What is a distal biceps tendon rupture?
The distal biceps tendon rupture is a tear of the biceps tendon that prevents the transmission of forces from the muscle to the forearm bones. While it can happen from repetitive injury in athletes, it more commonly results from a single traumatic event in which the flexed elbow is resisted or even traumatically extended. The event is usually accompanied by a “popping sensation” and sense of sharp tearing around the elbow crease. A distal biceps tendon rupture has an equal affect to the dominant and nondominant arms of athletes. Fortunately, these injuries are relatively uncommon, occurring in 1 to 2 per 100,000 people. Furthermore, they are rarely seen in female athletes. The reason for this gender difference remains unclear. In most cases, the distal biceps tendon rupture are complete tears, such that there is no connection between the muscle and the bone. Partial tears can occur, however, in which the tendon is not fully detached and can still be palpated at the elbow flexion crease
