Your tendons help to attach muscles to bone, and the function of your biceps tendons is to attach your biceps muscle to the bones in your shoulder and elbow. If you suffer a biceps tendon tear, this tearing can occur at the shoulder or at the elbow. Below, we’re going to take a closer look at what you can expect if you suffer a biceps tendon tear at the shoulder, and how the condition can be treated.
Causes And Symptoms Of Biceps Tendon Tears
Like many types of tendon tears, a biceps tendon tear typically occurs as a result of acute injury or repetitive strain. If the biceps tendon is overloaded with stress in a single moment, like if you brace for impact if you fall off a ladder, or you’re constantly straining your biceps tendon at work with repetitive over overhead motions, the tendon can tear at the shoulder. These tendon tears can either be partial or complete in nature. Most tears are partial and do not completely sever the tendon, but significant trauma to the arm can result in the complete tear of the tendon.
Your biceps has two tendon attachments at the shoulder, and in most instances, tearing is isolated to one of the two attachments. Because of this, many people can still use their biceps even after suffering a tear in one attachment. Movement may be more uncomfortable and even painful, but you’ll still have one functioning attachment to aid in movement.
Symptoms of a biceps tendon tear at the shoulder include:
- Arm pain
- Loss in arm strength when turning your arm from palm down to palm up
- Cramping in the biceps muscle
- Bruising near the middle of the upper arm
- Upper arm tenderness
- Visible bulge in the upper arm
Diagnosing And Treating Biceps Tears At The Shoulder
If you suspect that you have suffered a biceps tear, or you know that something is off with your arm and shoulder, set up an appointment with a shoulder specialist like Dr. Holloway. He’ll begin by talking with you about your symptoms and conducting a visual exam of the arm and shoulder area. He may also ask you to perform a few different arm movements to see how your biceps responds to various motions.
Your doctor will likely have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on inside your arm and shoulder, but because biceps tendon tears can present in combination with other injuries, they may opt to conduct some imaging tests. An x-ray won’t be able to confirm the biceps tear, but it can look for bone related issues in the area, whereas an MRI may provide a more detailed look at all the soft tissues in your arm and shoulder.
Most biceps tendon tears will fully heal with the help of a weeks-long conservative care routine. You can expect to pursue a combination of the following techniques to help the biceps tendon heal: Rest, physical therapy, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, ice and gentle stretching techniques.
If symptoms persist, or it’s unlikely that you’ll return to a pre-injury level of fitness with non-operative means (this is a concern with some high level athletes or manual laborers), then a surgical procedure may be the right option. Using minimally invasive techniques, the surgeon will re-anchor the tendon back to the bone. Following the operation, you can expect to have your biceps and shoulder protected in a brace or a sling for a number of weeks before starting a physical therapy regimen.
For more information about biceps tendon tears at the shoulder, or to talk to a specialist about a different shoulder issue you’re dealing with, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
