VLog Week 1: Recovery Following Distal Bicep Tendon Rupture Surgery 

This is so inspiring! I just recently discovered your 2017 calisthenics progression video which led me to this, and I have to say that I’m super impressed with not only your work ethic, but your ability to remain in a positive mindset to overcome a setback. Keep trucking, brother. Subscribed.

Thanks for the videos!! Im having my surgery done tomorrow and needed info about recovery. Your explaining has being excellent. Well done.

I just ruptured my distal bicep tendon on the 5th of October while at work. I can admit I had mixed emotions at first about the surgery since it is my first surgery ever. Watching this video has put my mind at ease. Thanks for the content and motivation.

You're a legend bro. An inspiration to a lot of people!

My girlfriend was mega impressed with your planche progressions She s at the beginning of her planche journey Big spanner in the works injury but hope you recuperate super quickly and keep churning out mega impressive vids

Hey im 29 and this happened to me the left arm as well, i found ur recovery videos and its nice to kinda see what my recovery will be like, its been 4 days so far, thanks for the videos

I just saw your Planche progression video this morning, and was extremely inspired. Then I saw this video…yikes!! Speedy recovery. I’m going to be 50 in August. I am working to cross Planche off the skill list in my calisthenics journey. Once again speedy recovery. Looking forward to see you back on the bars again.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

I was watching your planche progression which looks impressive, and I thought it's amazing you had no injury, then I saw this vid...good luck in your rehab journey, It's all gonna be fine it seems

Mark ! You are an example to follow! Greetings from Costa Rica!

Thanks for this Mark. My bicep surgery is tomorrow, and hearing you tell your experience has really helped with my mindset. Three years later your video is still helping folks, it's much appreciated.

Man that sounded so hectic... Trusting for a good and rapid recovery, sir!

Scary first moments .. So good NHS came through!

so inspiring ! my bf just got his distal biceps tendon torn too, and was freaking out. Thanks for sharing and hope you are feeling better now.

Thank you so much man for making these videos, I’m having this surgery on Monday, it’s made me feel a lot better about it

I just had this done three weeks ago. My experience was very similar, with essentially no pain. Three weeks on, I've had to sit myself down and have a chat about keeping the sling on. I accidentally overdid it a couple of times when I forgot not to grab things or help the left arm lift. Looking forward to seeing how things go for you in the next videos.

Thanks for this video. My husband is going to have this operation soon and it’s great to know that it’s not that bad at all!

I had mine last week and everything you said is true. Keep positive mindset and the recovery will be good. I also recommend the surgery if you wanna recover 100% of your strengh/ability.

Thanks for sharing Mark your videos have been very informative as I have just had surgery myself I hope you’re doing well.

Happened to me 4 days ago, waiting for surgery. Im going to check out your experience, cheers!

Very uplifting thank you! Happened to me a few weeks back.

I had my operation 2 days ago, fitness is my life too so looking forward to come back soon. Really inspiring, thanks mate

Great videos thank you I am one week postop and seeing my doctor tomorrow. You are doing so well and that has really given me encouragement. I thought it would be a tougher rehab. I am a lifelong lifter 79 years old and not ready to stop. I just don’t want to rip it again! Yikes anyway thank you again I will follow your videos

I have surgery in a week and this was reassuring.

Thanks for posting this! I recently suffered the same injury (trying to pick up my motorcycle the wrong way), and I’m about to have surgery soon. This really helped put my mind at ease. You’re right about the popping bubble-wrap sound, btw.

Good speedy recovery

Espero te recuperes pronto,animo,yo tengo mis añltos tambien y me ayuda mucho ver de lo que eres capaz,cuidate.

I am sad that happened, but, you are just a great inspiration! Cheers!

Thank you. I'm getting this surgery in 6 days. Very helpful info here!

Thank you for sharing! I'm going through issues with elbow, and I wish I have your patient.

great attitude and perspective. fit and wise!

