Surgery of distal tendon bicep rupture - after 9 months

[11111]

Just did this to mine w/ 315...my max is around 620

Lesson learned.

Mountolympus:

I'm only 5 weeks post surgery (I think) and not allowed to train with the arm, but I don't have any weird pain unless I do something stupid. I do, however, have complete numbness in the back of the thumb and across half the back of the hand, as well as the thumb muscle (on the palm), and radiating a little bit into the forearm.

Mine was fixed using a button, screw, and sutures. Was done by a sports medicine orthopedic specialist and in his words "it's a bit overkill, but I guarantee it'll never tear again." Still not going to do mixed grip tho But at 12 weeks post-surgery, the tendon itself is around 90% strength.

Bieber, yea, I remember you posting about that recently; sorry to hear it, that sucks... It's crazy how that happened as it was basically 50% of your 1RM... Talk about a freak accident..

 

[bieberhole69]

Bieber, yea, I remember you posting about that recently; sorry to hear it, that sucks... It's crazy how that happened as it was basically 50% of your 1RM... Talk about a freak accident..

It makes me wonder if it was partially torn before--because for years it's always looked a LITTLE different at the insertion than my right arm. Doesn't matter...was able to get fixed (supposedly, can't tell yet because still can't flex or supinate it) to within 1mm of the other side.

One of my friends ruptured his spotting someone on DB press (and wasn't helping crazy, just a forced rep after failure)--now THAT'S a freak accident.

 

[11111]

It makes me wonder if it was partially torn before--because for years it's always looked a LITTLE different at the insertion than my right arm. Doesn't matter...was able to get fixed (supposedly, can't tell yet because still can't flex or supinate it) to within 1mm of the other side.

One of my friends ruptured his spotting someone on DB press (and wasn't helping crazy, just a forced rep after failure)--now THAT'S a freak accident.

Definitely keep us posted on your recovery..

 

[alfa]

Yep...mine happened with only 315 on the bar and my max is ~620ish.

I'm not too beat up about it since it's my only tear in 11 straight years of lifting intensely, but the "time-out" really sucks because training hard is my therapy / antidepressant. Oh well, life moves on, at least it's fixed!

I snapped my left tendon 12 weeks ago preacher curling, surgeon said that he found about 20%of the tendon recessed back into my bicep from an old injury which is how I snapped it, gutted to be fair, last set of workout on machine preachers. Ive been training now for about 5 weeks, juice free as apparently that will hinder healing, lots of aminos and other nutrients.
My question to all of you guys who have suffered the same thing is this: my bicep is smaller and has atrophied it also seems shorter and i have a bigger gap between the end of the muscle and my elbow. Surgeon said that the tendon is actually slightly shorter now after surgery (button anchor, single incision) and the bicep will regain much the same shape as pre injury. Have any of you guys noticed this? What was the outcome?
Any advice or guidance is greatly appreciated guys.

 

[m314]

I snapped my left tendon 12 weeks ago preacher curling, surgeon said that he found about 20%of the tendon recessed back into my bicep from an old injury which is how I snapped it, gutted to be fair, last set of workout on machine preachers. Ive been training now for about 5 weeks, juice free as apparently that will hinder healing, lots of aminos and other nutrients.
My question to all of you guys who have suffered the same thing is this: my bicep is smaller and has atrophied it also seems shorter and i have a bigger gap between the end of the muscle and my elbow. Surgeon said that the tendon is actually slightly shorter now after surgery (button anchor, single incision) and the bicep will regain much the same shape as pre injury. Have any of you guys noticed this? What was the outcome?
Any advice or guidance is greatly appreciated guys.

My left arm still has a noticeable gap between the elbow and muscle compared to the right. They look more similar flexed, but it's obvious when both arms are straight.

I did get the strength back in that arm eventually. I mostly don't notice it now 5 years post injury.

 

[mikennrg]

Being too bicep dominant increases the risk of a tear. If your arms don't hang straight or close to it while relaxed you should stay away from mixed grip deads.

 

[bieberhole69]

Definitely keep us posted on your recovery..

6 weeks post bicep-repair surgery. Was allowed out the brace and instructed to start supinating with 5lbs...turns out I could do 3lbs initially lol. Can't really flex the bicep without pain, but here's the turnout (it's on the right side of the picture).

Legs have also atrophied a bit from being unable to back squat / stiff leg until this week, but I'm trying to hang in there.

