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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 10, 2010 - 10:08pm PT
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Two weeks ago I got home late Sunday night from the Indian Creek sushi fest and BLM work day. Early Monday morning my neighbor comes over and asks me if I can help with some leaky plumbing damage control. I pick up the corner of her bed to move it off the soaked carpet and a loud RIP sound comes from my right elbow and I wince in considerable pain...
At first, I thought it was just a partial bicep muscle tear, but over the last week the bicep remains unresponsive and is changing shape. So, I go see a sports med MD Friday afternoon and after a fairly extensive exam he says "you have a significant defect in your bicep, I suspect a ruptured biceps tendon". So, he gets me into the MRI center asap and voila, 30 minutes later the MRI scans show that I have fully ruptured the distal (elbow) end of the biceps tendon and it has already retracted almost 2" up my arm. The options are live with a large decrease in arm strength the rest of your life or get the tendon surgically re attached... The surgery seems like the only choice to return to a normal athletic lifestyle, so I have an initial consult with the hand/arm Orthopod tomorrow.
Has anybody out there been through this or have any helpful information or advice?? Thanks in advance for any feedback. I'm not looking forward to the surgery, nor the multi month recovery, but there doesn't seem to be much choice...
Here's a link to a medical site that explains the injury and treatment options:
http://www.eorthopod.com/eorthopodV2/index.php/fuseaction/topics.detail/ID/79791a8f7dd9f446b38653cbeab9a955/TopicID/34ffbd965d3b9e5830200ca769d460e2/area/8
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murcy
climber
sanfrancisco
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:18pm PT
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Sheesh, that really sucks. Sounds like surgery is the call for sure.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:19pm PT
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Get it fixed.
Make sure the surgeon is a serious sports Dr. and make sure he or she understands clearly what your goals for recovery and future use are. In some cases a stronger repair will mean a more difficult rehab, so ask the Dr. about this and stress the fact that you want a strong repair and will do the rehab thoroughly.
Go for it. You'll be sorry if you don't. And after the surgery make sure you have a good sport oriented P/T, and stick to the program strictly until you are 100%.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:20pm PT
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No Idea on this Dave, but I know they do a good job on the Achilles tendon. Karl is happy with his repair. I wish that I had repaired mine.
good luck and I hope that you heal quickly.
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:23pm PT
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best wishes with the obvious choice, surgery
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:25pm PT
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Take pictures of your climbing exploits to your surgeon. You owe it to him to let him know what he is getting into. Then take the pics into your PT for the same reason. Get it fixed! Get a second opinion but don't wait much longer! Get er dun.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:27pm PT
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Dave-
Get it fixed!! I ruptured my left quadriceps tendon 10 years ago , and after surgical re-attachment it's fine. I can still climb, hike, etc. almost as good as ever. You need to do it soon! It means taking things easier than you may want to do for a while, but it beats the alternative of never climbing near your present level again.
Rodger
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:28pm PT
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I know four people who have done this (John Gill is one---he occasionally posts here). All have had surgery and have had successful outcomes with a return to climbing with no loss of strength. I'll check with the most recent "victim" about his experiences. In addition to a good surgeon, it is equally important to get good rehab people.
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Oct 10, 2010 - 10:32pm PT
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1987, at the age of 50, I tore my right biceps off the forearm, and it rolled up as you have described. I chose to have it surgically reattached, within a few days time - you don't have a lot of time before reattachment becomes problematical - and I wore a cast for a few weeks, then gradually rehabbed the arm on my own, back to near the previous strength. Now it's the strong link in my arm, rather than the weak link. Bob Kamps, on the other hand, had a similar experience and decided to forgo surgery. This was some time before his death in 2005, I think, and he continued climbing at a very high level. You may not really need the bicep for most climbing if the underlying muscle is undamaged. Get professional orthopedic advice - quickly.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 10, 2010 - 11:07pm PT
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Thanks for the info so far - very much appreciated! I'm all ears for more. I'm especially curious about any kind of average time frame to get back to 100%? KS - per your post I will stress that I want a strong repair - I'm definitely up for whatever rehab is rquired. I just turned 50 recently - so I am in fitting in with the age bracket I'm hearing so far... Ugh.