This was a good watch. I'm just about to have the same surgery and was pretty concerned about recovery. Thanks for sharing your experience

This happened to me three weeks ago and I'm having the surgery tomorrow! I can't believe how similar your situation was too mine! I literally described it to people as "I felt and heard like bubble wrap going off in my arm!" Thanks for making this video! I was somewhat nervous about the surgery and the day after. I feel much more calm now!👍

Speedy recovery!

Sorry to hear it. Glad you are on the mend. I'll never think of the sound of "bubble wrap" the same again. Awee geeez.

Thanks for doing this. Big help.

Thanks very much for the video. Tore my distal bicep tendon Wednesday last week and patiently waiting for the op date. Gave me hope when I saw you could move it about quite well the day after the op. Imagined it being in worse condition than that.

Thank you for this videos! I have this surgery in 2 weeks and this helped me feel a lot better

Great vlog, and great inspiration. Had my left bicep re attach this morning after waiting 13wks 🙈, the op went very well and I was a little anxious, but woke up and my arm was still there lol , I need to see how it is in the next few days, but I do recommend you get the surgery and repair the bicep as soon as possible and not wait too long like me but I had no choice but to wait that long . Thank you. 🙏🏼

Hi Mark, so glad I’ve come across this. The gym is my life and I fully ruptured my right stronger bicep tendon . Just had the surgery two days ago and now I’m all slinged up and starting my recovery . Going to be determined and positive and your video blog will definitely help me with this . It’s surprising how many people have had this same injury . I did mine on a preacher curl bench and I barely started the first rep when I heard like a tearing/ ripping sound , one sound I’ll never forget! I knew straight away it was serious and like yourself I couldn’t look at my arm at first. A couple of days later i could see blood under the skin followed by bruising. That’s when I took myself to the ane . Thanks for posting your blog , it’s going to help me a lot . Hope your well , regards 👍

Same here. No pain. Left distal bicep tendon repair. No pain at the time, no pain post surgery.

Thank you so much for posting this VLog series. When I tore my bicep, I was scared and concerned about the future, but your videos gave me a ton of hope and confidence. I got surgery about 10 days after the tear and it was repaired with an endobutton. I've torn ACLs in both legs playing football, and compared to those recoveries, this one was much easier. The worst part, by far, was the first two weeks immediately after surgery. The hard splint you have to wear, juggling pain meds, keeping inflamation down, trying to find a comportable way to sleep ... it's a rough time, but it got better pretty quickly after that. I had a Dr that was aggressive with range of motion and movement, so I had full mobility fairly quick. The first 8 weeks for me was mostly just following a 1lb (then 2lb) lifting restriction, and waiting for the bone to heal around the tendon. Physical Therapy was cautious once I started, and the therapist didn't want to do much until about week 12. PT lasted about 6 months total. I went once a week, or once every other week, initially, then ramped up to twice a week around week 16 or 18. I also did some light work on my own in-between the sessions. Most of the PT focused on building shoulder, back and other arm muscles (stuff that got weak while I wasn't using the arm as much). Somewhere around 7 months after the tear, I was cleared by the Dr for everything except Raquetball/Tennis. He wanted me to wait another two months since those sports put massive stress on the arm. Strength-wise, I'm probably 10% weaker than I was pre-injury, but that's more on me than anything else. If I hit the weights hard, I believe I could get it back. Looks-wise, the bicep is a little shorter than it was pre-injury, but it's close enough that only I can notice (and the Dr said it would likely continue to extend as I build muscle mass). Overall, I'm very happy with the surgery and recovery. When I tore it, the bicep was almost in my shoulder and I ended up having to get a second incision (on my bicep itself) so the Dr could find the tendon. Both scars are exactly 1.5" and when I flex my bicep, I can bring the two scars togther in a way that they form a rough cross. When I look at it, it reminds me that the Lord healed me, and awesome people like you helped me get through it. God bless!

thanks for this video ,mine happened while boxing and man iv been so stressed about the op as they said all that go wrong etc so got me worried but after seeing your video has settled me alot thank you

My surgery is in 5 days. I appreciate you posting this series.