Alfa -- it appears that my bicep has either the same shape or a bit longer (the ortho warned me it might be 1-2mm longer since the tendon was shorter--same as your surgeon told you--so he had to pull it further to attach it), but I can't tell exactly yet as there is still quite a bit of swelling / inflammation.

 

[alfa]

Bieber...Thanks for the reply buddy, Im 5 weeks further on than you and am still only lifting light, I can tense properly now and get a pump in the muscle, still have a larger gap in the injured arm between bicep and elbow. No pain at all, my forearm still swells a bit after training and there is a hard lump of scar tissue under the incision scar, I am massaging the scar and apparently scraping it with a hard edge will also break up scar tissue. I managed curling 12.5kg dumbbells last session and am only working the injured arm. Is this the right thing to do or is my logic way off?? My thinking is that I need to get the injured arm level with the good arm before i start working both or am I completely wrong??
How is your pronation/supination? You are still in great shape BTW.

 

[bieberhole69]

Bieber...Thanks for the reply buddy, Im 5 weeks further on than you and am still only lifting light, I can tense properly now and get a pump in the muscle, still have a larger gap in the injured arm between bicep and elbow. No pain at all, my forearm still swells a bit after training and there is a hard lump of scar tissue under the incision scar, I am massaging the scar and apparently scraping it with a hard edge will also break up scar tissue. I managed curling 12.5kg dumbbells last session and am only working the injured arm. Is this the right thing to do or is my logic way off?? My thinking is that I need to get the injured arm level with the good arm before i start working both or am I completely wrong??
How is your pronation/supination? You are still in great shape BTW.

I, too, have that hard lump of scar tissue you're describing.

I worked the injury-free side the entire time I was unable to work the injured side. My thinking was that at least I'd know how far I needed to go to get back to full strength on the injured side on isolation exercises, and on compound exercises I'd be making the injured side work that much harder to keep up. I have added back in pressing on machines / smith (surgeon said it was OK at this point) for the injured side and it seems to be at about 70-80% strength already. I'm not sure if there's a right or a wrong (other than doing things the surgeon said not to do, which I'm avoiding doing still), but mentally I feel much better this way.

My pronation is the same as the good side, although my hand itself feels odd (like the skin is too tight) when pronated as far as I can go. I was just allowed to start supinating again, and I've still got about 10-20deg of rotation to go until it matches the good side again. It hurts when trying, but I do it unweighted every day (rotate hand both pronated, supinated) in an effort to try and restore the last few degrees.

Still can't tense properly (it hurts) or get a pump in the biceps itself, but I can actually see the outlines of the muscle now when it moves. Vascularity is mostly returned and the swelling mostly gone, although there is a small patch where none exists right around the incision area.

 

[alfa]

I, too, have that hard lump of scar tissue you're describing.

I worked the injury-free side the entire time I was unable to work the injured side. My thinking was that at least I'd know how far I needed to go to get back to full strength on the injured side on isolation exercises, and on compound exercises I'd be making the injured side work that much harder to keep up. I have added back in pressing on machines / smith (surgeon said it was OK at this point) for the injured side and it seems to be at about 70-80% strength already. I'm not sure if there's a right or a wrong (other than doing things the surgeon said not to do, which I'm avoiding doing still), but mentally I feel much better this way.

My pronation is the same as the good side, although my hand itself feels odd (like the skin is too tight) when pronated as far as I can go. I was just allowed to start supinating again, and I've still got about 10-20deg of rotation to go until it matches the good side again. It hurts when trying, but I do it unweighted every day (rotate hand both pronated, supinated) in an effort to try and restore the last few degrees.

Still can't tense properly (it hurts) or get a pump in the biceps itself, but I can actually see the outlines of the muscle now when it moves. Vascularity is mostly returned and the swelling mostly gone, although there is a small patch where none exists right around the incision area.

