Torn Bicep Re-Hab

[firkinguy]

I know in reading a while back that several guys and maybe girls have torn their bicep skiing. I too have joined the club back at the end of May 2015. Had the surgery June 9th and things are getting back to normal. Pretty much full use and no real limitations. After quite a few months of therapy, insurance changes made me think twice about paying $75 to have some guy watch me squeeze a ball and do the "Queens Wave" twice a week. My question is for those who have been through this, what exercises did you do to get ready ski the next season? I am not looking for everyone's opinion here. But for persons that have gone through this and been successful getting back on the water. Mine was a complete Distal Rupture.

[mwetskier]

i spent a lot of time working on learning to *not* take a load with bent arms.

[Horton]

@firkinguy my surgery was June 17th. My Dr has me do all my own pt. At this point I an lifting weights like a (old) normal person. Lots and lots of curls. 5 lbs dumbbells in the beginning 25s now.

 

I am thinking long and hard about a powervest.

[Horton]

@firkinguy this is worth a read https://www.absolutept.com/shooters-elbow/

[tjm]

Been there done that. I stuck with the PT until the Dr. released me for self PT,etc. Basically when he released me I was cleared for all exercise, starting light and slowly working my way up. The key is to not be in a hurry to get back to where you were, but take it slow.

I ripped mine in September 2013, and was back on the water by April 2014.

[ozski]

Whats the key to prevention, any comments on this?

[MISkier]

@ozski, don't get old.

[mwetskier]

@ozski -see my comment above. a ' torn or ruptured bicep ' is virtually always a tear of the biceps *tendon* not the muscle. as you age your biceps muscles will become stronger than your tendons -especially if you build up your biceps from weight lifting or skiing. the only preventative measure i am aware of is to learn how to pull with straight arms which is a good thing to learn to do any way.

[Horton]

I think being aware of other factors that cause tendonitis is also important.

 

Until a few months ago I was at a computer 10 hours a day plus skiing. I assume that the tendonitis from being on the computer is a major contributing factor in my injury.

 

Over the years I have had multiple cortisone shots in both elbows. I very much regret the decision to do that also.

[Horton]

Everybody talks about not taking hits. My bicep tendon let go at the first wake going to one ball. I believe it was just tired and beat up. I'm optimistic that a year off skiing and now that I'm not on the computer nearly as much will make me much healthier

[bkreis]

@firkinguy Been through both arms. Depending on the type of surgical procedure, you will we be cleared to full activity either @ 16 weeks or 6 months. Really depends on how well you do your rehab, nutrition and overall fitness conditioning.

[mwetskier]

@Horton -its highly doubtful your torn bicep tendon was 100 percent healthy before tearing it -the tendinitis you mentioned earlier is usually caused by repeated micro tears in the tendon followed by internal ' self healing '. many times dull aches and even sharp elbow pains are actually these tiny partial tears letting you know they don't like what you're doing. eventually a partially torn tendon will give out completely if you don't modify your regular use of it or if its exposed to sudden over loading.

 

it's pretty much impossible to tear a healthy or even damaged tendon if you never put it under extreme load. so being careful to load and pull with straight relaxed arm as rossi and other coaches recommend is kind of a no brainer imo.

[firkinguy]

Agreed on the straight arm program. Mine tore getting pulled out of the water and my arm was straight from what I remember. It was the first set of the day for me. Strapped on the ski, jumped in and said lets go. Maybe was pulled 5 feet if that and it gave out. It was my palm up arm and I plan on getting up with both palms down when I return to the water. Although I trust the driver somewhat, I did make a deal with him that once his buoy average exceeded mine I would give him a Finfirkin. Not skiing any tournaments in 2015 allowed him to overtake me and get a free firkin. Pretty low if there is a connection.

[skiboat38]

Oh boy........here we go......

[firkinguy]

Happy New Year!

[skiboat38]

Since I'm trying to be a kinder and gentler person I will not fire back....maybe Mr Firkin you can teach me to drive you without hurting you. You are the 3rd serious arm injury when I have happened to be behind the wheel. The other 2 were dislocated elbows.....maybe another Summer of Bruce and you can join that club! Also the Fin Firkin was supposed to be autographed......

[Horton]

@skiboat38 two dislocated elbows? Thinking maybe you might want to let someone else drive.