Hope you're coming along well. I've seen this injury many times with guys deadlifting. You're Tuff! Wishing you the best from Ohio! Seems like as we get older, we need to put more time into warming up. I know you slipped...My wife had to have a triple fusion in her neck after slipping in a head stand in a yoga class about 18 years ago. She is still dealing with pain, but able to keep working as a Nurse Practitioner helping others dealing with breast cancer. She is a very special person. Sorry to ramble. Peace! 👍🏼👍🏼

I'm 58 just tore mine 2 days ago and going to orthopedics tomorrow. Felt the pop and saw the void at bottom of bicep.Hope they reattach and start the rehab process

When I saw your videos my mind changed to much No limits

I’m 3 weeks post surgery from same injury. I’m currently doing physical therapy on range of motion. Pronation is the hardest of all of them. Sleeping sucks since I’m a side sleeper. My therapist and surgeon told me to take it easy and not overdo it with my daily activities. I’m hoping to get back to “normal” by the end of summer or fall. Thanks for sharing!

I got this same injury one week ago and am scared of the surgery. But your video is kinda giving me confidence

Sir, you made an inspiring planche video. I hope you will get over it soon and can do more excercise if possible.

I'm day 3 post op. Biggest issue I have is numb feeling in hand. I tried to come off pain meds too soon. Thanks for your videos on this topic.

Thanks for sharing this. I’m 23 and just tore my distal bicep tendon during a heavy deadlift and will be getting this surgery soon. It wasn’t a clean tear, according to an occupational therapist I work with, she things about 75% of it is detached.

Thanks my friend. I tore mine off the bone not even 12 hrs ago I'm due for day surgery tomorrow so I will have mine done with in less then 2 days . Well with in the 3 week reccomended time period. Even at 48 years old I always worry and over think things and end up stressing myself out so your video helped ease my anxiety some. Thanks

Thank you for sharing your experience. I experienced this about 1 and a half years ago. I’ve regained most of the lost size in the left arm now and regained strength but I notice the insertion of the biceps isn’t like how it was before surgery. It’s slightly higher than before. Is this normal? Thank you.

Sorry to hear about the injury Mark, hope you have a full and speedy recovery. Keep working on your exercise do pistol squats and some running will keep the spirts up.

Yay, got my biceps teared on July 26th this year (2022) while dancing Zouk (of all the sports that I do, jiu-jitsu, calisthenics, mountain biking, tracking, rappel, I hurt myself while dancing). Going to get my surgery on the 31st. I hope I can recover 100%!

Thank u. Going for surgery Friday

Thank you! My surgery is on Wednesday. Happened at work so its going on 70 days from injury and they are talking cadaver parts , but this video has eased my anxiety

Hey Mark! I'm actually getting surgery, but they told me since the bicep retracted further up., they need to add a suture to wrap around my bone. He told me it's a longer healing time.

Hi Mark , Never commented on a video before . Gym and fitness is my life , I’ve done exactly the same as yourself . Your video’s have helped reassure me that I can make it back . I’ve such amazing progress with my PT who helped me through lockdown to keep my mental health as well as physical health in top form . My question is . Post surgery did you find driving was a issue ? . The reason I ask I have my fourth child due in 4-5 weeks and my concern is not being able to get them home . Many thanks Tim

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going for surgery tomorrow 5 weeks after the injury.

Just had it done and found you as I'm looking forward to being myself against 55

Thanks for this video. I ruptured my left (dominant hand) distal bicep tendon the first of November. I wIll be having the surgery Thursday 12/22/2022. Doctor says it has only pulled back 2cm. He belives he can pull it back down pretty easy. I am 52 years old. I do a lot of yard work and some hiking. I cant afford to loose any strength. I hope I have made the right choice.

