My torn bicep

Saw the doc today. What I have is called a “Popeye deformity”. Sounds awful, but it’s just a bicep muscle with an attachment torn from the bone. Still have one attachment, so no major problem. The muscle slides down some and bulges. Mostly cosmetic, so no surgery required unless I just want the arm to look pretty. Since “pretty” no longer fits me at all, we won’t have surgery. Doc says I can still play tennis, run a chainsaw, and do normal stuff, So I guess all is good. Says to give it a few weeks before I get back to tennis or heavy duty lifting type work.

I am slowly falling to pieces.

Ouch, I might get a second opinion

What % of strength did he say you would loose?
Did it tear loose at the shoulder but it is still attached at the elbow end?

How can it work if it's not attached at one end?

Well, the doc said I’d be able to do the stuff I do, but some healing needs to happen. Apparently there are two ‘connections’ at the top of that bicep muscle and I tore the “long one”. I asked if there was any danger that I’d tear the other one, and he said “nobody tears that one”. So, as I understand things, I’ll always have the Popeye bicep bulge. The tennis kids all said “oooooo” when they saw it, so it does look odd. He said that I’d lose a small amount of bicep strength, but he didn’t put a percentage on it. I did assume that I can and will build up strength there again. I was loading and unloading 40 lb and 50 lb bags of softener salt, bird seed, and corn today and having no pain or noticeable weakness. Certain motions do cause a minor twinge, so I’ll be careful for a while. I’ll hold off on hitting a tennis ball for a while, and then hit off the wall until I feel comfortable hitting with one of the kids on the team - assuming that I will ever eventually be Ok hitting a tennis ball with violence. I do love teaching tennis to the kids, and I sure don’t want to lose that. I’m 71, so there has to be a finite limit to my doing this, just please don’t let it be now.

In the overall scheme of things, this isn’t a big deal. I had two visitors over yesterday. The 40 year old woman had a husband with Parkinson’s. The 75 year old guy has Alzheimer’s and his wife has diabetes. Me, I have a sore arm. Not even in the same league as their problems. I will however continue to gripe quietly...

I also have the Popeye budge on my right arm. I had shoulder my second rotator cuff surgery and my bicep muscle was just about to disconnect. The surgeon moved the connection point down the bone about an inch. It sure looks funny and I still have shooting pain if I pick up something on the heavy side as it feels like something is tearing. I have read where the muscle will nit to the area around it and when you flex it hard it will come loose. It is way better now many years later but still will remind me even now and then.
Best wishes on yours healing pain free.

Brett Favre tore his and left it unattached as well

603, I had a torn bicep and my doc told me the same thing. It was not reattached. Apparently, depending on the tear, it may reattach by itself, but not necessarily in the same location. A few years later, I had rotator cuff surgery on the other side and was told my bicep was disconnected as part of the surgery. I don't know for sure what's attached or not, but I don't have a Popeye bulge on either side. I have a little loss of strength on both sides, but I don't push myself as much as before because I'm getting to be an old codger and don't want to break any more parts.

My bicep/shoulder seems to slowly be getting better. I’m hitting the tennis ball hard again, and doing all the stuff I always have. Pull starting the chainsaw sort of scared me, but turned out to be no problem. There’s still some minor off and on pain, but not bad. I guess time will fix the damage. For the time being, I am trying to be careful and not overdo.

I’m glad you’re Ok. This aging business can be bothersome. I’ll stick with it if you will.