torn bicep tendon??

[Dave Lay]

anyone ever do this?? In early October, I had a little accident hunting that resulted in a torn bicep tendon on my left arm,(I shoot left handed) as soon as I did it I pretty well knew what i had done, the bicep was all knotted up high on my arm and i had very little strength in that arm, plus i had heard a pop when i did it. But as you guys might can understand, I didnt go to the doctor because I didnt want to end my bowseason. Roger at blackwidow was kind enough to loan me some light limbs (50lb) for my bow, but I didnt have arrows for that set up, and I wanted to continue to hunt with my normal set up (63@28) anyway after a week or so and with some discomfort I could shoot my normal hunting weight, and managed to kill a few deer in Oct. and Nov. But I didnt shoot anymore than I needed to.It finally came time to go to the doctor (2 months later) After he ate my butt out for waiting so long he did a MRI and scheduled surgery to repair the detached bicep tendon. I guess this is a long winded question to anyone who may have had this done.. how is the recovery? and how does it affect ya long term shootin a bow? Heck I am shootin one with it torn figure surely it cant be any worse after repaired..Doctor says 4 months dang that is almost gettin in to turkey season..  any input would be appreciated, but sure dont need any more preachin.. between my wife, my boss and the doctor.. I get the point!! LOL!  Thanks Dave

[John C Keith]

No experience, but I pray for a full, quick recovery.

[Dirty Bill]

he can fix it and it will be normal,provided the tendon didn't shrink too much that he can't stretch it back far enough. You will be going to therapy for a while.Good luck.

[Irish]

I had a partial tear of my left tricep tendon (I shoot right handed)last Christmas day.   Doctors decided not to operate because of my age (57) and the fact I waited 2 weeks to go to the doctor.  I had 2 rounds of MRIs.  My tendon was about 80% torn.  They told me that by waiting, the chance of a successful surgery were much less.   I worked with a physical trainer, did my exercises, and after 6 months was able to pull a 55 lb bow.  I also borrowed a set of limb from the guys a Widow for a late winter hunt with Ray Hammond.  Now I have a knot of scar tissue  where the tendon was torn, but can pull my hunting weight bows - between 55 and 58 lbs.   If I shoot for very long or do not warm up, my left arm has a tendency to give out.

[TexMex]

Have not done that, Get Well Soon.

[1/4 away]

My experience is much like Mel's. I tore my left bicep tendon 2 years ago during the hunting season. Wasn't really sure what I had done to my arm but it hurt like hell when I tried to shoot my bow( I'm right handed) or climb a tree. On days I wasn't hunting I "babied" the arm and occassionally wore a sling. After the season I went to the doc and he told me what I had done. Had an MRI and a couple of shots of cortisone, which didn't help. Doc recommended physical therapy and surgery as a last resort. Took many months of PT to get the strength back and the pain gone. Now I do some stretching exercises before I shoot and as long as I don't overdo the shooting I'm okay, but shoot too much and OUCH!!

[Dave Lay]

the tendon shrinking after 2 months is what the doctor was so concerned about, like Dirty Bill and Irish mentioned,like you 1/4 away, also climbing trees is pretty tough! I am 54, the doc let me know that 2 weeks is the max wait time on something like this, to have a normal repair.. he didnt understand (he is a golfer and doesnt hunt) when he asked me "why in the world would you wait so long on a injury like this" and my response being that I didnt want to miss bow season... glad to hear I am not alone with this.... Dave

[laddy]

I tore a tricep a few years ago doing pull ups. I was doing twenty a day.  On number 18 it went, same thing,  most of the muscle knotted up behind my shoulder.  the local quack said there was nothing to do except stop using my arm.  that didn't happen, after a few years of self physical therapy the lump is nearly gone and my arm is back to normal.

[buckeye_hunter]

Dave,

This is Charlie's wife Amy.  I'm a therapist.  Obviously, my advice would be to get it fixed.  Even though recovery could take up to 4 months (probably less if you're diligent with your therapy.) More importantly than just getting it fixed, make sure you go to a respectable therapy company who will gear your physical therapy treatment toward bowhunting.  If your bicep doesn't heal completely and accurately, you will substitute with your shoulder and wrist, then you're looking at Rotator Cuff injuries, tendonitis, etc.  Getting good therapy right after a repair will ensure that way you can look forward to 30 or 40 years of successful bowhunting insead of 3 or 4.  

Good Luck!

[sgrogg]

Ruptured mine about 10 years ago.  Had the surgery and everything's as good as new.  Surgery was a breeze, however, had to wear a cast for 6 weeks.  That was the worst part.  Don't remember how long it took to get back to 100%, maybe 3-4 months.

I can shoot a 70 pound bow but I normally use 45-55 and can shoot all day at those weights.  Good luck.