[firkinguy]

I would have signed your "gift" if I would have been able to hold a pen in my hand. Plus most people I know would have said the bet was off until I could really defend my average. You got a room full of 12th place trophies too? Or do most just say participant?

 

[mwetskier]

@firkinguy -love my fin firkin. however second place has often been characterized as ' first loser ' so out of curiosity what do they call 12th place?

[skiboat38]

@Horton.....I agree! Both elbows were in tournaments, I skier fell around the ball and his arm went through the handle, the other was an idiot who missed the ball and then hooked his arm through the rope to ride back to the dock but skied over and buried his tip in the wake.....now in Mr Firkin's case it was just one of his many incidents during the "Summer of Bruce". He skied several times without running a pass...then after he ran one he broke his ski on the next pass. Then ordered a new Goode, it came in with a different bottom than it was supposed to have. He sent it back and pulled out a ski he had in his garage since Carter was President and on the first attempt getting up popped his bicep. Next a nice fat speeding ticket pulling his boat to the regionals. A couple of weeks later he brought his boat to the lake to pull me since mine was sold and on the first pass put it in reverse at the end of the lake pulling something of the bottom and destroying the prop...he looks at me said....glad your prop was on my boat, then I dropped his keyway and nut in the lake pulling it off. Then to top it off he went deer hunting in his Porshe taking out the driver's side......did I miss anything Firkin??????

[firkinguy]

That unfortunately sums it up pretty good. If I would have signed your firkin it would have been the only accomplishment of the year.

[Horton]

Well this thread as gone farther off track than any in history. If I ever come visit you guys I will stay on the dock and wear a helmet.

[firkinguy]

Welcome to my world.

[skiboat38]

Won't help......he is required to wear a helmet at all times.......he is a Firkin disaster......

[EricKelley]

 

[EricKelley]

It all started in 2014 in the opening round of the Average Joe's vs. Women pros if everyone remembers.............Shortly after this photo, Regina obviously the higher seed, sent Bruce out first in the head to head matchup. Bruce had some serious adrenaline going and hit one ball perfect and created massive angle......It was this angle that sent him head first into 2 ball. The resulting explosion of sorts was the highlight of the entire event according to the spectators who had never witnessed such a horrendous crash in the slalom event.

It was this crash, in my opinion, that resulted in the slight tearing of the bicep that eventually let loose the next season. Skiboat 38, the saavy competitor realized the fragile nature of Bruce's bicep and knew that it was his chance to end their competition for the year. Was it an accident that Skiboat 38 talked Bruce into buying the 6 liter??? Who knows? I am very anxious for the 2016 ski season begin so we can see what the Firkin Guy vs. Skiboat 38 competition brings.

[Razorskier1]

@firkinguy - just keep doing regular exercise once you are out of the rehab zone. I do everything I did before my injury (same distal tear) and have been since that time. My surgeon, who has done multiple surgeries on me including that one, a knee, and a shoulder, told me I should maybe consider other activities. I figured I'd just try to ski smarter instead. So far, so good.

 

As for the injury itself, you probably know that the most likely candidate is a physically active man in his 40's or 50's. Worth noting that my doctor said "healthy tendons don't tear". In other words, all that activity we've done over the years has compromised the tendon, then it tears. He suggested that if you've torn one, you should assume the other one is damaged as well, and could be subject to a tear. So far that hasn't happened to me, and I'm planning to keep it that way.

 

For the younger folks out there who are still indestructible, I would say this. I was that way once too. I found that the harder I pushed my body, the stronger I got. What I didn't appreciate at the time is that your joints and tendons don't last forever. So push hard, but keep in mind that you have to be aware of joints and tendons. No amount of strength protects those.

 

 

[lakeaustinskier]

I'll second Horton's reference to https://www.absolutept.com/shooters-elbow/. I currently have some minor tendinitis and have used the PT techniques mentioned in this link. So far so good. I think the key for me (like everything in life) is having the discipline to do the PT everyday. In my opinion injections do nothing but eventually weaken the tendon.

[Razorskier1]

tennis/golfer/shooters elbow are not the same tendon as biceps tendon tears. Smaller tendons with less load on them. No physician in their right mind would inject a load bearing tendon. They don't inject things like patellar tendons, achilles, biceps, triceps, etc because steroid (cortisone) injections do, over time weaken tendons, and high-load tendons aren't candidates for injection. However, smaller tendons such as those afflicted when you have tennis/golfer/shooters elbow, are good candidates and the injection can alleviate both inflammation and pain almost immediately. Doesn't always work, and I wouldn't recommend repeated injections, but it is one tool in the arsenal if you have persistent problems. I had severe tennis elbow pain that wouldn't go away about a half dozen years ago. One injection and it was better and it hasn't come back. No adverse effects. So . . . don't consider it your first course of action, but don't exclude it from the possible tools to help you heal.

