Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Partially ruptured bicep?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Any experiences? Smacked my arm sailing just over a week ago and it's been painful, lots of bruising and looking a bit "dented". Didn't think too much of it but saw physio this morning about a couple of things and he thinks this is what I've done. GP appointment this afternoon.
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Ouch. I never fail to collect some major bruises whilst sailing but not yet ruptured a bicep.
latest report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
After going ashore I fell and landed heavily banging bicep Sad Heavy bruising to left knee too. I had to sit down or I'd have collapsed Shocked


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 17-10-15 6:33; edited 2 times in total
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Hang in there. I had some gym related bicep issues recently. Electrical muscle stimulation and hot and cold treatment administerd by a chiropractor helped. He also provided input into my gym exercise program. I was quite surprised by how fast the recovery happened. Within days, much of the pain was gone and within weeks, I was using the muscle again in the gym at 50-75% capacity. Your bicep, however, seems more serious. Good luck....
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Claude B, blame the helmsman. Twisted Evil We were taught NEVER to do, or expect anyone else to do, any heroic leaps ashore - go round again. I did once take a very easy step down onto a soaking wet wooden pontoon on the Medina and went for a burton because it was so slippery, but no lasting damage done.
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I was already ashore with boat tied up, just tripped Sad


Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sat 17-10-15 6:32; edited 1 time in total
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Claude B, not wishing to scare you or anything but, if it's bruised and looking "dented" - as you put it, it could even be a complete rupture of your distal bicep tendon.
Best way to check is literally to feel with your finger for a connection between your bicep and your elbow. If it's not too painful, supinate your forearm and flex it 90° (the way we did when we wanted to show off our bicep as kids).
You should be able to feel a tendon running from your bicep down to your elbow.
If you can't, chances are that it's a complete rupture.

Either way (and sorry to have to tell you this) but, it's seriously bad news, since it takes yonks to heal, whether it's treated traditionally following a partial tear, or surgically, after a complete tear.

If a tear is partial but a substantial one, it still may be best to resort to surgery. The way to determine this will be undergoing ultrasound/MRI examination.

Finding someone who know what they are doing is key.
latest report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Claude B, I know it will not ease the pain but the singular of biceps is biceps. I wish you all the best and it gets better soon. That decorating will not wait for ever.
ski holidays
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
oh dear, that doesn't sound good. Hope you can get it sorted out, @Claude B.

Next time, jump from the middle of the boat..... wink
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
My physio is very experienced (former pro football team physio) and he's pretty sure its a partial tear. GP appointment at 4 this afternoon.
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Oh, I've just spotted that you said it happened a week ago!
If - God forbid - it turns out that it's a complete tear and that surgery is required, you only have a 3 week window of opportunity for surgery to take place! One week's gone already, and not even a diagnosis has been established.
So there's no time to be wasted!
If it's a partial tear that'll still require surgery, then there's no rush.

Like I said, you'll find out that finding someone who really know what they're doing will prove to be the biggest obstacle. If you get stuck, PM me for the details of an excellent consultant (albeit in London), who reconstructed mine.
You know, you really could have picked an easier injury! Sad
ski holidays
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
It was actually nearly 2 weeks ago, but physio is pretty sure it's partial. Planning to be skiing all winter though Sad
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@snowglider,

Dead right. I completed tore my right lower tendon. My bicep muscle ended up in a heap at the top of my arm. I left it almost a week to 'develop'. On finally going to minor injuries, I was under the knife within 48hrs. Two titanium screws, a shedload of physio and gym work later and all is now well. The scar looks quite hench. wink

I am however, suspicious that the left is shaping up to also let go. Sad
latest report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Biceps = singular / plural - I didn't know that - but here's wiki :

Etymology and grammar[edit]

The biceps brachii muscle is the one that gave all muscles their name: it comes from the Latin musculus, "little mouse", because the appearance of the flexed biceps resembles the back of a mouse. The same phenomenon occurred in Greek, in which μῦς, mȳs, means both "mouse" and "muscle".

The term biceps brachii is a Latin phrase meaning "two-headed [muscle] of the arm", in reference to the fact that the muscle consists of two bundles of muscle, each with its own origin, sharing a common insertion point near the elbow joint. The proper plural form of the Latin adjective biceps is bicipites, a form not in general English use. Instead, biceps is used in both singular and plural (i.e., when referring to both arms).

The English form bicep [sic], attested from 1939, is a back formation derived from interpreting the s of biceps as the English plural marker -s.[14][15] While common even in professional contexts, it is often considered incorrect
snow report
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I'm really not trying to scare you, just trying to help.
But that's exactly what a doctor (!!!) at an A&E clinic in London told me upon examination - a "partial" tear (it turned out it was a complete tear).
It was diagnosed as a full tear only after 2 weeks, and then it suddenly became a race against time to get me under the knife.

And I can tell you that, unfortunately, as I found out the hard way - the surgeons who can make a good job of it are few and far between. In the end I simply lucked out - long story...

Why is your physio so sure that it's just a partial tear? Did he try and feel for your distal bicep(s) tendon, to see if it's still attached?
Try and supinate/pronate your forarm. Can you see your bicep contract/extend?
If so, it *should* be just a partial tear. If it's static, it looks like it's bad news....
I know that in the end I wished I'd sustained a fracture instead of a tear - the recovery post surgery is 6 mths (!) Shocked
If I remeber correctly, the recovery following a non - invasive treatment is still 3 months Sad
snow conditions
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
He did all those things. Will see what GP says later this afternoon.
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I'd definitely be seeking a second specialist opinion and not relying on a physio 'having a feel'. Sad

I carried on lifting out slate flagstones for two days until my arm was so ugly, there was by then no question as to what was up.
ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I am I'm seeing GP and I'm sure he'll refer me if necessary.
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Claude B wrote:
He did all those things. Will see what GP says later this afternoon.