[Dave Lay]

great info guys thanks alot, surgery is scheduled for this Friday, and like AMY said 4 months is what they said.. wow.. if this happens to any of you out there.. go to the doctor as quick as ya can, my waiting TWO MONTHS really compounded the issue.. not smart.

[Shawn Leonard]

I had a good bud fall from a tree and his arm hung up in a crotch. he tore the same bicep as you. He had the surgery right away and was able to shoot a bow about 10 weeks later. It healed fine but remember do exactly as the doctor says. Shawn

[Scott F]

Dave, I had the same surgery on my right arm for the same injury in 2000.  The big thing that the doctors were looking for prior to reattaching the tendon was whether or not the bone pulled away with the tendon - luckily mine didn't because they said that it would have prolonged the recovery.  My right bicep tendon literally peeled right off of the bone.  I was at the time, and still am, an active duty Marine so the choice for surgery was an easy one for me!  The surgery was fine and recovery was fairly quick although I went under the knife only 4 days after the injury.  I wasn't in a hurry to shoot a bow afterwards, my main goal was to get back up on a pull up bar.  For what it is worth, pay close attention to your diet as you heal because it will have a dramatic difference with how soon you will be back to normal.  Nicotine will lengthen the time it takes for you to recover (so they say), for me; Copenhagen seemed to be part of my recovery!

I am not sure how they intend on attaching the tendon, but they drilled a hole in my bone, pulled the tendon through, separated the end of the tendon, and literally sewed it to the bone.  Recovery time wasn't all that bad at all.  I was a 30-year-old Captain at the time and was in pretty good shape.

For what it is worth, that happened during my first tour at Parris Island, I am now here for the second time.  The tree that I was climbing during the accident has been cut down to make way for a new housing development.  I wanted to cut it down myself but never got the chance to do so.  I was climbing a tree with a new set of binos in my left hand.  One handed pull ups are only good for gymnists, not 230 pound former discus throwers!

[Scott F]

Oh by the way, I read your initial post again and that "pop" sound is pretty distinctive isn't it?

Good luck and I hope that you have a speedy recovery.  

Good advice from Shawn, listen to your doctor so you don't hear the "pop" again.

[moonheart]

Dave,
     (I'm new to this site, taking my first archery class this winter)...I've heard about this kind of injury, & occasionally encountered it in my work as a massage therapist.  Massage therapy from someone trained in "rehabilitative" or "deep tissue" work can help speed recovery by increasing blood flow to the injury site, abrading the muscle fibers so that scar tissue doesn't form as much, and keeping the muscle supple and flexible, even after surgery.  Best thing to do is wait a few days after injury or surgery, then massage once a week or so (or as the wallet allows).  Even old injuries & old scar tissue can benefit from this (I've helped restore range of motion for a client with a 20 year shoulder separation injury.).  Not advertising my work here (I'm actually taking time off from my practice), but encouraging everyone to keep in mind the lifetime of hunting ahead, not just the current season.  Take care of those arms & good luck!

[Gene Roberts]

No experience,but I'll prey for you.

[Terry Riley]

I failed my right bicep tendon a few years back. Had the surgery right away and was casted 6 weeks. Took another 4 months or more with deligent physical therapy to recover. There is some temporary nerve damage as the result of the surgery that gave me fits for awhile but as Buckeye said, find competent therapy as soon as possible to begin recovery. Your big unknown is what you have to work with on the repair in terms of tendon length and the problems associated with the healing and reattachment of the damaged areas over the two month period you were hunting. Loss of the bicep affects your ability to rotate your arm more so than your ability to pull your bow. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery.

Terry

[Otto]

Daggone guys, my arm hurts just reading this stuff.

Best of luck to you.  Hope you're all healed up by turkey season.

[maxfit]

Dave,
Understand that everyone heals and progesses at a different pace once an injury has occured. Factors that contribute are, severity of injury, time between injury and solution,competence of surgeon, post op rehab etc... I have trained countless clients after surgery, and some that opted not for it. The most important thing in my opinion, (20 years professional full timetrainer/bodybuilder)is what and how you go about your post op recovery and physical training. Physical therapy simply is to get you functional again, not back to the top of your game. After that it is up to you. If i can be of any further assistance feel free to contact me  and i will do my best to get you going in the right direction. I would also like to offer my services to members of this site for free(time permitting). Physical fitness is my area of expertise and it would be nice to give back to the members of this site who have helped me. Chuck Valente.  www.maxfitonline.com  God Bless.

[TNstickn]

I have had BOTH of my tendons repaired, 6 mos apart. Recovery was about four months but it took a year before I felt I had my strength back. Still bothers me every now and then but other than that, I feel good. Only bad thing was loss of my range of motion in my wrist.

Honestly, if your active...it's REALLY going to SUCK!!!!!!!!

DO YOUR THERAPY! DO YOUR THERAPY! DO YOUR THERAPY! and when you are done with that...DO YOUR THERAPY!!!!!!

BEST OF LUCK GREG DONLEY TNStickn