Triceps Tendon Avulsion in an Army Recruit: A Case Report

Umesh Kumar Meena,Prateek Behera,Anil Kumar Sharma

doi:10.4172/2167-1222.1000255

Abstract

Army recruits are prone to injuries of the musculoskeletal system primarily due to the sudden increase in physical activities. While stress fractures of the metatarsals, tibia and other lower limb bones as well as injury of tendons is common, triceps tendon avulsion in an army recruit has not been reported in literature. As such, triceps tendon avulsion is an uncommon injury. We are reporting a case of a 24-year-old army recruit who had an avulsion of triceps tendon during training and which was missed initially. We managed him surgically by using non-absorbable Ethibond sutures. The patient recovered his full range of elbow motion and at the end of one year had no functional limitations. A physician needs to have high degree of suspicion to avoid delayed diagnosis and prolonged disability. Surgical repair of complete ruptures using transosseous sutures leads to excellent functional results and would probably be the best method of managing these injuries.

Highlights

Triceps tendon rupture/avulsion is a rare injury [1], it constitutes less than 1% of all tendon injuries in the upper extremity [2]
We report a rare case of closed triceps tendon avulsion injury in an army recruit due to fall on outstretched hand during running in training period, treated surgically after one month of injury by transosseous suture technique with a good functional result
The diagnosis of acute triceps tendon rupture may be missed in acute setting because of pain and swelling which may prevent the clinician from conducting an accurate physical examination and mask the palpable defect

Summary

Introduction

Triceps tendon rupture/avulsion is a rare injury [1], it constitutes less than 1% of all tendon injuries in the upper extremity [2]. While the most common form of injury is an avulsion of the tendon from its s insertion on the olecranon; the uncommon form of injuries are intramuscular or myotendinous junction ruptures [3].

Results

Conclusion