Distal Biceps Rupture
Distal Biceps Rupture
What is a distal biceps tear?
What is a distal biceps tear?
The biceps tendon or distal biceps is the insertion of the biceps brachii muscle, which outlines the anterior contour of the arm and has the functions of flexing the elbow and supinating the forearm (placing the palm of the hand facing upwards).
Due to repetitive movements and excessive loads in sports or work contexts, the tendon may suffer progressive wear or an abrupt contraction effort that leads to the loss of integrity of its fibers and rupture in the region of insertion in the elbow.
Taking corticosteroids or anabolic steroids predisposes to this type of tendon rupture.
What are the symptoms of a distal biceps rupture?
Biceps tears usually occur after a more violent effort, of greater intensity than anticipated, causing an often audible “pop”, sudden pain, limited elbow flexion and a “popeye” type anterior deformity of the arm. The hematoma appears after a few hours, and the pain may radiate to the hand or shoulder.
What is the treatment for a distal biceps rupture?
What is the treatment for a distal biceps rupture?
In active patients, who practice sports or have professional or recreational occupations that require arm strength, surgical reinsertion guarantees a better result in terms of preserving strength and correcting the aesthetic deformity.
Conservative treatment may be an option for patients with less functional demands or when the rupture has already occurred some time ago. In chronic ruptures (more than a month of evolution), there are surgical alternatives that can overcome tendon retraction and degeneration in selected cases. To find out more about our treatments, click here .