Take care another excellent presentation... Trev

Very inspiring Mark, thanks for sharing this! For myself it was a strong motivater to get this fixed, as I was a bit reluctand first. Your positive mindset somehow helped me to bite the bullet finally. Right arm had surgery yesterday after lifting a plate with too much elbow torsion 18days ago. I had the same endo-button procedure as you but contrary to you I have some pain where the procedure happened, maybe because the tendon was 6cm up and they still managed to retrieve via 5-6cm incision. I do have a numb feeling from upper thumb, ranging up to the complete upper forearm. I really hope this will come back later. Docter subscribed 14days half open cast, so it will be 2weeks before I can somhow start to flex it. Looking forward to it and meanwhile will dive into your full story and your work outs. Thanks again!!

I'm about to have my surgery in a few days. Were you able to use the computer after surgery?

Hello! I just had my surgery 3 weeks ago, I was injured in an accident. How long was it until you were able to lift again? I can’t work until October (I’m a machinist) and right now I’m going nuts!

Just curious what you guys think about heat vs cold during physical therapy. Some recent research I found said it was pointless. Thoughts?

I'm learning some English too watching your videos... British accent rules..Greetings from Colombia south America.

I am 3 weeks post op. Everything you said in this video is quite accurate. I ruptured mine while bowling. I used to bowl in a league, I didn't bowl for 6 years, but went and I put hook on the ball, and on the 4th ball into the game, while I was supinating when the ball was dropping and had the pop and my bicep was up near the shoulder. My surgery was 3 weeks after the injury and the surgeon told me afterwards that it was very difficult because of scarring on the tendon. He did have to make a second incision in order to retrieve the tendon. He used an arthex bicepsbutton for the repair. Anyone on the fence about this, its not that bad. When I went into pre-op after hooking my IV up they gave me some anti nausea pills and then gave me a sedative through the IV to make me way more comfortable. I did receive a nerve block on my entire arm and didn't experience any discomfort until about 18 hrs after surgery when the nerve block wore off. But I was given general anesthesia and was completely out and woke up what felt like instantly and the surgery was complete and they were taking me to recovery. I was not intubated and did not get a catheter or anything like that. It is an outpatient procedure, the surgery ended up taking slightly over 1 hour and was able to go home after recovery for about 40 minutes. I was not legally allowed to drive home from the hospital. Just wanted to share some facts as well in case someone is curious or are about to get the surgery and are worried. It is not that bad.

Cheers for the vid mate. I ruptured my left distal bicep 8 days ago and the surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I'm hoping there won't be any issues due to the amount of time that's elapsed. I'm having a local anesthetic so hopefully I won't regret that choice. My surgeon explained the procedure and it's virtually the same as how you described it but with the exception that they will drill 2 holes: one from the top at an angle and another also at an angle from the bottom so they meet up in the bone and then thread the tendon. The reason for this is to avoid the tendon being in a location that can touch a specific nerve. Sorry for the lack of detail but my biology knowledge is very limited to say the least.

Hey man how’s the bicep been? How long did it take u to get back to same strength?

Just did mine yesterday day in the USA they did a block for pain until it where it off off the oh boy pain pills were needed. Iam hopeful things will work out. Hope yours works out good.

I was supposed to have my surgery tomorrow which will be the 14th day and they screwed up and they didn’t get my EKG done in time so now it’s gonna be next week which is gonna be like the 20th day and I’m worried that that’s too late, your thoughts? It doesn’t seem like you’re in that much pain they gave me Percocet and everything to use afterwards so I was expecting to be in a lot of pain so hopefully my result of pain is like yours

Do you think this had to do with having a bent arm in the planche? I see all the top gymnasts do it completely straight arm and I noticed you don't. Just a thought that you put all the stress on the muscle alone and not the structure of the joint taking some of the load too.

HI THERE THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO❗️I JUST HAD THE SAME SURGERY 5 DAYS AGO AND I RAN ACROSS YOUR VIDEO,I SEEN THE DATE ON THE VIDEO I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW FOR YOU HAS THE NUMBNESS WENT AWAY❓HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE❓

Snapped mine last Wednesday boxing sparring,got punched in it, had my op yesterday and im absolute pain. My hand and fingers are swelled,im glad i got it done but cant wait for the pain to go.