The only real concern that I have is the gap...although I have the same level of atrophy that you have in your photo, and the surgeon said that the tendon is now shorter (which makes sense after cleaning up the ragged end before reattachment), and is attached at the tuberosity, where it was originally attached (this also makes sense as the tuberosity is a lump of bone on the radius that is thicker than the rest of the bone). I have also read about bad tensioning of the tendon......i dont think this is the case and as my arm is atrophied by a good couple of inches, the gap may close when the muscle belly is as full as it was pre surgery. I absolutely HAVE to compete next November. Ill be 50 next June and it will be my first show. I will be ecstatic if I can get close the the condition you're in in your avatar. Im at 270 now at 6 feet dead, juice free and will probably get to 290+ before cut, I want to stay as lean as am now right through the bulk and recovery. I intend using Big A's day on day off training regime for off season mass gaining and will follow his entire juice and diet regime.
I have very little pain but my thumb and half the back of my hand is still tingling and has the sensation that it has been burned or scalded, not painful per se' but the sensation is there, all numbness is starting to subside. Remember that the radial nerve is a biggie and will take time to heal and the neural pathways have to be retraced. At about week 8 i got pains like tiny but strong electric shocks that made me jump, that has subsided and I now have more feeling. Im also using a very high dose collagen supplement at 6000mg per day, no idea if it will help but must assume it will given that tendons are made of collagen. Pronation is close to 100%, supination is around 85%, flexion and extension are both fine. Given that this injury takes 6 months to heal i think I might be putting too much pressure on myself, but my life long ambition is to compete. I've only been bodybuilding for 4 years and gained over 60lbs. I will not allow this injury and the frustration :banghead: stop me.

 

[Mountolympus]

my feedback, in january i have do the operation, now, after 9 months the situation is the same, i have pain in my arm, i have no pump in the left bicep and i have lost a lot of strenght, not only in gym but also in life (example: move a wardrobe). For the aesthetic, the left bicep is much shorter....for my experience i don't remake te operation, only side effects

 

[Macrocupcake124]

I, too, have that hard lump of scar tissue you're describing.



I worked the injury-free side the entire time I was unable to work the injured side. My thinking was that at least I'd know how far I needed to go to get back to full strength on the injured side on isolation exercises, and on compound exercises I'd be making the injured side work that much harder to keep up. I have added back in pressing on machines / smith (surgeon said it was OK at this point) for the injured side and it seems to be at about 70-80% strength already. I'm not sure if there's a right or a wrong (other than doing things the surgeon said not to do, which I'm avoiding doing still), but mentally I feel much better this way.



My pronation is the same as the good side, although my hand itself feels odd (like the skin is too tight) when pronated as far as I can go. I was just allowed to start supinating again, and I've still got about 10-20deg of rotation to go until it matches the good side again. It hurts when trying, but I do it unweighted every day (rotate hand both pronated, supinated) in an effort to try and restore the last few degrees.



Still can't tense properly (it hurts) or get a pump in the biceps itself, but I can actually see the outlines of the muscle now when it moves. Vascularity is mostly returned and the swelling mostly gone, although there is a small patch where none exists right around the incision area.

Sorry if I missed it, but have you been using anything during recovery?

I had mine reattached 12 days ago using sutures, 2 incisions.

I chose to do prp during the surgery and I've been using bpc157, tb500 and gh everyday since. Also on test and eq - I was before I got injured and didn't wanna stop abruptly.

I have a soft cast on til the end of the week and then I'll be in a ROM brace for 4 weeks. Still working out my good side. Machines only.

Doctor said full recovery is 16 weeks, I'm hoping to push it to 12 as I have a physical work event I'd really like to be cleared for at the 13th week mark.


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[bieberhole69]

Sorry if I missed it, but have you been using anything during recovery?

I had mine reattached 12 days ago using sutures, 2 incisions.

I chose to do prp during the surgery and I've been using bpc157, tb500 and gh everyday since. Also on test and eq - I was before I got injured and didn't wanna stop abruptly.

I have a soft cast on til the end of the week and then I'll be in a ROM brace for 4 weeks. Still working out my good side. Machines only.

Doctor said full recovery is 16 weeks, I'm hoping to push it to 12 as I have a physical work event I'd really like to be cleared for at the 13th week mark.


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150 test a week. I tried out hydrolyzed collagen protein, but the science isn't very sound on it so I'm not sure it's contributing. Other than that...nothing. Mine said "full clearance" at 12 weeks, and if you do the research, it shows that the tendon is about 90% strength at that point.

I was in a hard cast for 2 weeks, then ROM brace for 4--by the end of the 4th week I was back to full extension and was permitted to start supinating.

Good luck with your journey, just don't do anything stupid till it's time

 

[alfa]

:

150 test a week. I tried out hydrolyzed collagen protein, but the science isn't very sound on it so I'm not sure it's contributing. Other than that...nothing. Mine said "full clearance" at 12 weeks, and if you do the research, it shows that the tendon is about 90% strength at that point.

I was in a hard cast for 2 weeks, then ROM brace for 4--by the end of the 4th week I was back to full extension and was permitted to start supinating.