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max factor
Trad climber
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Oct 10, 2010 - 11:30pm PT
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Dave,
I'm really sorry to hear about your injury.
I have worked with several people after surgical repair and most have done great. If the surgery is done quickly, without too much retraction of the tendon, the outcome is generally better and recovery is quicker. Get the repair done and then make sure you find a very good PT to help you through the recovery. Things need to be done correctly and at the right time so don't try to figure it all out on your own. Good treatment will really help things turn out well.
I know it seems like a long road ahead but you'll be back at it before you know it. When the Edge re-opens next July You will probably be first in line to get on it!
Let me know if I can help you out in any way.
Jeff
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Oct 10, 2010 - 11:37pm PT
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There are a lot of negatives in this situation, but don't forget the big
positive: After the surgery you get to lie around moaning things like "I
really need another beer Callie, but opening the refrigerator door just hurts
me so bad..."
And hey, she owes you big time for all the beers you brought her when she was
whining about her feet.
Good luck with it. Keep us posted.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Oct 10, 2010 - 11:42pm PT
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Scarpelli did this on "the belly" . Was stoic for years(?) "so, I got a unicep, bfd"?
But eventually even he , got it fixed.
I had minor tears bilaterally, from a wide proj on the Cliffs of Insanity, in 2002. They got better but have never been the same...
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Oct 10, 2010 - 11:42pm PT
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Bob Kamps, on the other hand, had a similar experience and decided to forgo surgery. This was some time before his death in 2005, I think, and he continued climbing at a very high level.
I will check with someone who knows, and get back if I am wrong, but I am quite sure Bob ruptured his outer biceps tendon proximally (at the shoulder.) I have the same injury on my left side and it's impact on climbing is minimal to none. A top notch sports ortho advised me not to fix it. It does effect certain strengths, but mostly when the arm is internally rotated and lifting or twisting out.
This is a different injury than rupturing the larger inner bicep at the elbow.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Oct 10, 2010 - 11:45pm PT
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True true. And I had two busted feet. I will be happy to get him a beer for this bicep rupture...and the next one too. :)
Oh man, I hope this is the last one!
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nature
climber
Whereverland....
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Oct 11, 2010 - 12:31am PT
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the path of allopathic medicine is generally a last resort for me.
I'd go under "the knife" on this one w/o doubt.
so sorry to hear about this. dam... ouch. dam.
keep us posted.
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mongrel
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Oct 11, 2010 - 12:35am PT
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Ksolem is totally right, as far as I know. Surgery, as quickly as you can get it done; but after that, PT determines how well it will function. It is crucial for everyone that you get care from to know that you're going to be climbing on it again, and soon, so let's get on with it. My guess is, climbing possible in a few months, but 100 percent will take a year or two. But you don't need that. Don't rip it again, and you can do just about everything you used to climb with only 80 or 90 percent. I shattered an ankle almost 30 years ago and no way is it 100 percent (or ever could have been) but since then I've done just about all of the best climbing, skiing, walls, you name it, that I have ever done.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Oct 11, 2010 - 12:50am PT
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I dunno, ksol, I thought bob's was at elbow end, but I could be wrong. The unicep joke makes more sense your way
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Dragon with Matches
climber
Bamboo Grove
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Oct 11, 2010 - 01:25am PT
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Dave - I experienced complete distal biceps tendon rupture a year ago. I found a very good sports surgeon and opted for the more involved surgery, involving drilling a hole through the radius bone, threading the tendon through and suturing tendon to the outside of the radius. Wanted a bombproof anchor and it seems to have worked. I went four months without climbing but the recovery went pretty quickly - six months after surgery I was sending 4 letter grades below my previous level on steep limestone and this winter I expect to reach new redpoint grades at age 40.
Not a terrible experience on the whole. Stay positive.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Oct 11, 2010 - 01:36am PT
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no useful experience or medical advice, but plenty of sympathy. Major bummer. Hope you get through this quickly and back to 100%.
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