I’m day post operation for the exact same injury, constantly in the gym before this and it’s very depressing knowing the long rehab I have ahead of me. I’ve got peptides BPC-157 to use which I’m hoping to speed recovery up.

I'm having this surgery done on Monday and I'm getting very nervous and I'm not looking forward to it. This is my 1st surgery as well. Am I overreacting with how I feel? Any advice would be super helpful

I just had this done . Does everything feel normal and strong like it did before ? Kind of nervous . Been recovering from surgery for 5 days so far .

Mark one question how the hell did you get that Polo shirt over the bandage?

just had mine and i got this big ass cast! i want your doctor

Thankyou

Hi Mark - I know this video is 4 years old now, but am curious on how long your nerve numbness lasted on your thumb area. The doctor I am seeing for surgery said that this typically can happen when the nerve is stretched for the surgery. He seems to follow the exact same protocol as you went thru - going to splint first with sling and then to an adjustable brace.

Hi, I ruptured my biceps distal tendon and its been 7 months post op. Began to workout but pull ups and biceps curls are limited and painful. Do you think it will pass with time? Thank you

DO you think you could have avoid it some how. Any advice about that?

Didn't your arm swell after the tear? Did you feel like you were maybe going too far with the stress on the arms in that exercise, or you didn't expect it at all? Even though I don't plan to do calisthenics exercises like those, I am always afraid of tearing a tendon when doing muscle building exercises and wonder how far can i go with the effort while still being safe. Anyway, good luck with resuming your calisthenics workouts!

NHS made me wait 5 weeks for operation. When I became concerned after 12 days after waiting for an mri I was told by the Critical Care Unit at Chase Farm Hospital London to get it line with Cancer patients and that my arm wasn’t hanging off. Also that was lucky to get a MRI within 2 weeks as I had to contact them myself to get one but I was trying to get one sooner because of the arm being sore. The doctor’s referral said urgent MRI which apparently to the nurse meant within 6 months. I was refused to see a doctor.

Just had my surgery last Tuesday. The pain isn’t bad but the muscle twitches and firing in that arm is horrible. I feel like my tricep is going to rip off when it happens. 😬 any advise? They didn’t prescribe muscle relaxers, just pain meds.

What are signs that it gonna happend? i can lift dumbells normally but when I do push ups i start feeling my fibers having like micro sharp pains

Thanks for this video, I've just done mine and am in for surgery on Tuesday, hoping I come out pain free as well but I'm sure we're all different. Hope it's all going well for you 👍

Was a nerve block used? If so, that wears off in 24 hours or so.

I just tore mine. Scared to death for surgery and recovery. I am into bodybuilding and haven’t missed this much time away from the gym in 18 years. Just really getting to me mentally. 😔

Just done mine yesterday playing rugby 🏉, fracture clinic Monday

3 days post op. My hand looks a freshly baked uncut loaf. Also numbness on back of hand. Thanks for the vid. Good luck to all going through the same.

I was told not to move my arm from elbow up. I have a padded sling also. After nerve block wears off…you have pain.

Australian here , oddly 3 months ago a guy at work mentioned his surgery had been delayed in the public hospital by a week making it 3 weeks , you get pushed out of the queue if more serious cases come along , Knowing how time critical it was I told him to make sure it gets done. Well a week ago I tore mine , I didn't both with the public health system and went private. It cost $ 5500 aud with some government rebates. Our public system is so underfunded I didn't want to risk it not being fixable.

How long did it take for the numbness to go away in the hand. Mine is a week now and it's still really bad

Had my surgery 1 February but my arm is set in soft cast at about 60 degrees. Doctor told me before going under I would come out at 90 degrees in a sling. My pain level was off the charts two days post op and the swelling is still super awful at 6 days post op... follow up the 11th so maybe I will get some answer then.

Did not know. Very sorry. Take good care, man! :-)