I’m 10 weeks post surgery on my non dominant arm. I still have pain in my shoulder and forearm as a result of the reduced mobility of being in a sling for 6 weeks. Most of my rehab has been to get to a full range of motion with supination, pronation and elbow extension. At the 8 week mark I started using resistance bands for biceps curls (among lots of other arm exercises) - all slow and controlled. I still have some pain when I move my arm in a certain way but I have a lot more function than I did even 1 month ago. My goal has been to reduce pain as well as ROM and protect the repair so I don’t risk re rupturing the tendon. In 2 weeks, the evidence suggests the repair should be “fully” healed which means I can progressively load the arm to increase strength. I’ve researched so many protocols and they’re all different so I’ve been doing what I can within the limits of pain as well as the time since surgery. I’m aiming to be back at work by 16 weeks (I have a job requiring heavy labour) which I’m confident will happen based on a journal article I came across which demonstrated >90% of ppl returned to work at an average of 14 weeks. That’s been a reassuring goal to aim for. I wish everyone who’s dealing with this a safe recovery. I’ve found the psychological aspect to be as tough as the physical aspect. One day at a time has helped me manage that.
I am 16 weeks post-op and I could definitely go back to physical activity. I have been back lifting since week 7 post-op and I am still definitely not super close to 90-100% back so make sure to take it easy when you're back at work, if someone offers to lift something up because they know you're rehabbing let them do it. My arm's strength is progressively getting better however I can feel that it's recovering.
Lol the X-ray picture 😂 Great video, it’s nice to know our tendon health was probably similar as I was a chronic repair too due to hospital delay. Surgeon said my tendon was very scarred during the repair. Really great to see your update. Just over 7 weeks post op as well, I ditched the brace last Monday and using it freely around the house and gaming with full rom using a mouse and doing shoulder mobility work as my arm lost a load of size. Surgeon was also very happy with my progress so far, not quite at full extension yet, it comes and goes for the last 10 degrees but almost there. I have almost full supination now and probation is coming slowly, otherwise I have no pain, numbness etc. Going to be doing so more active movements at the 8 week mark, I am still taking it a little slow even though my arm feels very strong. Only thing I been told not to do yet is to directly load the tendon, it’s really nice to see the bicep moving again. Does your repaired arm look like your other one? I see a lot of people say there repair doesn’t look like how it use to prier to injury and normally end up with a smaller arm or bigger bicep gap. I would say I full into that catagory but my muscle was almost non existent when I had surgery so I’m not surprised even though the surgeon thinks it will fully look the same again. My brother had the op in 2017 and actually has a smaller bicep gap on his repaired arm haha
Were pretty much on the same timeline! Glad to hear everything is going well! I'm also out of the brace. I was thinkin of throwing it on (setting no limitations on it) for when I'm in the gym. Just as a sign that I'm still technically "injured". Pronation/supination for me is almost at the same levels as my non-injured arm. It takes a bit of warming up to get there, but I believe eventually that warm up process will be gone. Its hard to tell if it looks the same as the non-injured side because of all the atrophy. Ill take a picture of how it looks and upload it along with my next video! ( I should have done it initially..)
@@Dr.JayDMD sounds like a good idea :) tbh as long as it’s functional that’s all we should ask for. 2 days later I have full active supination now, pronation I can get to 100% but still needs assisting to get there I’m going to the gym Saturday but I won’t wear the brace, after 8 weeks we should be pretty good to go but obviously not load the tendon or bicep with anything directly heavy. My arm feels really normal now so it feels weird to think 2 weeks ago I could hardly use it 😂 Looking forward to your progress 💪🏻
@@ShadowNelt my surgery for my full rupture was 6 and a half weeks post injury. Made complete recovery and arm pretty much looks exactly the way it did but still roughly a inch of size missing from the bicep.
@@ShadowNelt I was around 2 weeks post injury. And as far as I can tell, both me and @Rawbchu have made a complete recovery. So the time from injury -> surgery shouldn't be critical as some might think.
Thanks for doing these, I just had a tear yesterday night and this is helpful. I tore mine last night sparring, just extended my right too far when someone used a forearm block. Going to look in to orthopedic surgeons in Vegas area now and hopefully have a solution soon.
