Jornal de Trauma e Tratamento

Triceps Tendon Avulsion in an Army Recruit: A Case Report

Abstract

Umesh Kumar Meena, Anil Kumar Sharma, Prateek Behera, Piyush Kumar Kanani, Devendra Singh

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.