Good luck with your journey, just don't do anything stupid till it's time

I started with much heavier cable curls last night. Giant set of 10@ 25kg, 10 @ 35kg and 10 @ 45kg. Felt great, good pump and strength is good.

 

[Macrocupcake124]

:



I started with much heavier cable curls last night. Giant set of 10@ 25kg, 10 @ 35kg and 10 @ 45kg. Felt great, good pump and strength is good.

What technique was used in you?

That's good strength for 13 weeks out of surgery. How soon did you start putting weight on it?


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[alfa]

What technique was used in you?

That's good strength for 13 weeks out of surgery. How soon did you start putting weight on it?


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Single incision button anchor, and 5iu HgH ed since the surgery, I was very lucky to be injured on the wednesday night and in surgery on the friday morning. They curls yesterday were seated at 45 degrees with a v bar and EZ bar. My strength has never been an issue and Im able to close grip bench 225lb for set of 12 slow to try to regain tricep size. Ive been going 75% on all other exercise other than direct bicep work for nearly a month no, I have been using up to 35lb bumbbells for 3 weeks. Ive just cruised on juice since the surgery at 300mg test every 10 days as ive heard that juice is not good for tendon healing.

 

[Macrocupcake124]

Single incision button anchor, and 5iu HgH ed since the surgery, I was very lucky to be injured on the wednesday night and in surgery on the friday morning. They curls yesterday were seated at 45 degrees with a v bar and EZ bar. My strength has never been an issue and Im able to close grip bench 225lb for set of 12 slow to try to regain tricep size. Ive been going 75% on all other exercise other than direct bicep work for nearly a month no, I have been using up to 35lb bumbbells for 3 weeks. Ive just cruised on juice since the surgery at 300mg test every 10 days as ive heard that juice is not good for tendon healing.

Thanks for the response.

So you were doing 35lb curls 10 weeks out from surgery? It's crazy how different recovery is for people who have had this surgery.

My sutures are initially weaker than the methods you guys had, but I'd love to be able to recover at your speed.


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[alfa]

:

Thanks for the response.

So you were doing 35lb curls 10 weeks out from surgery? It's crazy how different recovery is for people who have had this surgery.

My sutures are initially weaker than the methods you guys had, but I'd love to be able to recover at your speed.


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Im very lucky Macro, 7 years ago I shattered my calcaneus (heel bone) in a climbing accident. I used to work as a telecoms rigger. I was back to work 2 months post accident with 8 screws, 2 plates and a pin in my foot. It was damn sore to be fair but it worked and bone heals a lot faster than tendon.

 

[alfa]

15 weeks post op

Now at nearly 15 weeks post op and my arm is strong, bicep is still very noticeably smaller and shorter than my good arm. I get good contraction and i have good movement. I am thinking of doing a course soon, basic bulker as Ive been off now for four months. Test E, Boldenone and Tren E mon, weds, fri. Dianobol front end load for 4 weeks.
What do you guys think or is it too soon?
I want to show next november and need to get the size back that has atrophied. I work in an office and have done for the last 6 years, so im not using it as much as i did when i was rigging, is it safe to suppose that it would have recovered better when i was on the tools or not??

All advice is very much appreciated gents.

 

[TestmE]

For those interested, I completely ruptured my distal biceps tendon in mid August of this year and had the button repair done the following week. I'm a commercial carpenter and very active in the gym, so this really set me back and haven't been able to work, more than just supervise and do some paperwork around the office, mostly just go to work and get paid to watch Netflix lol, but still stayed as active as I could with one arm in the gym.
Anyway, I started running test E @ 750mg/wk and EQ @ 600mg/wk, I'm now entering the 7th week of my cycle.
Went to physical therapy once a week for 6 weeks, the therapist originally had me scheduled for 12 weeks, but was very pleased with my progress and released me. Called the Dr today and he gave me the green light to get back to work with no restrictions.
In the past 6 weeks I've regained 1 1/2" on my injured bicep and now ok'd to move up to curls with 25lb db's, and have very little if any discomfort while doing so, I've also been given the ok to deadlift, upright row and do band assisted wide grip pullups again!
Still gotta take it a bit easy, and move up the weight as I feel comfortable doing so.
But between staying active, doing what I can, knowing my limitations and the test/EQ, I've turned a 4-6mo recovery time into like 2 1/2 months. I've still got a long road ahead to be where I wanna be, but very happy with the progress I've made so far.


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