Distal Biceps Rupture

Wear of the cartilage in the small joints of the fingers and wrist, causing stiffness, swelling, bony knuckle enlargement and pain with gripping.

Hand and Wrist Osteoarthritis

Elbow · Hand and Upper Extremity

Distal Biceps Rupture

A tear of the biceps tendon from the bone at the elbow, with a pop, bruising, a bunched-up muscle and lost strength turning the palm up. Time-sensitive.

A break in the small wrist bone below the thumb, often mistaken for a sprain, that heals poorly because of its blood supply and leads to arthritis if missed.

Scaphoid Fracture

A torn ligament between the small bones of the wrist, most often the scapholunate ligament, that lets the bones shift out of alignment and wear the joint.

Wrist Instability

Cuts, ruptures and overuse injuries of the tendons that bend and straighten the fingers and wrist, including mallet finger, jersey finger and tendinitis.

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Stretched or torn ligaments in the wrist, thumb and fingers, including skier thumb and jammed fingers. Most heal with splinting; complete tears may need repair.

Hand and Wrist Ligament Sprains

Cuts, crush injuries and stretch injuries to the nerves of the hand and arm, causing numbness and weakness. Timing matters because nerves recover slowly and only when repaired early.

Nerve Injuries of the Hand and Arm

A finger or thumb joint knocked out of place, usually by a ball or a fall. Reduced promptly, then protected so the ligaments heal and the joint stays stable.

Finger and Thumb Dislocations

A tear of the cartilage and ligament complex on the small-finger side of the wrist, causing pain with twisting and weight bearing. From a fall or from years of load.

TFCC Tear

Hand differences present from birth, from trigger thumb and extra or joined fingers to underdeveloped thumbs. Evaluated early, treated when it improves function.

Congenital Hand Conditions

Elbow · Hand and Upper Extremity

Complex Upper Extremity Trauma

Severe injuries of the hand, wrist, forearm and elbow: open fractures, crush and saw injuries, combined bone, tendon and nerve damage, and injuries that need reconstruction.

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

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Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330

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What it is

Distal Biceps Rupture

The biceps anchors to the radius bone just below the elbow.

When that tendon tears from the bone, the muscle retracts up the arm, and the strength to turn the palm up and bend the elbow drops.Unlike tears at the shoulder end of the biceps, tears at the elbow usually need repair.

Treated by

Toby Johnson, MD, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. JohnsonHand and Upper Extremity

J. Ryan Taylor, MD, Shoulder and Sports Medicine surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. TaylorShoulder and Sports Medicine

M. Shane Frazier, DO, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. FrazierHand and Upper Extremity

Distal Biceps Tendon Repair

or call801-640-0000

Distal Biceps Rupture

Symptoms

A sudden pop or tearing sensation at the front of the elbow while lifting or catching something heavy, followed by pain, bruising in the crease of the elbow and forearm, and a biceps that bunches toward the shoulder.Weakness turning a screwdriver or doorknob is the lasting functional loss.

Common signs

Pop at the front of the elbow

Bruising in the elbow crease

Muscle bunched toward the shoulder

Weak turning a doorknob

See us sooner if

Seen within 2 to 3 weeks is best

Numbness in the forearm

Distal Biceps Rupture

Causes

A sudden eccentric load, the elbow forced straight while the biceps is contracting, as in catching a falling object or a heavy curl. Most occur in men between forty and sixty.Smoking and anabolic steroid use increase the risk.

Distal Biceps Rupture

How We Diagnose It

The exam is usually diagnostic: a palpable gap, the hook test, and weakness of supination.MRI or ultrasound confirms a complete tear and measures retraction when the exam is unclear.Partial tears are harder to diagnose and MRI helps.Call the day it happens; we see suspected biceps ruptures within days at either clinic. Dr. Johnson, Dr. Taylor and Dr. Frazier operate at Utah Valley Hospital and Orem Community Hospital.

Distal Biceps Rupture

Treatment Options

Complete tears in active patients are repaired surgically, ideally within two to three weeks before the tendon retracts and scars.

Chronic tears can still be reconstructed, sometimes with a graft.Non-operative treatment is reserved for low-demand patients willing to accept permanent weakness.

Your options

Non-surgical

Low-demand patients only

Surgical

Tendon reattachment

Graft reconstruction

Cubital Tunnel Release

Distal Biceps Rupture

Procedures That Address It

Distal Biceps Tendon Repair

Cubital Tunnel Release

Distal Biceps Rupture

Surgeons Who Treat It

Dr. Johnson, MD

Weill Cornell graduate, hand fellowship at Allegheny General. Twenty-one years in practice and seventeen as a collegiate team physician.

Dr. Taylor, MD

Dual fellowship trained in sports medicine and in shoulder and elbow surgery. Former Division I football player.

Dr. Frazier, DO

Fellowship trained in hand and upper extremity surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Seventeen years in practice. Fluent in Spanish.

or call801-640-0000

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

TextSend a text

Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330