Biceps femoris tendon rupture can occur when the

biceps femoris The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it has two parts, one of which (the long head) forms part of the hamstrings muscle group. Structure It has two heads of origin: *the ''long h ...

is injured in sports that require explosive bending of the knee as seen in

sprinting Sprinting is running over a short distance at the top-most speed of the body in a limited period of time. It is used in many sports that incorporate running, typically as a way of quickly reaching a target or goal, or avoiding or catching an op ...

. If the athlete is fatigued or has not warmed up properly he/she may suffer a hamstring strain/rupture, which is the tearing of the hamstring muscle. Avulsion of the biceps femoris tendon is the complete pulling away of the tendon from the bone. This most commonly occurs where the long head attaches to the ischial tuberosity. Injuries to biceps femoris are more common than to other hamstring muscles. One theory for this is the fact that each of the two heads are innervated by different branches of the sciatic nerve. In states of fatigue or when the muscle is not fully warmed up, uncoordinated firing of the nerves may cause the muscle to contract inappropriately during movement, leading to injury. Biceps femoris tendon avulsion may also be associated with an avulsion fracture which occurs when a piece of the bone is pulled away with the tendon, during forceful contraction. Isolated avulsion is rare.

Symptoms and signs

* Avulsions normally occur during a rapid or violent movement involving hip flexion and knee extension and are known to be extremely painful * Swelling will appear in the region of the avulsion * an associated loss in hamstring strength (i.e. a decreased ability to flex the knee joint against resistance) * In some avulsion fractures, the bone fragment may be palpated through the skin The R.I.C.E. technique should be administered, however, a sports injury specialist is recommended for the possibility of surgery.

Diagnosis

Treatment

References

{{Dislocations, sprains and strains Dislocations, sprains and strains Sprint (running)