Don't be fobbed off. The Doc in minor injuries, confirmed mine via google images. Confused
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Mollerski, Brothers in torn biceps tendons, then Laughing
My scar is *kind of* ok... But my surgery was done by a newer "tension slide" tecnique.

You had the older, "suture" method, I guess? Your scar is on the back of your forearm, right?
Mine is on the front. But my biceps coiled up "right into my shoulder", as the doc put it Laughing
He had to open a cut on my upper arm to go hunting for it.. and that's the really visible one.
But I don't care too much - my biceps is fully functional again; the other day in the gym I was doing a 100kg bent over rows (and that was my second session at the gym post surgery).
I still have way to go - before the surgery I was rowing 180kg x10 Laughing snowHead
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@snowglider,

My scar is 60mm ish in length, about 50mm forward of the 'hinge' of my inner elbow. Mine was caught just in time according to the surgeon.

I'm afraid to say, the operated on bicep will not operate as well as the other in the gym. Sad Less strength and will not develop as it may've before. Build the tricep, few will notice, wink

A lad at my gym ruptured his top bicep tendon. He now has a partially collapsed right pec.
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Damn, I wrote a long post and lost it somehow Sad (typing on my phone).
So just to recap: @Claude B, as @Mollerski, said, seek a second opinion. You only need to look at @Mollerski's, and my experience to see why. It's alarming that both our injuries were initially misdiagnosed! And you'll be time - limited if it's a complete rupture, and good surgeons who really know how to PROPERLY operate on this are scarce.

This injury often goes misdiagnosed through the lack of knowledge/experience.
The surgeon who was originally supposed to operate on me had to consult a manual (?!) to see how to carry out this surgery. So I swerved him...

On researching it, unfortunately so many people reported this to be a common occurrence, rather than exceptions. Things went wrong alarmingly often.
The risk with this surgery is that the incision is made very close to a bunch of nerves, sometimes affecting the hand function.
In some cases it had resulted in a so called "claw hand".

I do not mean to scare you but just to warn you NOT to take this lightly, as your physio seems to be suggesting.
Seeing your GP is a move in the right direction, but not enough. Having gone what I've been through, I really would like to see a consultant about it, and possibly even 2 or 3.

In any case good luck, I hope it turns out it's nothing. Come and let us know snowHead
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Physio hasn't taken it lightly at all. He looked at it, gave his opinion, said that there was nothing he could do and advised seeing GP urgently. That's what I'm doing. Your experiences and advice noted guys.
snow report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Mollerski, yeah, a proximal biceps tendon tear is a really nasty injury. Poor lad Sad

I'm yet to do some biceps curls in anger. But most people (IF their surgery was successful), report similar strength post - op.

Some of the top - level athletes who have suffered this terrible injury:

American Brian Shaw (ex World's Strongest Man), and many of his colleagues:
Brits Mark Felix, Terry Hollands, Jimmy Marcu, Serbian Ervin Katona (both biceps), Russian Mikhail Koklyaev, Croatian MMA fighter Mirko Filipovic (aka CroCop), the list goes on and on...
All have had succesful surgeries and have come back to succesfully compete, but time frame + competent surgeons were key.


Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 5-10-15 15:31; edited 1 time in total
ski holidays
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
some of the daft stuff those guys do, no wonder their biceps gave up.
latest report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@pam w, you are right, biceps is a muscle that guys really like to show off as proof of their strength Laughing but, in reality, it's a relatively weak muscle and is often overwhelmed by strenuous effort.

But it's not a rule; on researching it, most non - athletes (as in, "normal" people to you and me) Smile report tearing it when (especially in gentlemen/ladies of a certain ermm, age), sudden force is placed upon it. For instance carrying an object (such as a refrigerator or a piece of furniture for example), and losing footing and shifting most of the weight from one arm to the other, etc.
Some examples were very strange. I remember a girl who reported playing volleyball (recreationally), and she tried to dig a "spike" and she felt her biceps go Shocked

So there - just no rules...
snow report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
pam w wrote:
some of the daft stuff those guys do, no wonder their biceps gave up.


I actually pinged mine giving the handbrake on my pick-up truck an extra crank whilst stood outside and leaning over the drivers seat. It was creeping back a little on a slope. I do believe that years of poncing about in gyms had weakened it however.

Apparently electricians are prone to such injuries. Too much screwing. Shocked
snow conditions
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I have a torn biceps tendon, sustained in a fall (not skiing) some years ago. Commonly known as Popeye Syndrome, I believe. It was painful for a while and the bruising was lurid in the extreme, but my arm is now fully functional without surgery or even much by way of physio. It looks daft, though, as the 'bulge' is much lower than on the other arm. That said, nobody notices it unless I draw attention to it. All of which points to the well-known remedy of manning up and getting on with it! But I guess there is some variation in this type of injury: maybe I was just lucky. Confused
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
GP has concurred with partial rupture but referred me to orthopaedic specialist. Rest, ibuprofen gel and physio also. My mate who's done it says it hurts like f*** and his stock advice is MTFU so it must. Not as painful as a cracked rib but up there.

@Hurtle, we can compare bulges on Saturday wink


Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 5-10-15 19:59; edited 1 time in total
latest report
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Although talking to friend who I was with when it happened, she did say that I said oh poo-poo an awful lot over the next couple of days when I moved wrong Shocked
snow conditions



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy