Medical Disclaimer
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
🚨Emergency? If you have severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, or think it's an emergency, call 000 immediately.
Biceps Tendon Tear at the Elbow
A distal biceps rupture occurs when the biceps tendon tears completely off the bone at your elbow, usually from sudden forceful straightening while lifting something heavy—you'll feel a sharp pop in the front of your elbow with immediate pain, bruising, and a visible bulge in your upper arm where the biceps muscle bunches up. Most active people choose surgical reattachment within 2-4 weeks for best results (restoring 95% of strength), while non-surgical treatment leaves permanent 30-40% loss of arm twisting strength and endurance, making surgery the preferred option for people under 60 who want full arm function.
📖What is Biceps Tendon Tear at the Elbow?
A distal biceps rupture occurs when the biceps tendon tears completely off the bone at your elbow, usually from sudden forceful straightening while lifting something heavy—you'll feel a sharp pop in the front of your elbow with immediate pain, bruising, and a visible bulge in your upper arm where the biceps muscle bunches up. Most active people choose surgical reattachment within 2-4 weeks for best results (restoring 95% of strength), while non-surgical treatment leaves permanent 30-40% loss of arm twisting strength and endurance, making surgery the preferred option for people under 60 who want full arm function.
🔬What Causes It?
- Sudden forceful eccentric contraction (lowering heavy weight while muscle contracts)
- Lifting heavy object with arm straight that unexpectedly jerks
- Direct blow to front of elbow while contracting biceps
- Degenerative tendon wear in people over 40 (most common underlying cause)
⚠️Risk Factors
You may be at higher risk if:
- Men aged 40-60 (most common demographic)
- Smoking (impairs tendon blood supply)
- Anabolic steroid use
- Manual labor or heavy lifting occupations
- Weightlifting or CrossFit
- Previous corticosteroid injection near elbow
🛡️Prevention
- ✓Proper lifting technique (avoid jerky eccentric loads)
- ✓Gradual progression in weightlifting programs
- ✓Warm up before heavy lifting
- ✓Quit smoking (improves tendon health)
- ✓Avoid anabolic steroids
- ✓Don't ignore chronic elbow pain (may indicate tendinopathy before rupture)