Abstract
Background: Distal rupture of the triceps tendon is a rare injury, and treatment guidelines are not well established. Hypothesis: Football players with triceps tendon ruptures will be able to return to their sport with minimal functional deficits. Study Design: Uncontrolled retrospective review. Methods: Twenty-one partial and complete ruptures of the triceps tendon were identified in 19 National Football League players over a period of 6 years. Team physicians retrospectively reviewed training room, clinical, and operative notes for each of these players. Results: Most of the injured players were linemen. The most common mechanism of injury was an eccentric load to a contracting triceps. Seven players had prodromal symptoms prior to injury, and 5 had received a cortisone injection. Eleven elbows with complete tears underwent surgical repair. Of 10 players with partial tears, 6 healed without surgery. One player suffered a subsequent complete tear requiring surgery, and 3 with residual pain and weakness underwent surgical repair following the season. Two surgical complications occurred, both requiring a second operation. All of the players but 1 returned to play at least one season of professional football after their injury. Conclusions: Partial triceps tendon ruptures can heal without functional deficit. Surgical repair for complete ruptures generally produces good functional results and allows return to play.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 431-434 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | American Journal of Sports Medicine |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2004 |
Keywords
- Elbow
- Football
- Rupture
- Tendon
- Triceps
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation