Significance of Long Head of the Biceps in Abduction of The Upper Extremity

• Published in: Orthopedics & Traumatology Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 1747 - 1750
• Main Authors: Fujii, Kouji, Endo, Hisao, Hemmi, Tatsuhiko, Takahashi, Masami, Adachi, Eijirou, Ogata, Tadanori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: West-Japanese Society of Orthopedics & Traumatology 1990
• ISSN: 0037-1033; 1349-4333
• DOI: 10.5035/nishiseisai.38.1747

This study is intended to pursue the role of the long head of the biceps (hereafter referred to as long head) in the abduction of the upper extremity, and to review the technique of reconstruction for the rupture of the long tendon by understanding the significance of the long head in shoulder movements. Subjects were the patients having the rupture of the long head in 6 shoulders and musculocutaneous nerve palsy in one shoulder. The eubjects were exercised for abduction of the upper extremity with scapular plane, then, locus was taken for the movement of glenoid fossa and the head of the humerus. This technique was performed before and after reconstruction of the tendon in the above mentioned cases, and the results were comparatively reviewed in time course. Comparison was made for the locus of glenoid fossa and the head of the humerus at motion time of abduction with the scapular plane of each stage in the above mentioned cases, and the following results were obtained. 1. Rupture of the long head resulted in disorder, in the locus of glenoid fossa and the head of the humerus. 2. After a long time, even the operation only to suture the ruptured long head into the bicipital groove without end-to-end suture resulted in showing the same locus of the head of the humerus and glenoid fossa as that of control.