What are the symptoms of a Bicipital distal tendon rupture?

• A. A 'pop' sound, severe pain in the front of the elbow, weakness, and bruising.
• B. Numbness along the ulnar forearm.
• C. Swelling at the wrist with night pain.
• D. Pain with shoulder abduction.

Answer: (A)

Distal biceps tendon rupture presents with a sudden, audible pop and severe pain in the front of the elbow at the time of injury, followed by rapid swelling and bruising along the forearm. Because the distal biceps tendon is responsible for elbow flexion strength and forearm supination, there is notable weakness in these motions after the tear. A visible deformity or retraction of the muscle may be felt or seen in the upper arm. The other descriptions point to problems in different areas: numbness along the ulnar forearm suggests ulnar nerve involvement, swelling at the wrist with night pain implies a wrist issue, and pain with shoulder abduction indicates a shoulder joint problem rather than an elbow tendon rupture.