints of patients who treated their distal biceps tendon rupture nonoperatively include weakness with turning a screwdriver or a doorknob. Young active patients are significantly limited, so most sports medicine surgeons recommend surgery.

Surgical repair is best in the first week or two before the tendon retracts. The more a tendon retracts, the more flexed the elbow has to be to reattach it to the bone, and consequently the slower the rehab process to regain motion. If the tendon is too retracted up into the arm, it is possible that it cannot be reattached. In these cases, other options, including using a donor tendon to reconstruct the biceps, have to be considered.

In my experience, active individuals who have surgery to reattach a distal biceps tendon rupture early usually regain full range of motion by 4-6 weeks and can start strengthening quickly. Sports might be held off for 3-4 months, but they usually have full function without limitation then.

Filed Under: Ask Dr. Geier, Surgeries

 

[Thebull]

Again thanks for your responses and your help in ensuring I can see this is the right decision. I've had my pre op completed and I am currently scheduled in for the 20th June fingers crossed there will be no delays now.

I am ready to go through with the procedure and mentally preparing for the rehabilitation process. I know a private physio therapist who I will contact after the operation for further advice.

I go on holiday now with the family on Tuesday for 10 days and will have the op on my return.

 

[MusicMan]

Hello Thebull, I was impressed that you booked the surgery, it's a major decision to undergo invasive surgery, but in my opinion you have made the right choice. The problem with this type of injury is not so much with the separated tendon but with the muscle wasting that occurs subsequently.
I busted my achilles and waited eight weeks for the repair job, and the calf muscle almost disappeared. Now, after eight years, it has hardly grown at all. So I would recommend that you get stuck into any exercising they give you, and do it diligently, to restore your muscle tone.
Good luck with it all.

 

[3DStudent]

Glad to hear you are having the surgery Thebull. I would go for it too. I hope everything goes well and wish you a good recovery in two weeks! :)

 

[SlavaOn]

Hello TheBull.

What moves are the hardest to do with your arm? Can you lift it to brush the hair, for example, without feeling pain?

SlavaOn