bicep tendon rupture at the shoulder

[robert birchell]

I ruptured my bicep tendon today while climbing a steep route.
Anyone out there climbing with a ruptured bicep tendon??
Any info related to climbing with this condition would be appreciated.
My doctor told me at 62 yrs old he would not suggest reattaching it.
He thinks at most I will lose 10% pulling power.
Anyone gone thru PT for this condition? Did it help?
Bob

[Josephine]

rene has - i'm pretty sure he has. i don't know if he checks this site but you can pm his wife "tutugirl" for more info.

[ky.jennylynn]

i know two climbers that have torn the long head of the biceps tendon, one tore it bilaterally (both arms) and they other in just one. in both, climbing ability has not been compromised. pain / discomfort is temporary, they continue to climb 5.12-5.14 respectively, and the main change has been the physical appearance of their upper arm. hope this helps put your mind at ease. also, PT can be quite helpful, not only for pain controlling modalities in the short term, but intensive rotator cuff strengthening, and for strengthening of other muscles in the upper extremity that have similiar function to the biceps to enhance the overall stability of the shoulder and prevent other problems down the line. luckily, the musculature is quite redundant.. also, your biceps will over time scar down to the underlying musculature/fascia/connective tissue and then be able to assist in movement of the arm, as the nerves to the muscle are still intact. just speaking in generality. pm me and i'll send you my contact info if you want to discuss in more detail.

[GWG]

My climbing partner tore the long bicep tendon and was told pretty much the same thing. He continued to climb hard however there continued to be some pretty significant pain. After another month or so, he went back and was told that his rotator cuff had deteriorated and the other tendon was frayed. In addition, there was a lot of damage to the muscles around the shoulder. He was told at this time not to climb and do nothing that caused him to raise his arm above his shoulder. It's been 3 months and they are still going back and forth deciding whether cutting will help.

With regard to the appearance, when he flexes his arm, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Wanna see my bulge?"

[Saxman]

I would wager your much healthier than the average 62 year old and would recover very quickly from surgery.

[captain static]

If you are going to continue climbing I think you might want to have the surgery. One friend of mine who tore this tendon subsequently completely severed it. Another friend didn't know they had torn the tendon until it started to cause shoulder problems.

[tutugirl]

Rene, my husband, had shoulder surgery now both shoulders...in both the bicep was shereded beyond repair (the doctor looked) but when I asked the doctor if this would compromise his climbing in the future and the doctor said no, he probably will not even notice. So unless you have rotator problems or labrium problems (which Rene did) I would just leave it alone...let it will heal. Even after having both surgeries, he just had his second last Monday, the doctor said he would have full recovery and be able to climb as well as before. His surgeon works with the UD basketball and football teams so he knows a lot about shoulders

[rhunt]

I ruptured my left a couple years ago, its never been the same and probably won't. I can still climb but I have very real limitations. Mostly doing moves with the arm that are in any way an undercling. The surgery is just cosmetic - they can not reattach it back to the spot where it tore - they attach down lower so to make the bulge go away. The rupture weakens the shoulder and sets you up for rotator and labrium problems and so you'll need to work to keep it strong and know your limitation and when to let go. For now give it 4/6 weeks rest to heal and then find a good PT. PT did help me alot, the goal is to strengthen the whole shoulder and to train certain muscle groups to work differently so they work for the now missing longhead bicep.

[robert birchell]

Thanks for all the great replies.
3 days since i tore the bicep tendon:
no pain
i can curl 20lbs (maybe more but not pushing it)
i have full range of movement
i climbed on my home wall no problem
My doc said keep climbing and no surgery.

Many thanks to you all.
Bob

[pigsteak]

problem is not a single one fo the persons mentioned actually climbs anymore, so I'd be leary of their "advice"..... seems that the surgery/non surgery made them weak sauce and they all took up cross stitch.