Ever suffered a bicep injury that needed medical attention?

I've been working out regularly (following routines, logging numbers, supplementing, keeping an eye on my diet and protein consumption most of the time[/size054ac281a4], etc.) AND working a particularly physically demanding job (and I have good work ethic that results in me busting my ass for a reason I have yet to discover) that requires tons of lifting... for almost 5 years.

I never workout two consecutive days, giving myself a break between each session (I realized, having such a job and lackluster genetics, I should cut the 5 days a week and sometimes even workout only 3 days, depending on the routine... I also always warm-up and stretch before and after). Well, I KNOW what a pulled muscle feels like... I also know the difference between DOMs and a serious injury and about a week ago, I woke to find I couldn't fully extend my left arm without feeling this pinching sensation in my bicep. It sorta felt like it was deep in the muscle. It wasn't so much a pain as it was an uncomfortable feeling I wasn't accustomed to.

Well, within the next couple of days, it had gotten worse and indeed became pain. A kind of stinging sensation whenever my arm approached full extension. I immediately stopped using it and was only using one arm at work, which needless to say, was a complete bitch. I really became worried when the bicep became sensitive to the touch, swollen and even BRUISED. I've developed bruises from blunt trauma or what have you, but never from a muscle injury. It was a good size bruise of yellow that spanned from the top of the bicep closest to the shoulder to about halfway down my bicep. It doesn't feel as if the arm is any weaker but I'm afraid to handle any real weight with it only picking up less than 10 lbs at a time and still trying to keep the joint bent while doing so. I have also stopped working out.

The reason I'm writing this post is because today marks a full week since the injury developed and I'm not particularly satisfied with the minimal improvement in it's condition and was wondering if any of you guys have had a similar experience and could provide any insight as to what this could be.

After icing it several times a day and wearing a brace at work, the swelling has gone down and the bruising is almost entirely gone and only visible in bright light, but that stinging feeling that had me worried to begin with is still very much there. I feel the sensation in a couple areas in my bicep. At the top of the muscle closest to my shoulder and the bottom of the muscle closest to the joint. It's still a little sensitive and I really had expected it to have improved significantly in this amount of time.

Google has led me to believe best case, it's a simple "strain" or possibly "tendinitis," both of which aren't that serious. But the bruising signifies there could have been bleeding under the tissue from a torn (or partially torn) tendon, which is much more serious and could require surgery and most definitely a longer period of rehabilitation (which would encompass no working out and no work O). The bicep muscle doesn't appear to have detached from the bone as it's still entirely in place, so I feel confident ruling out a full tear, but something doesn't look right. I'm not sure what it is... perhaps it's larger, maybe shaped a little different.

I DO have insurance but have been putting off the complications of seeing a doctor and having to stay outta work/file for worker's comp., etc. and was just hoping it would go away and I could resume normal activity.

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I can't offer much insight, but I think a trip to the Dr. would be worth looking in to. You may make it worse just in your day to day activities, and if it is now only a partial tear - it could become a complete tear - so better to get it checked out now. Good Luck

Definitely have the doc take a look

I have a lot of experience with tendonitis and what you're describing doesn't sound anything like that. If I were you I would definitely see a doctor or physical therapist.

Also it's "biceps" even if you're referring only to one.

[quotea1204d6c88="ilanbg"]I have a lot of experience with tendonitis and what you're describing doesn't sound anything like that. If I were you I would definitely see a doctor or physical therapist.

Also it's "biceps" even if you're referring only to one.[/quotea1204d6c88]

Oh... and exactly what does tendinitis feel like, if you don't mind explaining?

It's pretty common for rock climbers who over-use their fingers, that's where my experience with it comes from. Basically it occurs when you strain the tendons through overuse, and it's pretty rare to occur from weightlifting unless you're habitually lifting at a professional level.

My tendonitis was in my forearm, and it hurt in the area around my elbow and got aggravated by using my hands. When I had it at my worst, I couldn't bend my arm while holding anything (e.g. a bottle of water) without the tendons in my elbow snapping over the joint. Was pretty painful.

I think there are different types of tendonitis and since all my experience of having it and knowing people who have it comes from climbing, I'm sure I'm missing some information about it. But tendon connects muscle to bone, so tendonitis is most often going to occur at the site of a joint, as far as I know. So I guess there's a slight chance that it could be tendonitis but unless you are doing biceps curls every day or something, chances are you tore something.

