Does this look like a torn bicep?

[KKRake]

Alright peeps, i was lifting some heavy dumbbells last friday and i felt kinda a strain.. not a pop or pull. I could tell there was some pain but i finished my bicep workout. The next day i looked at my left arm and it looked alot smaller than my right. But i could still lift 40's on dumbbells and curl 80 on the ez-bar curl. So if anyone has had a bicep tendon tear can you tell me how much of your strength was reduced? Im afraid i might have this.... Im praying its just bicep tendinitis

Cliffs:
Hurt bicep with shi*ty form and too heavy weight
Pains not that bad
Can still lift alot on arm, but strength is kinda down
Afraid tendon is completely torn/ all the way torn off

First one is normal....


http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8608/biceo2.jpg
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/8434/bicep1.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7179/bicep3.jpg

[vitalcerebral]

Alright peeps, i was lifting some heavy dumbbells last friday and i felt kinda a strain.. not a pop or pull. I could tell there was some pain but i finished my bicep workout. The next day i looked at my left arm and it looked alot smaller than my right. But i could still lift 40's on dumbbells and curl 80 on the ez-bar curl. So if anyone has had a bicep tendon tear can you tell me how much of your strength was reduced? Im afraid i might have this.... Im praying its just bicep tendinitis

Cliffs:
Hurt bicep with shi*ty form and too heavy weight
Pains not that bad
Can still lift alot on arm, but strength is kinda down
Afraid tendon is completely torn/ all the way torn off

First one is normal....

you've hurt your arm let it heal. Very unlikely to be a complete tendon tear, I don't think you would be able to do anything with your bicep if that were the case.

[mslman71]

Cliffs:
Hurt bicep with shi*ty form and too heavy weight
Pains not that bad
Can still lift alot on arm, but strength is kinda down
Afraid tendon is completely torn/ all the way torn off

First one is normal....

A full rupture of the biceps tendon (any of them) results in an unmistakable scenario. The muscle will no longer have an attachment point on one end and will bulge up ala pop-eye. Of course, a physician and an exam can help you narrow this down. If you have torn or strained either the muscle or tendon you should definitely give it time off. It is always possible you could end up in the position of a full rupture which is a major injury requiring surgery.

[KKRake]

A full rupture of the biceps tendon (any of them) results in an unmistakable scenario. The muscle will no longer have an attachment point on one end and will bulge up ala pop-eye. Of course, a physician and an exam can help you narrow this down. If you have torn or strained either the muscle or tendon you should definitely give it time off. It is always possible you could end up in the position of a full rupture which is a major injury requiring surgery.

Do partial tears end up healing themselves? How long should i take off?

[mslman71]

Do partial tears end up healing themselves? How long should i take off?

Yeah, but it's impossible to say if it is actually a tear, partial rupture of the tendon, or insertion, or of the muscle itself, or something entirely different (not LHB/SHB). Where _exactly_ does it hurt (on the belly, near the crease of the elbow, in the shoulder/high)? Does it still hurt? Under what conditions does it hurt (flexion, supinated, etc.)? Do you see any bruising? Any unusual redness (besides that which you might have from messing with it because you're worried)? Is the injured arm the one that is bigger (swollen)?

*Note, best thing if you are really worried is to go see a doctor. This is obvious, of course, but just have to say it.

[KKRake]

Yeah, but it's impossible to say if it is actually a tear, partial rupture of the tendon, or insertion, or of the muscle itself, or something entirely different (not LHB/SHB). Where _exactly_ does it hurt (on the belly, near the crease of the elbow, in the shoulder/high)? Does it still hurt? Under what conditions does it hurt (flexion, supinated, etc.)? Do you see any bruising? Any unusual redness (besides that which you might have from messing with it because you're worried)? Is the injured arm the one that is bigger (swollen)?

*Note, best thing if you are really worried is to go see a doctor. This is obvious, of course, but just have to say it.

Yeah, im trying to get my mom to schedule a appointment, it hurts near the elbow like right above the vein they usually draw blood out of lol.. It hurts when i flex, but it looks noticeably different than my right, the peak isnt as big as it was and it looks swollen. No redness from what i can see. It just hurts when i straighten it out or flex. What type of doctor should i see? Im afraid that a regular doctor will just tell me to rest and not see it as a problem.

[mslman71]

Yeah, im trying to get my mom to schedule a appointment, it hurts near the elbow like right above the vein they usually draw blood out of lol.. It hurts when i flex, but it looks noticeably different than my right, the peak isnt as big as it was and it looks swollen. No redness from what i can see. It just hurts when i straighten it out or flex. What type of doctor should i see? Im afraid that a regular doctor will just tell me to rest and not see it as a problem.

Here's a picture (with text) of a full rupture of the distal biceps tendon:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00376

I'm not a MD, but I poked around for a while and what you describe sure sounds like something I would personally want to have checked out by a physician. It seems consistent with a strain at or around the distal biceps tendon, which could just be a mild aggravation, mild tear, partial tear, or something more serious.

If it were my arm, after what I have read, I would NOT do anything that put stress on that tendon. I would go to an orthopedic specialist (upper extremity) at a sports medicine clinic. Hopefully they will tell you it's a mild strain and to take it easy for a bit with some NSAIDs, but if it is a significant tear you'll want to get an eval on it right away. Best of luck.