my arm has just started to show sighns of making a recovery.... can anyone advise me on how to exercise around my bicep tear..... arms gettin smaller every day.......

Id go see a docotor to advise you what to do, something that serious needs the right descion mate

just to see if I can get any help with something similar....I'm 3 months out from having my distal biceps tendon surgically re-attached.

I've just got back into the gym and am trying to exercise round the injury...I'm working Chest and legs, but  back and shoulders are causing me a bit of a problem as I'm really nervous about injury to, or re-tearing the bicep repair ( More mental I think) mainly due to the involvement of the Biceps in pulling exercises.

I've started with some really light triceps work (mainly pushdowns) but obviously I can't really work the Biceps yet. My Doctor was about as good as useless in terms of physio and follow up...but the repair seems to be okay. From what I've found on the internet I won't be starting any Biceps work until 16 weeks out...and even them it will be very light for a couple of months.

Anyone done anything similar, or recovered from the same Operation and care to share some advice?

Usual problem....just impatient and want to get back on it

Cheers

Time is the healer I'm afraid. I am like you, impatient. My tricep tear still stops me doing any incline d/bell work for chest. But oddly enough I can do machine press, dip,tricep pushdowns with a cambered bar. Any pec dek or cable cross over work is ok too. I can't do any d/bell pressing, including shoulder work, nor reverse grip pulldowns for tricep, nor anything overhead tri's. Its very odd, it appears to be the angle at which the wrist is rotated that effects what I can and cannot do. For yourself its best to try and see what you can do and what you can't. Go light and believe me you will feel whats ok to do and what isn't. There is nothing more frustrating than being held back by injury, so you are doing the best you can by working around the problem. And thats probably more than the doctor has told you you can do............!

Wish I was in the Startrek era and have it zapped by some miracle machine, but alas this isn't an option !!

Good luck and don't give in, stay with the PMA and you'll get through it.

Reaper.  

Sadly last year I tore a tendon doing chest presses.  It took me 9 months to recover. I'm now back to 35kgs and terrified it goes again. I think fear is our worst enemy here.

Yeah I know what you mean, It's now 6 months post surgery and to be fair the Bicep doesn't look too bad, mainly due to training it indirectly during back workouts etc.

I've started to train biceps again, but to be honest its more of a token effort I'm using 10kg dumbells, and at the moment a max 17-12kb barbell, and frankly I'm sh*tting myself on every set.

The biggest problem is the 'imaginary' pains around the elbow that haunt you into thinking that things are
going to go 'ping' at any moment, even though common sense dictates differently...its unsettling to say the least!

But what can you do, sooner or later you have to get back in the saddle...

What I'm more worried about is a return to sports, I busted the tendon through a combination of too heavy lifting combined with damage done making a lazy-arsed  tackle playing American Football last year (july 29th, I'll never forget it)

And the 2008 season is coming up soon, my team have just returned to practice and I've taken part in a
couple of sessions, but as you said fear of the bicep going again dominates everything you do.

Still as I said I'm happy with the repair so far, apart from one point that you shoud be aware of if you ever have to have a surgical repair...while repairing the bicep tendon there was a bit of nerve damage which now means that I cannot fully bend my thumb anymore...so in effect, if I make a fist my thumb sticks out beyound my balled up fingers ...so I guess training on ther heavy bag like I used to for cardio my well result in a broken thumb, luckily I've not tried it yet.

My surgeon says theres nothing that can be done, without opening up the area of the repair (and I tell you one thing for sure...that 'ain't happening) and besides I had to sign the consent form before my op
included in which is the discalaimer that there 'could' be nerve damage.

It's not too much of a concern, I guess at least I got my bicep back...and i hope to return to playing my sport in the coming months. 8)

Lionedes,
Its a cse of "softly softly" Im afraid.  It a bit like falling off a cliff.  Once you've done that you now know where the edge is so you don't go so far. Good luck with your excercises.