Week 5 post op distal tendon repair with button technique. I felt at my 10 day post op appointment that my bicep looked deformed and "popeyed" like the surgery was never done. Ortho said it was fine. Flash forward to week 3 as sling came off and swelling came down and bicep looked even worse. Met with the Doctor and they said they thought it was fine but I insisted on an MRI. Got the result back and repair failed at aime point. Button and screw still intact in bone but tendon not attached and I was 100% compliant. Doctor now wants surgery next week, which will be almost 8 weeks from initial tear and over 5 weeks from initial repair. It may entail cadaver tendon which I am not wanting. It may also involve significant loss of ROM and strength according to MD, but he still thinks surgery is best option. I am thinking that I have full ROM now, and obvious loss of strength at supination but manageable. Wondering if the tradeoff of ROM for 15-20% more strength is worth it. Also the incision is significantly larger and complication risk heightened. VERY fruatrated and unsure
Hey! Wow, good thing you insisted on the MRI to catch that initial failed surgery! Other than the deformity of the bicep, was there any other reasons/symptoms to make you think the surgery was not successful? That would be a difficult choice to make. What did you end up deciding?
did your bicep retract the same amount as it did when it ruptured? was the tendon still connected to the wire? i believe it is called the cheese-wire effect. I have seen repairs online that look just as bad as a ruptured one and i assume that is why they look the way it does. was you still able to hook the tendon after the swelling had gone when you had seen the surgery didn't work? i hope you was able to get it fixed in the end and thanks for sharing your story.
Greetings all....tore my bicep about a month ago (distal)...i decided to go the conservative route...my supination/pronation is great...my flexion is strong....im back in the gym and i feel good....i have the gap but i dont care for looks...im not a bodybuilder and my occupation doesn't require me to lift heavy objects like in construction....im right handed but the injury happened on my left arm so that was another reason why i didn't get surgery....great video and surgery is NOT the only option guys.
Thanks for the insight! I think most of the people following my journey have decided the undergo the surgical route, so its great to hear from someone on the other side! Happy that your rehab process went well!! How did you injure your arm??
just a week after surgery today, doctor removed cast yesterday just sitting with the stitches now, told me no dirt biking for at least 12 weeks... need to figure out a schedule of other exercise now, Im 60 and trying to get a few more years of dirt bike and sport bike racing out of my body.
Great video series. Just had surgery yesterday. I intend to take the “safely aggressive” approach to my recovery. Your videos are like a peak into the future.
Thanks for the support! Hope you’re feeling well! How did the surgery go? Did you end up having to take the pain meds they prescribed? If so, for how long?
@@Dr.JayDMD Surgery seemed to go well. I've had pain but have managed it with Tylenol and Ibuprofen only. I avoid narcotics so I didn't get the prescription filled, my surgeon said he didn't think I'd need them and he was right. I'd say the restrictive cast/splint has been much worse than the pain. I hate being so limited. It's difficult to work and just do basic stuff around the house. Looking forward to getting it taken off.
Glad to hear everything went well! I hated that cast. Sleeping and showering were rough. But you should be out of it in the next week! And once you are.. you'll feel SO much better :) When do you think you'll start physio?
@@Dr.JayDMD had my distal tendon reattached last Sunday aft. Endo button. Pain until Thursday morning. Finshed med today/Friday. Perfect timing. Only have a bandage over incision and tensor wrap on only half my forearm. Been using sling most of the time. Less sling time day 6. Numbness and swelling still in hand, fingers, wrist. See surgeon on day 8. Cheers to all in rehab!
Hey Mark, Nice! You're halfway thru the worst part (weeks 1-2). In my opinion once you're out of those 2 weeks, the rehab starts moving quickly! How's your range of motion? are you able to extend your elbow fully yet? What about supination/pronation? I think your physio/ortho will start getting you to mobilize the elbow joint soon.
@King Kong Wow! I've heard of grafts, but didn't know they harvest from the achilles! How did your injury happen? Sounds like a chronic repetitive injury? My ortho said I had a similar situation. It was either ruptured in the past and healed over time. Or it was a chronic slow degeneration of the tendon
@@Dr.JayDMD the doctor informed me I must have damaged it prior . I snapped it throwing a left hook 😅 something I’ve done a thousand times. At the time it felt like a cramp in the elbow. The tendon was damaged that bad(falling apart like cheese string) that that grafting the Achilles’ tendon was the only option.
Hey Eggy910, Did your surgeon also tell you that you tendon was ‘ratty’? My surgeon said it was hard to tell. It could have either been a 1. Chronic injury over time 2. Acute injury years back that compromised the tendon. How did you rupture your distal bicep tendon? Wish you a speedy recovery!
Came here for info pertaining to the title, distal bicep injury, ...don't have time for an andrew huberman running and morning light podcast. 5 minutes in...I have to go back to work now. I'll try to again later. Thanks
I had a bicep tear from jiu jitsu arm bar but it tore at the muscle junction mid bicep not down at the distal bicep tendon. They told me it’s extremely rare and surgery would prove no benefit as it would be like trying to sowing spaghetti together and the muscle would reattach on its own. Well it did but it reattached kind of cockeyed, when I flex it’s clear the injured side is deformed. Loss about 30% of my strength on that side and get some tennis elbow like pain on occasion. Sucks but it is what it is.
