| Patients with long term shoulder pain will at certain | | | | particularly lower the patient's ability to use their arm. |
| times develop a sudden worsening of this long term | | | | This is because of the make up of the tendon. The |
| pain that is perceived to be without cause. Upon | | | | superior aspect of the bicep where it attaches to the |
| further investigation by a physician with the use of an | | | | upper arm actually attaches twice, at separate points. |
| MRI, it is possible to diagnose a ruptured bicep tendon | | | | The longhead of the biceps tendon accounts for |
| near to where the initial pain was being experienced. | | | | anchoring the smaller portion of the muscle. This is |
| This new condition so close to the location of the | | | | often not a huge loss as the surrounding condition has |
| earlier shoulder pain, is not an uncommon situation. It is | | | | oftentimes already weakened the muscle to a point |
| not uncommon when someone has had years of | | | | where the patient will not realize its loss. Therefore, the |
| shoulder pain to find a rupture of their biceps tendon. | | | | patient may have this loss of the tendon, but the other |
| This causes great distress amongst patients and is | | | | superior attachment of the biceps tendon will basically |
| usually the result of years of inflammation spurred on | | | | be able to give them adequate strength and function. |
| by a condition in the rotator cuff, oftentimes tendonitis. | | | | However, the rupture of the biceps tendon is a way to |
| The reason that patients often find themselves the | | | | assess the severity of the rotator cuff condition. If |
| victims of this tendon rupture is because of the natural | | | | there is a rupture, it typically means they have a fairly |
| location of the tendon. The biceps tendon longhead of | | | | severe rotator cuff problem. Luckily, it does not |
| the biceps tendon inserts deeply into the shoulder joint | | | | necessarily mean that surgery is the required |
| and attaches fairly close to the primary inflammation of | | | | treatment. We can expect that some people will get |
| rotator cuff tendonitis. Frequently when the rotator cuff | | | | better with physical therapy. Certainly some of these |
| is inflamed the patient will experience a cycle of pain | | | | people will end up with rotator cuff reconstruction, |
| and inflammation which commonly affects the region in | | | | however, the patient should know that most of the |
| the form of collateral damage to the biceps tendon. | | | | time; the biceps tendon is not reattached because it |
| Surprisingly, this sharp pain and new condition does not | | | | frankly doesn’t need to be. |