Tendons are soft tissues in your body that attach muscles to bones, and your biceps tendons are responsible for attaching your biceps muscle to bones in your elbow and shoulder. These tendons are relatively strong, but because of the amount of stress we regularly put on our arms, it’s not uncommon for one or more of these attachments to partially or completely rupture due to acute trauma or repetitive stress. When the biceps tendons tear at the shoulder connection, patients oftentimes turn to Dr. Holloway for treatment. In today’s blog, we explain how biceps tendon tears at the shoulder are typically treated.
Causes And Symptoms Of Biceps Tendon Tears At The Shoulder
As we alluded to in the introduction, biceps tendon tears typically rupture as a result of two common actions – an acute trauma or overstress on the area, or a slower rupture as a result of repetitive strain over a number of years. Oftentimes both of these factors come into play, with mild tendon degeneration from repetitive stress finally leading to a tear once the tendons are overloaded during a moment of acute strain, like if you’re lifting something heavy or fall onto an outstretched arm.
Your biceps tendon actually attaches to your shoulder in two separate places. The longer head of the biceps tendon attaches to your shoulder socket (the glenoid), while the shorter head attaches to a bony protrusion on the shoulder blade called the coracoid process. Because of their positioning, it’s much more likely that you’ll suffer a tear to the longer head of the biceps tendon than the shorter head.
Symptoms of a biceps tendon tear include:
- Sharp upper arm pain
- Pain may be accompanied by an audible snapping or popping
- Cramping of the biceps muscle
- Tenderness in the shoulder
- Arm and shoulder weakness
- Bruising in the upper arm
- Difficulty rotating your hand when arm is extended
- A visible bulge or deformity in the biceps muscle area
Diagnosing And Treating Biceps Tendon Tears At The Shoulder
With a complete tear of the long head of the biceps tendon at the shoulder, it’s pretty obvious that something is wrong with your arm and shoulder, although you’ll want to get an exact diagnosis from your general practitioner or a shoulder specialist like Dr. Holloway. While biceps tendon tears can oftentimes be diagnosed with only a physical examination, a doctor will want to get a better understanding of the damage by taking a closer look with the help of an imaging test. This can not only provide clarity about the damage to the biceps tendon, but it can also assess if nearby structures have been injured. It’s common for some rotator cuff damage to be present when an event causes the biceps tendon to tear, so looking for this damage can ensure the right course of treatment is charted.
Fortunately, biceps tendon tears oftentimes respond well to conservative treatment. Because the muscle attaches to the shoulder with two tendon connections, you can still perform some basic movements with the arm while healing is running its course. Most patients deal with some mild to moderate upper arm and shoulder discomfort as the ruptured tendon heals, but it’s a small price to pay to avoid a more extensive and costly surgical procedure. Rest, icing, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and a progressive physical therapy program can help limit discomfort and restore function in the area. By following a personalized physical therapy program, most patients can be back to all normal activities within eight weeks.
Surgery to correct biceps tendon tears is rare, but it may become necessary if conservative treatment fails, if it is paired with significant rotator cuff damage or for patients who need to be able to safely put an immense amount of strain on their shoulders, like manual laborers or certain athletes. While there are a few different ways to minimally address the tear, the most common procedure involves reattaching the long head of the biceps tendon to the humerus (arm bone) instead of reattaching it back on the glenoid, as this actually helps to provide better stability and function of the shoulder joint. Your doctor can go into greater detail about the procedure should surgery become necessary, but recovery from surgery typically takes about 4-6 months.
For more information about biceps tendon tears at the shoulder, or for assistance managing a different shoulder condition, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