[Horton]

I shortened to 32 today for the first time. 10 months (more or less) since surgery and starting to feel cocky. My first 32s were at lot easier than my first full speed 28s a few weeks ago. Going to be hard to not shorten again soon.

 

Using PowerVest to protect myself but not sure how long I will need that safety net.

[Horton]

@skibrain I am on a 2015 Radar Vapor until I am up to speed enough to start reviews.

[chris55]

@Horton Happy for you to be back skiing and looking forward to your reviews as well. Ski safe.....

[Web]

I have not ruptured the bicep tendon, but it was severely aggravated at the end of last season. I ski with @Sailworks and as you may have seen in other threads, he is a big proponent of the power vest. I've seen him take 30-minute sets in that thing, it is amazing! Anyhow, he helped me diagnose my issue, and through some PT and lots of heat, stretch, and resistance - it feels better. Season in Upstate NY will start in the next few weeks.... so a question to others who have had this injury. How sudden did it happen? Was it stressed and building over time, or did it just explode all at once? I ask because mine seemed to accumulate, and never did rupture, just became very aggravated and I stopped skiing. I would hope when I get back out there I would get some warning if it was not happy, rather than a sudden blow-out.

[Horton]

@Web I had no warning that I know of

[fox197]

@Horton Jacinta Carroll rocking a serious looking brace.

 

[bkreis]

@web i had some mild muscle like soreness, that anyone would have ignored, we've all had it. Basically you have to live life and not worry about it. If the line isn't there throw it away, live to ski another day!

[Razorskier1]

why is a power vest required for a 30 minute set?

[Chef23]

@Razorskier1 for most mortals it is required for a 30 minute set.

[Razorskier1]

@Chef23 - not typical.

 

 

[Web]

@bkreis yes I plan to ski right back to the handle smooth and hook up arms straight and no big hits! That's the plan, sounds simple eh?

[MISkier]

@Razorskier1, I don't need the power vest for my 30 minute sets.

 

5 minutes to stretch

5 minutes to put on my drysuit, gloves, etc.

5 minutes to get the rope set, speed control set, ski on, and get in the water

10 minutes to run 8 passes with rest at each end

5 minutes to drink beer afterward and relive the awesomeness.

 

Not difficult at all without the power vest.

[Texas6]

Crap Jim, thats the biggest fore-arm I've ever seen - just needs a big anchor tattoo on it and a can of spinach crushed in your hand

[lkb]

the title of this thread is a little misleading I guess. Seems that most posts are actually talking about torn biceps tendons not the muscle itself.

I had my torn biceps tendon repaired two weeks ago. The surgeon reattached it by screwing it to my arm bone. The procedure is called tenodesis. For those that had this how long was it before you were back on the water? Just wondering what your experience was like what I can expect realistically. @Horton or anybody that's been through this.

[lpskier]

I had a tendonisis on 11/28/17 with a rotator cuff repair. Just got cleared for PT, but I am also starting to use my arm in the gym for pulling movements. I expect to be on the water skiing in some capacity in a month.

[Horton]

@lkb the tendon injury is the common one. I believe tearing actual muscle is uncommon. I think I was off the water for like 9+ months. I'm good as new now.

[lkb]

@lpskier sounds like your back to normal routine after 4 months. My surgeon has initially told me 3 months. @horton interesting that you were out for 9 months...musta been total tear? Mine was pretty rough but not completely torn. The physical therapists tell me for a solid month I'll only be doing passive movement.

[m_pags]

Upper and lower ruptures are very different from my understanding. I did my upper and was back skiing in about 3 1/2 months. I think @Horton did his lower.

[Horton]

@mgags yes my lower tendon let go 95 percent. I had just enough left to not get Popeye arm. The post op sucked but again I am good as new now.

[lkb]

ok makes sense now. I had ac joint resection and sa decompression too. It's only been three weeks but it feels like it's going to be tough getting full range of motion back.

 

[tjm]

Complete lower, About 8 months from surgery to full activity.