@@Dr.JayDMD No sir, it was not from choosing not to tap. I definitely would have tapped but didn’t have a chance to. This was supposed to be a light sparring session, I was under the impression we were not going for subs but I was at a gym as a visitor. He was in S mount and fell back into arm bar, my bicep popped before he reached the ground. It was a dick move to say the least, but oh well. This happened back in April of this year, I couldn’t use my arm whatsoever for about 10 days and took a month before it was functional. I can fully use it now but have pain sometimes and lost about 30% strength. Hopefully your recovery is quick and full.
Hey @Amar Randhawa I'm glad you are finding these videos helpful! Thanks for the support :) How did you injure your arm? Have you already gone in for surgery?
@Dr. Jay DMD i worked out shoulders and some biceps and 48 hours later i was doing pullups just body weight. On my 4th set going up i heard a loud pop and felt pain and stopped. Its day 3 now but i have no bruising or anything. Also are you in western canada who was your surgeon?
@@amarrandhawa4494 ah the dreaded pull-ups! We’re you doing chin ups? (Underhand grip) or pull-ups (overhand grip)? I am in western Canada!! Dm me on Instagram @proboxfitness and I’ll hook you up!
@@amarrandhawa4494 I had pop and pain when lifting sod with a shovel on June 27th. Could barely move my arm on the 28th, and has been improving since. No brusing at all from the onset and Pain is only on supination of the arm. Hook test negative, tendon still intact. MRI last week showed high grade tear. Surgery is in my future. Get it checked out, ultrasound at least. Any followup?
I had a partial distal bicep tendon rupture. Over 50%. Doctor doesnt want yo do surgery. im concerned it because its workers comp and he doesn't want to deal with them...i am a granite guy. I tore it on an 800lb piece...my job entails 1000lb pieces quite often. So im paranoid about non surgical routes and 5he risk of fully rupturing my tendon in the future. Any input?
It's nice to 62 years old when I'm recovering. I don't really care what others think. Recovering from a detached tendon... the only thing I'll say about it.
Hi, I just had this surgery two weeks back... I am still very much pretty early in the process but I had that splint and ace bandage on for two weeks postop.. an now I have numbness in my wrist and thumb/palm.. did you experience any of this?
I'm officially 3 weeks post op, surgery went well, I have the robo arm and R.o.m. is better than most Dr. States I have over hand strength but zero strength grabbing let's say a coffee mug 😮 how long do you think 🤔 before that comes back. I used to train 6xs per week. But had to totally stop all supplements due to the vertical muscle and ligament damage
Hey Brian! You seem to be right where you should be around the recovery timeline! at 3 weeks I was still unable to hold a coffee mug or use a pepper grinder! How are you feeling now? I'm sure you're almost back to being a fully functional human :)
@@Dr.JayDMD hello and thank you for your time, I am now 60 days in full ROM and now back to working out I do have a little bit of tenderness after bicep curls I am taking it slow 8/10lbs max till next follow up. Its so hard to stop the go go go mentality. Ie,..ego😃 but it's videos like yours that gets me back to basics...
I'm 3 weeks post. Doc did a double cut in each arm. Did you step up on vitamins, calcium or collegians to speed up the recovery? I haven't read through everything so I do apologize if this was already brought up. Thank you for the video.
Hey! Yes I did! I upped my normal daily stack of vitamins and also included some extras to help aid the recovery process. I made a video going over it in detail, check it out and let me know what you think!
Do you have some sort of summary of what your rehab has looked like? My PT is more conservative and so is my ortho so I'm worried about falling behind where I'd like to be in my rehab process.
In terms of physio and activity. Not a full breakdown. Something basic for when you started physio rehab movements, when you started gym exercises where you were loading the bicep, when you started running again. Some sort of non detailed guide by week. Coming off pain meds now lol
@@chrisking1483 So I think I went into physio starting around week 4! But it was mostly massaging the arm and scar tissue rehab. I started directly loading the bicep with resistance at week 6. And I stopped running for the first 2 weeks post op because I didn’t want to get sweaty (and look weird) running in a plaster cast. 🤣 but other than that I’ve tried to get out at least 2x a week. I was even going on runs while I was waiting for my surgery date. (I had to wait 2 weeks to get scheduled in) I was planning on making a summary video around week 12! Let me know what other questions you have and I can try to answer them then.
Great to find this series of yours, which I will follow along with. Im 5 days post op (had surgery 10 days after the injury) and trying to throw everything at the rehab to avoid cancelling a once in a life time surf trip (which will be week 7-8 post op). How close are you to feeling like you can do push ups comfortably? Also at what stage would you have felt comfortable swimming? Luckily my surgeon sounds like he has an aggressive sports focused approach to recovery. Im only in a bandage wrap around my elbow, forearm and bicep with a sling and won’t have a brace at any point I believe. I have been given the all clear to actively move my arm in the ROM the sling will allow (about 45 degrees) and have been working on supinating and pronating - supination is almost all back, but long way to go with pronation still.
