Posted by Signature Medical Group on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in Orthopedics
You just felt something pop in your elbow or upper arm. Sometimes the pain is minimal, but that pop must have meant something, right?
It hurts to bend your elbow or lift your arm and you are starting to notice swelling and bruising around the front of your elbow or forearm. What should you do?
Call the orthopedic specialists at Signature Medical Group for an appointment. Chances are, you ruptured your biceps tendon.
Often you can see one of our doctors the same day you made an appointment. We also offer convenient hours on nights and weekends.
In addition to tendons, our orthopedic specialists treat pulled muscles, broken bones, sprained ankles and ruptured discs, among other conditions.
Your Signature specialist will go over several treatment options, depending whether your tendon was injured at the elbow or shoulder.
Both conditions can be treated with conservative measures. Implementing RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation), formal physical therapy or a home exercise program can help alleviate some pain and encourage normal arm function.
If you’re still hurting, or other structures to the shoulder are damaged, surgery could be considered. The tendon inside of the joint is usually removed and the remaining tendon is anchored as it exits the shoulder. Precautions are taken to make sure the injury heals before any strengthening begins.
At the elbow, if a biceps tear is not repaired you will lose some ability to bend or flex the elbow. The most significant loss of strength will be with turning or twisting the forearm palm up or palm down.
If you think you have a torn tendon in the shoulder or elbow, make an appointment today with a Signature orthopedic specialist.
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