Faculty Advisor(s)

Matthew Somma

Document Type

Course Paper

Publication Date

12-2018

Rights

© 2018 Ali Woller

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The long head of the biceps plays an important role stabilizing the shoulder. Most of the current literature supports surgical intervention following a complete rupture, but there is little evidence that supports conservative management. Due to a lack of evidence supporting conservative management of a complete rupture of the long head of the biceps, the purpose of this case study was to evaluate the progress this patient made over a six-week period with outpatient physical therapy addressing his impairments resulting from his injury. Case Description: The patient was a 51-year-old male with a confirmed diagnosis of a complete rupture of the long head of his biceps. The initial evaluation took place two and a half months after the accident due to a delay in seeking medical attention. He had a decreased ROM and strength, increased pain levels that effected his work, and an impaired QuickDASH score. Outcomes: After six weeks of conservative treatment, the patient had an increase in ROM, improved QuickDASH score, and reported a decrease in pain and increase in work capacity. Discussion: Despite the long duration between onset of injury and physical therapy, the patient appeared to benefit from conservative management based on objective findings and patient reported results.

Comments

The case report poster for this paper can be found here:

http://dune.une.edu/pt_studcrposter/145/

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