I'm glad its helping you out!! It sounds like you are on a good recovery schedule, 5 days post op I was in a plaster cast + sling and was stuck in a 45 degree with no ROM. That was pretty much my approach, I had nothing but time on my side (which most people going through this injury will have) so I did everything/anything I could to help heal it (faster). I can do push ups comfortably now. Most "pushing" movements are free of pain/discomfort within a certain load. I guess the pushups will depend on your fitness level and your bodyweight. At the 6 week mark I started bench pressing and shoulder pressing again (lighter weight than normal). Next video I'll upload my workout routine with respect to reps/sets/exercises so you can see my range of motion + strength. That's great, a surgeon that is on the same page as you is very important. I would say, in terms of recovery, a sports focused Physiotherapist is even MORE important. Try to find a good one. If you can't, Dr. John Pretrizzo can can help you virtually, I would check him out if you cant find a good one in your area.
Great to hear you are comfortable doing them. I am fit and active and normally wouldn’t rush any rehab but as push ups and swimming don’t necessarily put my strain on the bicep I was hoping these motions would be OK within reason past week 6 just so I could make my trip ha. I won’t be seeing my physio for another 10 days, but if i’m happy with their approach I will definitely keep that doctor in mind. Thanks!
Hey just had mine done 7 weeks ago! Full range of motion, but a little pain when lifting at PT. Im worried it's torn again, but nothing "popped" or anything like that. If i reinjured it at this point lifting something I cant, would it likely fully tear and pop like before? Or would it be more subtle?? Great video, thanks!
Hey James! I just finished my 7th week! ill be uploading my 8th week shortly. It would probably be a good idea to follow up with your ortho if you feel like something isn't right with the tendon. As far as re-injuring it, the way my ortho explained it to me was, the most probably place would be the part of the tendon sticking out of the bone(radius) because the tendon that is drilled into the bone is now "supraphysiological". That being said, little bit of discomfort is normal at this stage. More so the days after you work it with the PT. Ill discuss this more in detail in my next video!
@@Dr.JayDMD oh wow so we are pretty much on the same time line!! That's cool! I did call and ask my ortho. She said it's fine and I'd "definitely know" if I reinjured it. My physical therapist said the same thing and the tendon is still there and feels normal. If it was injured in the way your doctor suggested would there be a "pop" or a sudden traumatic event like a regular tear? Or would it be gradual? I guess I was used to 0 pain while in the brace and now that I'm using my arm for a couple weeks I feel pain here and there haha so I got concerned.
@@jamespijewski6649 there would definitely be a pop. It would be very similar to the initial injury. You would get all the same symptoms such as positive hook test and visible retraction of the bicep up the arm. But I think your ortho and you PT are right when they say.. you would know that you re-ruptured it! Glad to hear your rehab process is going well! Let me know how you’re feeling on my next video 🙂
@@Dr.JayDMD awesome thanks!! I assumed since the tendon is still fragile that if it were to be reinjured it would be a pop and a huge injury like before. I wasnt sure if like the tendon could "slowly tear away" from the fixation site . Ill be looking out for your next videos! And final question for you (maybe you could cover in another video). I know the hook test, but have you found the repaired tendon feels different to the touch than the unrepaired/normal tendon on the other arm? Like the shape and size?bi can't find info on that anywhere and it would be cool to see this covered by someone whos gone through the surgery.
I tore my distal bicep tendon, and just had surgery yesterday. I have no cast, just a sling. My doctor said that I am able to stretch my arm out (carefully) as soon as the nerve blocker goes away. This is more aggressive than anything. I’ve heard from other people on CZcams. What are your thoughts?
@@rg1996 My surgery was Thursday. swelling is gone and I've been off pain meds since Saturday. Doc says I can remove the wrap and dressing on Wednesday. He said I can use hand while in sling for very light activities but no lifting. I have been extending my arm about 1/2 - 3/4 with no pain. I have a follow up in 7 days and will start light therapy same day. So far so good.
I’m 10 weeks post surgery on my non dominant arm. I still have pain in my shoulder and forearm as a result of the reduced mobility of being in a sling for 6 weeks. Most of my rehab has been to get to a full range of motion with supination, pronation and elbow extension. At the 8 week mark I started using resistance bands for biceps curls (among lots of other arm exercises) - all slow and controlled. I still have some pain when I move my arm in a certain way but I have a lot more function than I did even 1 month ago. My goal has been to reduce pain as well as ROM and protect the repair so I don’t risk re rupturing the tendon. In 2 weeks, the evidence suggests the repair should be “fully” healed which means I can progressively load the arm to increase strength. I’ve researched so many protocols and they’re all different so I’ve been doing what I can within the limits of pain as well as the time since surgery. I’m aiming to be back at work by 16 weeks (I have a job requiring heavy labour) which I’m confident will happen based on a journal article I came across which demonstrated >90% of ppl returned to work at an average of 14 weeks. That’s been a reassuring goal to aim for. I wish everyone who’s dealing with this a safe recovery. I’ve found the psychological aspect to be as tough as the physical aspect. One day at a time has helped me manage that.
I am 16 weeks post-op and I could definitely go back to physical activity. I have been back lifting since week 7 post-op and I am still definitely not super close to 90-100% back so make sure to take it easy when you're back at work, if someone offers to lift something up because they know you're rehabbing let them do it. My arm's strength is progressively getting better however I can feel that it's recovering.
Lol the X-ray picture 😂
Great video, it’s nice to know our tendon health was probably similar as I was a chronic repair too due to hospital delay. Surgeon said my tendon was very scarred during the repair.
Really great to see your update.
Just over 7 weeks post op as well, I ditched the brace last Monday and using it freely around the house and gaming with full rom using a mouse and doing shoulder mobility work as my arm lost a load of size.
Surgeon was also very happy with my progress so far, not quite at full extension yet, it comes and goes for the last 10 degrees but almost there.
I have almost full supination now and probation is coming slowly, otherwise I have no pain, numbness etc.
Going to be doing so more active movements at the 8 week mark, I am still taking it a little slow even though my arm feels very strong.
Only thing I been told not to do yet is to directly load the tendon, it’s really nice to see the bicep moving again. Does your repaired arm look like your other one? I see a lot of people say there repair doesn’t look like how it use to prier to injury and normally end up with a smaller arm or bigger bicep gap. I would say I full into that catagory but my muscle was almost non existent when I had surgery so I’m not surprised even though the surgeon thinks it will fully look the same again.
My brother had the op in 2017 and actually has a smaller bicep gap on his repaired arm haha
Were pretty much on the same timeline! Glad to hear everything is going well!
I'm also out of the brace. I was thinkin of throwing it on (setting no limitations on it) for when I'm in the gym. Just as a sign that I'm still technically "injured".
Pronation/supination for me is almost at the same levels as my non-injured arm. It takes a bit of warming up to get there, but I believe eventually that warm up process will be gone.
Its hard to tell if it looks the same as the non-injured side because of all the atrophy. Ill take a picture of how it looks and upload it along with my next video! ( I should have done it initially..)
@@Dr.JayDMD sounds like a good idea :) tbh as long as it’s functional that’s all we should ask for.
2 days later I have full active supination now, pronation I can get to 100% but still needs assisting to get there
I’m going to the gym Saturday but I won’t wear the brace, after 8 weeks we should be pretty good to go but obviously not load the tendon or bicep with anything directly heavy.
My arm feels really normal now so it feels weird to think 2 weeks ago I could hardly use it 😂
Looking forward to your progress 💪🏻
How many weeks later did you get the surgery?
@@ShadowNelt my surgery for my full rupture was 6 and a half weeks post injury.
Made complete recovery and arm pretty much looks exactly the way it did but still roughly a inch of size missing from the bicep.
@@ShadowNelt I was around 2 weeks post injury.
And as far as I can tell, both me and @Rawbchu have made a complete recovery.
So the time from injury -> surgery shouldn't be critical as some might think.
Thanks for doing these, I just had a tear yesterday night and this is helpful. I tore mine last night sparring, just extended my right too far when someone used a forearm block. Going to look in to orthopedic surgeons in Vegas area now and hopefully have a solution soon.
Did u get surgery?
Week 5 post op distal tendon repair with button technique. I felt at my 10 day post op appointment that my bicep looked deformed and "popeyed" like the surgery was never done. Ortho said it was fine. Flash forward to week 3 as sling came off and swelling came down and bicep looked even worse. Met with the Doctor and they said they thought it was fine but I insisted on an MRI. Got the result back and repair failed at aime point. Button and screw still intact in bone but tendon not attached and I was 100% compliant. Doctor now wants surgery next week, which will be almost 8 weeks from initial tear and over 5 weeks from initial repair. It may entail cadaver tendon which I am not wanting. It may also involve significant loss of ROM and strength according to MD, but he still thinks surgery is best option. I am thinking that I have full ROM now, and obvious loss of strength at supination but manageable. Wondering if the tradeoff of ROM for 15-20% more strength is worth it. Also the incision is significantly larger and complication risk heightened. VERY fruatrated and unsure
Hey!
Wow, good thing you insisted on the MRI to catch that initial failed surgery!
Other than the deformity of the bicep, was there any other reasons/symptoms to make you think the surgery was not successful?
That would be a difficult choice to make. What did you end up deciding?
did your bicep retract the same amount as it did when it ruptured? was the tendon still connected to the wire? i believe it is called the cheese-wire effect. I have seen repairs online that look just as bad as a ruptured one and i assume that is why they look the way it does.
was you still able to hook the tendon after the swelling had gone when you had seen the surgery didn't work?
i hope you was able to get it fixed in the end and thanks for sharing your story.
Your ego fucked you up
Greetings all....tore my bicep about a month ago (distal)...i decided to go the conservative route...my supination/pronation is great...my flexion is strong....im back in the gym and i feel good....i have the gap but i dont care for looks...im not a bodybuilder and my occupation doesn't require me to lift heavy objects like in construction....im right handed but the injury happened on my left arm so that was another reason why i didn't get surgery....great video and surgery is NOT the only option guys.
Thanks for the insight!
I think most of the people following my journey have decided the undergo the surgical route, so its great to hear from someone on the other side!
Happy that your rehab process went well!!
How did you injure your arm??
@@Dr.JayDMD I injured my bicep playing Softball
Thanks I get mine fixed in a few hours u were a huge help
How did the surgery go?
Glad to hear that I was able to help you along your journey!
also, how did you injury your arm in the first place?
just a week after surgery today, doctor removed cast yesterday just sitting with the stitches now, told me no dirt biking for at least 12 weeks... need to figure out a schedule of other exercise now, Im 60 and trying to get a few more years of dirt bike and sport bike racing out of my body.
2 week post-surgery. Wrapping comes off in 3 days. Hoping for good news.
Great video series. Just had surgery yesterday. I intend to take the “safely aggressive” approach to my recovery. Your videos are like a peak into the future.
Thanks for the support!
Hope you’re feeling well!
How did the surgery go?
Did you end up having to take the pain meds they prescribed? If so, for how long?
@@Dr.JayDMD Surgery seemed to go well. I've had pain but have managed it with Tylenol and Ibuprofen only. I avoid narcotics so I didn't get the prescription filled, my surgeon said he didn't think I'd need them and he was right.
I'd say the restrictive cast/splint has been much worse than the pain. I hate being so limited. It's difficult to work and just do basic stuff around the house. Looking forward to getting it taken off.
Glad to hear everything went well!
I hated that cast. Sleeping and showering were rough. But you should be out of it in the next week!
And once you are.. you'll feel SO much better :)
When do you think you'll start physio?
@@Dr.JayDMD had my distal tendon reattached last Sunday aft. Endo button. Pain until Thursday morning. Finshed med today/Friday. Perfect timing. Only have a bandage over incision and tensor wrap on only half my forearm. Been using sling most of the time. Less sling time day 6. Numbness and swelling still in hand, fingers, wrist. See surgeon on day 8. Cheers to all in rehab!
Hey Mark,
Nice! You're halfway thru the worst part (weeks 1-2). In my opinion once you're out of those 2 weeks, the rehab starts moving quickly!
How's your range of motion? are you able to extend your elbow fully yet? What about supination/pronation? I think your physio/ortho will start getting you to mobilize the elbow joint soon.
Wow! I’ve done my Distol tendon too! Mine was falling apart like cheese string . Surgeon grafted an Achilles’ tendon to mine at week 2
@King Kong
Wow! I've heard of grafts, but didn't know they harvest from the achilles!
How did your injury happen? Sounds like a chronic repetitive injury?
My ortho said I had a similar situation. It was either ruptured in the past and healed over time. Or it was a chronic slow degeneration of the tendon
@@Dr.JayDMD the doctor informed me I must have damaged it prior . I snapped it throwing a left hook 😅 something I’ve done a thousand times. At the time it felt like a cramp in the elbow. The tendon was damaged that bad(falling apart like cheese string) that that grafting the Achilles’ tendon was the only option.
I believe i hot same graft but with a cadaver.. how is your recovery looking with this technique 😊?
@@TheAlmightyalmost back to duo training just waiting on clearance from my doctor!
Now i have suspicions on why my tendon let go so "easily," as mine was 'ratty' aswell, maybe mine was previously compromised as well.
Hey Eggy910,
Did your surgeon also tell you that you tendon was ‘ratty’?
My surgeon said it was hard to tell. It could have either been a
1. Chronic injury over time
2. Acute injury years back that compromised the tendon.
How did you rupture your distal bicep tendon?
Wish you a speedy recovery!
Came here for info pertaining to the title, distal bicep injury, ...don't have time for an andrew huberman running and morning light podcast. 5 minutes in...I have to go back to work now. I'll try to again later. Thanks
I had a bicep tear from jiu jitsu arm bar but it tore at the muscle junction mid bicep not down at the distal bicep tendon. They told me it’s extremely rare and surgery would prove no benefit as it would be like trying to sowing spaghetti together and the muscle would reattach on its own. Well it did but it reattached kind of cockeyed, when I flex it’s clear the injured side is deformed. Loss about 30% of my strength on that side and get some tennis elbow like pain on occasion. Sucks but it is what it is.
Wow. was your elbow hyperextended?
I can only imagine the pain you had and choosing not to tap.
How long ago was the injury?
@@Dr.JayDMD No sir, it was not from choosing not to tap. I definitely would have tapped but didn’t have a chance to. This was supposed to be a light sparring session, I was under the impression we were not going for subs but I was at a gym as a visitor. He was in S mount and fell back into arm bar, my bicep popped before he reached the ground. It was a dick move to say the least, but oh well.
This happened back in April of this year, I couldn’t use my arm whatsoever for about 10 days and took a month before it was functional. I can fully use it now but have pain sometimes and lost about 30% strength.
Hopefully your recovery is quick and full.
Good job on these videos it helps people like me
Hey @Amar Randhawa
I'm glad you are finding these videos helpful! Thanks for the support :)
How did you injure your arm?
Have you already gone in for surgery?
@Dr. Jay DMD i worked out shoulders and some biceps and 48 hours later i was doing pullups just body weight. On my 4th set going up i heard a loud pop and felt pain and stopped. Its day 3 now but i have no bruising or anything. Also are you in western canada who was your surgeon?
@@amarrandhawa4494 ah the dreaded pull-ups! We’re you doing chin ups? (Underhand grip) or pull-ups (overhand grip)?
I am in western Canada!!
Dm me on Instagram @proboxfitness and I’ll hook you up!
@@amarrandhawa4494 I had pop and pain when lifting sod with a shovel on June 27th. Could barely move my arm on the 28th, and has been improving since. No brusing at all from the onset and Pain is only on supination of the arm. Hook test negative, tendon still intact. MRI last week showed high grade tear. Surgery is in my future. Get it checked out, ultrasound at least. Any followup?
I had a partial distal bicep tendon rupture. Over 50%. Doctor doesnt want yo do surgery. im concerned it because its workers comp and he doesn't want to deal with them...i am a granite guy. I tore it on an 800lb piece...my job entails 1000lb pieces quite often. So im paranoid about non surgical routes and 5he risk of fully rupturing my tendon in the future. Any input?
It's nice to 62 years old when I'm recovering. I don't really care what others think. Recovering from a detached tendon... the only thing I'll say about it.
Hey @kennygo8300
Thanks for the support!
How did you injure your distal bicep tendon??
Did you get the surgery?
Going for repair tomorrow
Hi, I just had this surgery two weeks back... I am still very much pretty early in the process but I had that splint and ace bandage on for two weeks postop.. an now I have numbness in my wrist and thumb/palm.. did you experience any of this?
Not sure you still read these but how long did it take you till you could work on Patients again? Same Profesion Brother.
I'm officially 3 weeks post op, surgery went well, I have the robo arm and R.o.m. is better than most Dr. States I have over hand strength but zero strength grabbing let's say a coffee mug 😮 how long do you think 🤔 before that comes back. I used to train 6xs per week. But had to totally stop all supplements due to the vertical muscle and ligament damage
Hey Brian!
You seem to be right where you should be around the recovery timeline! at 3 weeks I was still unable to hold a coffee mug or use a pepper grinder!
How are you feeling now? I'm sure you're almost back to being a fully functional human :)
@@Dr.JayDMD hello and thank you for your time, I am now 60 days in full ROM and now back to working out I do have a little bit of tenderness after bicep curls I am taking it slow 8/10lbs max till next follow up. Its so hard to stop the go go go mentality. Ie,..ego😃 but it's videos like yours that gets me back to basics...
I'm 3 weeks post. Doc did a double cut in each arm. Did you step up on vitamins, calcium or collegians to speed up the recovery? I haven't read through everything so I do apologize if this was already brought up. Thank you for the video.
Hey!
Yes I did! I upped my normal daily stack of vitamins and also included some extras to help aid the recovery process.
I made a video going over it in detail, check it out and let me know what you think!
Do you have some sort of summary of what your rehab has looked like? My PT is more conservative and so is my ortho so I'm worried about falling behind where I'd like to be in my rehab process.
Hey Chris!
Summary in terms of my exercises? My physio?
Let me know what you mean and I can share what I did.
In terms of physio and activity. Not a full breakdown. Something basic for when you started physio rehab movements, when you started gym exercises where you were loading the bicep, when you started running again. Some sort of non detailed guide by week. Coming off pain meds now lol
@@chrisking1483
So I think I went into physio starting around week 4! But it was mostly massaging the arm and scar tissue rehab.
I started directly loading the bicep with resistance at week 6.
And I stopped running for the first 2 weeks post op because I didn’t want to get sweaty (and look weird) running in a plaster cast. 🤣 but other than that I’ve tried to get out at least 2x a week. I was even going on runs while I was waiting for my surgery date. (I had to wait 2 weeks to get scheduled in)
I was planning on making a summary video around week 12! Let me know what other questions you have and I can try to answer them then.
Great to find this series of yours, which I will follow along with. Im 5 days post op (had surgery 10 days after the injury) and trying to throw everything at the rehab to avoid cancelling a once in a life time surf trip (which will be week 7-8 post op).