[quote5c4a9244e3="ilanbg"]It's pretty common for rock climbers who over-use their fingers, that's where my experience with it comes from. Basically it occurs when you strain the tendons through overuse, and it's pretty rare to occur from weightlifting unless you're habitually lifting at a professional level.

My tendonitis was in my forearm, and it hurt in the area around my elbow and got aggravated by using my hands. When I had it at my worst, I couldn't bend my arm while holding anything (e.g. a bottle of water) without the tendons in my elbow snapping over the joint. Was pretty painful.

I think there are different types of tendonitis and since all my experience of having it and knowing people who have it comes from climbing, I'm sure I'm missing some information about it. But tendon connects muscle to bone, so tendonitis is most often going to occur at the site of a joint, as far as I know. So I guess there's a slight chance that it could be tendonitis but unless you are doing biceps curls every day or something, chances are you tore something.[/quote5c4a9244e3]

Actually, the routine that I've been doing for the passed two months has been rather bicep intense. I suppose it was poorly thought out. It was a 4 day routine (every other day) and 3 of those days were tough as hell on my biceps. My biceps got an above average pump each of those 3 workouts. I work out a couple of hours before I go to work... so, rather than let my muscles rest and recuperate, I continue beating them up for 8 more hours. I'll remind you, I really do bust my ass at work. I dare say, it's tougher than my workouts at times. During my workout, I get plenty breaks between sets. I don't get this at work. I just keep rolling until break time. My entire body gets a pretty good pump from simply working. My veins fill up... I'll get covered in sweat. Actually, I've said it a million times, if I quit my damn job and sit behind a desk for a living, I know for a fact, I would grow so much faster than I have been and would get significantly stronger in far less time. I really believe I've been overtraining for far too long and I'm not surprised it has finally caught up with me.

Anyway, I thought, "Why ask for FiPG'ers opinions if I wasn't gonna heed them?" So I've decided to go to the Doc this morning. Don't know how much this place is gonna be able to do for me. I don't feel like waiting all day at the hospital so I'm going to this "Physician Treatment Center" and hope they are equipped to handle muscle injuries (which will likely require an MRI depending on the Dr's opinion). Plus, I believe I wont have to pay anything if I go here. I think I'd only have to pay the deductible if I went to the hospital.

Will update later.

Thanks for the info, ilanbg.

I am back and the news is just as I hoped. After I explained the symptoms (and he read my chart), he instructed me to do a number of exercises with my arm, applying force against his hand/arm's resistance at different angles to determine whether or not these exercises caused pain. They didn't. He then examined both arms held in front of me determining there was no deformation in the bicep in question. After all his questions and observations, he declared it was a simple strain and possibly torn/partially torn muscle fibers. He noted this as the cause of bruising (along with stretched/busted blood vessels). He said seeing as how there was no decrease in strength and no pain when tightening the bicep, there were no serious issues and I simply needed to take it easy for a couple weeks. He even offered to write me an excuse to stay outta work, but I volunteered for a doctor's note prescribing light duty as was my second option(WTF was I thinking?! God damn work ethics!)

Note I didn't even have to pay a dime using my insurance.

GO.
SEE.
A.
DOCTOR. roll

[quote1a07d0ad15="Iloveipods2"]GO.
SEE.
A.
DOCTOR. roll[/quote1a07d0ad15]

Um... look at the post above you.

Secondly, this Wednesday will mark week two since this occurred and my arm still hurts though not nearly as bad and there is no more swelling or bruising, so it appears as if I am on my way to recovery. The Doc said it could take between 2 and 4 weeks to heal from this sort of injury which is absolutely killing me! I haven't worked out, I drag ass at work and since this happened, I've gotten a bit depressed and have been eating with absolutely no regard for my bodyfat... my abs look like shit and I've likely gained around 4 pounds, however I've been trying to snap myself out of it since establishing it was just a strain and will heal 100 %.

On the bright side, I am SERIOUSLY enjoying this whole "light duty" thing. No one at work expects shit from me for a change (whereas, I am usually the only one to actually work to his full capability the majority of the time).