What to Do About a Torn Bicep

Your bicep is the muscle in your upper arm that, when contracted, results in your elbow bending. A tear in the bicep muscle most often occurs when you are lifting weights using improper form, but overworking the muscle in any way can lead to a tear. A torn bicep muscle is a painful and serious injury that takes time and patience to heal.

For a Minor Tear

• In the event of a minor tear of the biceps muscle, you’ll experience soreness, tenderness and some swelling. The first step to healing a minor tear in the muscle is to allow the biceps to rest. Avoid lifting things with your injured arm. If your arm is swollen, use icing therapy to help reduce the swelling. Wrap an icepack in a towel and apply it to the injured area until the area is numb. If the wrapped ice doesn’t do the trick, try applying ice directly to the injury using a large ice cube. You’ll need to hold the ice cube in a washcloth, otherwise your fingers will become very uncomfortable. Rub the ice cube over the area of the injury until it becomes numb. Once numbness sets in, stop icing. You can ice the injury again once when skin has warmed up to room temperature. Icing will help reduce swelling and relieve pain.

  Once the pain and swelling subsides, begin to do some gentle biceps stretches. Lift your arms straight out to your sides and turn your palms so they are facing behind you. Push your arms back until you feel a good stretch in your biceps. Hold the stretch for at least eight seconds. Next, sit in a chair and reach your arms behind you, grabbing the chair top with your hands. Lean forward until you feel a stretch, and hold it for eight seconds.

For a Serious Tear

• If you incur a biceps muscle tear that triggers extensive bruising and swelling or that is accompanied by a sharp pain at the time of injury, see a doctor as soon as possible. Stop whatever you are doing and keep the muscle as immobile as possible. Severe tears may need surgery and physical therapy in order for you to make a complete recovery.