How close are you to feeling like you can do push ups comfortably? Also at what stage would you have felt comfortable swimming?
Luckily my surgeon sounds like he has an aggressive sports focused approach to recovery. Im only in a bandage wrap around my elbow, forearm and bicep with a sling and won’t have a brace at any point I believe. I have been given the all clear to actively move my arm in the ROM the sling will allow (about 45 degrees) and have been working on supinating and pronating - supination is almost all back, but long way to go with pronation still.
I'm glad its helping you out!!
It sounds like you are on a good recovery schedule, 5 days post op I was in a plaster cast + sling and was stuck in a 45 degree with no ROM.
That was pretty much my approach, I had nothing but time on my side (which most people going through this injury will have) so I did everything/anything I could to help heal it (faster).
I can do push ups comfortably now. Most "pushing" movements are free of pain/discomfort within a certain load.
I guess the pushups will depend on your fitness level and your bodyweight.
At the 6 week mark I started bench pressing and shoulder pressing again (lighter weight than normal). Next video I'll upload my workout routine with respect to reps/sets/exercises so you can see my range of motion + strength.
That's great, a surgeon that is on the same page as you is very important. I would say, in terms of recovery, a sports focused Physiotherapist is even MORE important. Try to find a good one. If you can't, Dr. John Pretrizzo can can help you virtually, I would check him out if you cant find a good one in your area.
Great to hear you are comfortable doing them.
I am fit and active and normally wouldn’t rush any rehab but as push ups and swimming don’t necessarily put my strain on the bicep I was hoping these motions would be OK within reason past week 6 just so I could make my trip ha.
I won’t be seeing my physio for another 10 days, but if i’m happy with their approach I will definitely keep that doctor in mind. Thanks!
Hey just had mine done 7 weeks ago! Full range of motion, but a little pain when lifting at PT. Im worried it's torn again, but nothing "popped" or anything like that. If i reinjured it at this point lifting something I cant, would it likely fully tear and pop like before? Or would it be more subtle?? Great video, thanks!
Hey James!
I just finished my 7th week! ill be uploading my 8th week shortly.
It would probably be a good idea to follow up with your ortho if you feel like something isn't right with the tendon. As far as re-injuring it, the way my ortho explained it to me was, the most probably place would be the part of the tendon sticking out of the bone(radius) because the tendon that is drilled into the bone is now "supraphysiological".
That being said, little bit of discomfort is normal at this stage. More so the days after you work it with the PT. Ill discuss this more in detail in my next video!
@@Dr.JayDMD oh wow so we are pretty much on the same time line!! That's cool! I did call and ask my ortho. She said it's fine and I'd "definitely know" if I reinjured it. My physical therapist said the same thing and the tendon is still there and feels normal. If it was injured in the way your doctor suggested would there be a "pop" or a sudden traumatic event like a regular tear? Or would it be gradual? I guess I was used to 0 pain while in the brace and now that I'm using my arm for a couple weeks I feel pain here and there haha so I got concerned.
@@jamespijewski6649 there would definitely be a pop. It would be very similar to the initial injury.
You would get all the same symptoms such as positive hook test and visible retraction of the bicep up the arm.
But I think your ortho and you PT are right when they say.. you would know that you re-ruptured it!
Glad to hear your rehab process is going well!
Let me know how you’re feeling on my next video 🙂
@@Dr.JayDMD awesome thanks!! I assumed since the tendon is still fragile that if it were to be reinjured it would be a pop and a huge injury like before. I wasnt sure if like the tendon could "slowly tear away" from the fixation site . Ill be looking out for your next videos! And final question for you (maybe you could cover in another video). I know the hook test, but have you found the repaired tendon feels different to the touch than the unrepaired/normal tendon on the other arm? Like the shape and size?bi can't find info on that anywhere and it would be cool to see this covered by someone whos gone through the surgery.
@@jamespijewski6649 no problem at all! I’m glad I can help.
And of course! I’ll be sure to go over it during my week 9 video
I tore my distal bicep tendon, and just had surgery yesterday. I have no cast, just a sling. My doctor said that I am able to stretch my arm out (carefully) as soon as the nerve blocker goes away. This is more aggressive than anything. I’ve heard from other people on CZcams. What are your thoughts?
4th day here. This sounds super aggressive. My arm is swollen af and i am allowed to stretch fully after 6 weeks i think
@@rg1996
My surgery was Thursday. swelling is gone and I've been off pain meds since Saturday. Doc says I can remove the wrap and dressing on Wednesday. He said I can use hand while in sling for very light activities but no lifting. I have been extending my arm about 1/2 - 3/4 with no pain. I have a follow up in 7 days and will start light therapy same day. So far so good.
I’m doing the same protocol. Just a sling. How are you doing now?
Hey buddy I tore mines like 2 years ago can I still get surgery to get it fixed?
yes. get an MRI then head to an orthopedic surgeon with the results.