Newbie here with new bicep tendon rupture

[Pooh6369]

How long was your arm in the brace for the bicep to elbow tendon? Wondering if I can atleast do a recumbent bike after some time? Haven’t done anything in two weeks and I’m going crazy. Can’t imagine another couple months of this.

4 weeks for me in a brace with the sling but I had a bicep and cuff surgery. After that another 3 weeks just the sling.

 

[Pooh6369]

Oh ya sorry for all the different posts just thought of something else. What age were you when ya had the distal bicep tear surgery

53yrs old my bicep tear was at the shoulder

 

[uniquetouch]

Thank you fellas I really appreciate you guys taking the time to talk. I just turned 40 on the 28th so hopefully at the last I’ll be able to go back to working. I have an asphalt sealing/repairs and landscaping business. So hoping to get back to normal so I can at the least work again with what I used to be able to do.

 

[Pig Vomit]

Have an update? You have a surgery date or have you had it already? How are you feeling?

 

[uniquetouch]

Yes had surgery 3 weeks ago. I go tomorrow for my first consultation with the physical therapist and then start PT next week. Feeling pretty good. Top of my wrist is numb and still have a decent amount of swelling. Other than that ok

 

[uniquetouch]

They had to do two incisions bc of how far the tendon retracted.

 

[uniquetouch]

Just giving an update. Couple days past 8 weeks post op. Just got the brace off last Wednesday. Finally able to active flexion. I wasn’t allowed to do any active flexion until this past Wednesday along with supination and pronation. Having difficulty activating my bicep or what’s left of it. Having some occasional discomfort on my right side arm now that I haven’t been working out. Praying nothing happens to this tendon. I’m also wondering with anyone who had this surgery if they took any supplements, creatine , TRT therapy( I hear mixed opinions on this one. Some say it’s good and some say it’s not )

 

[uniquetouch]

Going today for my 12 week follow up. Will keep everyone posted with what I’m told.

 

[uniquetouch]

For everyone who has had this surgery how did you go about working again if you had a physical job or how you began working out again? Just from working the bicep at therapy I get sore the following day and that’s from maybe 3 exercises. I’m wondering how many exercises for each body part you did and at what time frame during your recovery. Also you guys have a lot of knowledge and I was wondering once I am further down the road and I am free of restrictions can I still build muscle doing light weights and If so how many reps and how many sets and how many different exercises during each workout session. What exercises would you avoid as well. When I was working out I was finally seeing some good results but I kept pushing and pushing on increasing the weight I moved and I am looking to not do that this time around. Thank you for everyone’s insight

 

[uniquetouch]

Went to my appointment. Like I’ve been saying unfortunately I have to go to the ortho clinic at local hospital. I get a different resident basically each time. Had a great surgeon from another medical practice who does surgeries for clinic along with other surgeons. Unfortunately I only got o see him prior to surgery and never again. I have to get all my follow up appointments at the clinic with the residents. Went today had a new doc. Told me okay come back in 3 months. So I asked what can I do and he said let me go look up the protocol. He came back said you can go back to work. I have a lawn care business and asphalt sealing business. Told me I can start strengthening. I just went to see exactly what I can do and what I should stay away from and for how long. So anyone who’s been through this what was your time line like and your rehab . What did you do

 

[hawkeye]

Yep, been there. They weave a cord for lack of better term to the tendon, and in that is a little flip widget . They then drill a hole through your Ulna bone, and fish the line through and the witch flips and they sew you up. MANY FAIL because guys dont give it the time to properly heal. You MUST do physical therapy and DO WHAT THYE TELL YOU TO DO. Give it 1-2 years to fully integrate and heal....

This!!!! 100% Warhead is spot on. I ruptured both my bicep and the bicep tendon. It was a pretty horrific injury deadlifting. Surgeon said my bicep was hamburger. BUT even with how severe the injury was, I would say that I came back 90-95%. It does take time. I still get little twinges doing certain bicep iso exercises. It scares the shit out of me.

I will say, I will say my scar is much longer than what I have seen of others. Mine extends from the middle of my inside of my forearm all the way to the inside of my elbow. Also, my bicep doesn't have the shape that my healthy bicep does. Same mass, but shape and cut is not there. I guess I feel lucky that I got the function back and can still left and do the things I want to.

But again, great advice by Warhead.

 

[fasttwitch]

Hello everyone. Posting to see if anyone has ever had this injury and if so did you have surgery, how long was the recovery, were you able ever to go to the gym ever again? Thank you in advance for your welcomed input. Happy new year all

Yep. I tore my bicep tendon back in 2017 and ruptured the bicep. It was a long road back. And in my case the bicep has never fully recovered. I'd say I'm at 75%? Not trying to be a downer, though. The night after the biceps surgery I slipped and fell and heard a pop in my arm. So I redamamged the bicep. The tendon itself is still firmly anchored to my forearm, but the bicep clearly looks like it's not as full as it was.

My only advise is to continue to take it slow. For the time being, keep those reps low weight and keep that lifting form perfect. Go back to the gym though. Whatever you were curling, try 10% of that weight. See how it feels. Ignore the ego and try not to reinjure it. Next week, if 10% feels good, go to 20%.

Easy does it.