Anterior Upper Arm

 

Examples of Conditions Treated:

Biceps Muscle Tear
A first degree strain is damage to a few muscle fibres, there may be a sensation of cramp or tightness and a slight feeling of pain when the muscles are stretched or contracted.

A second degree strain is damage to a more extensive number of muscle fibres and is classified as a moderate injury. Because there is a greater amount of tissue damage, a second degree strain will have significant impact on functional ability and bending the elbow. A patient may have swelling, localised bruising, muscle spasm, tenderness over the injury site, reduced or limited range of motion, and weakness in the muscle. Over the next few days the bruising may track down the front of the arm because of gravity.

A grade three strain is a complete rupture of the muscle either within the muscle belly or at the musculotendinous junction (where the muscle and tendon connect). There is an immediate intense pain. If the muscle is completely torn and there may be a large lump of muscle tissue above a depression where the tear is. There is normally extensive bruising that appears shortly after injury.

Distal Biceps Rupture
Muscles are attached to bones by strong connective tissues called tendons. The biceps tendon inserts just below the elbow on the “palm” side of the forearm. A rupture occurs when the tendon is torn from the bone. Occurring mainly in middle aged men, and usually in response to a strong contraction of the muscle, patients may feel or hear a pop directly in front of the elbow. This is followed by intense pain. In a full rupture the intensity of the pain eases quickly as tension is immediately removed from the pain receptors in the torn tendon. In a partial rupture pain may prevail. Occasionally, the muscle may retract upwards, giving a prominent bump that makes your affected side look very different from your other bicep. The arm will feel weak on twisting the forearm to a palm up position and on bending the elbow.