Learn about bicep tears, including symptoms, treatment options (surgical and non-surgical), prevention tips, and what to expect during recovery. Get expert advice from TSAOG orthopedic specialists. Here are six of the most common symptoms we see.

Understanding the Context

1. Sharp, sudden pain. Biceps tears are categorized by their location and severity. The most common type of biceps tear occurs near your shoulder, where your biceps tendons attach to the joint, although they can also occur closer to your elbow.

Key Insights

Classic symptoms of biceps tendon injuries include feeling a “pop” or tearing sensation in the front of the elbow associated with pain. There may also be associated swelling and bruising in the area. At times, patients may only have a partial rupture, where the tendon is torn but incompletely. Symptoms of a biceps tear or biceps rupture With a biceps rupture, most people report feeling or hearing a “pop” at the shoulder or elbow when the tendon breaks. Your biceps tendons attach the biceps muscle to bones in your shoulder and in your elbow.

Final Thoughts

If you tear your biceps tendon at the shoulder, you may lose some strength in your arm and have pain when you forcefully turn your arm from palm down to palm up. The most common sign of a bicep strain is sudden, severe pain in the upper arm. Learn about other symptoms of a strained bicep, as well as causes and treatment. A biceps tendon tear occurs when the tendon completely or partially severs from the bone. When the tear occurs at the shoulder, a person may experience pain and lose some strength in their... The most common symptom of a bicep tear or strain is a sudden burst of pain in the upper arm near the shoulder.

You could also hear a “popping” sound as the tendon tears.