Question

How badly does a tendon need to be torn to require surgery?

Answer 1

For a torn tendon to require surgery, the tendon needs to be torn as badly as a complete rupture.

Surgery is often required to fix torn tendons when they are complete ruptures, which is when the tendon has fully retracted or fully separated and prevents it from touching the bone to heal naturally.

Minor or partial tendon tears often heal with just rest, physical therapy and bracing, and surgery becomes necessary if the nonsurgical treatments don't restore mobility, strength or function after several months.

Immediate surgery is needed in some cases for deep cuts, especially in the hands and fingers and disabling full thickness tears.

When the tendon is completely detached, and it cannot reconnect to the bone on it's own, surgery is needed, such as for complete rotator cuff tears or ruptured quadriceps tendons.

And if the torn tendon injury results in a significant loss of movement, like an inability to straighten your knee, or flex your arm, then surgery is often needed.

Or if you have followed a program or physical therapy, bracing and rest for several months without any improvement in pain, strength or instability, surgery may be needed.

or if you have any deep cuts or open wounds that sever a tendon, then surgery is often needed to ensure that the ends are reattached correctly to the tendons.

When you have a torn tendon in the knee, the doctor will first do a physical exam and often use an MRI scan to confirm the torn tendon in the knee.

Once the torn tendon in the knee is confirmed, the doctor will decide what treatment is needed, which can be physical therapy, immobilizing the knee in a straight locked brace or if needed, surgical repair.

If you have complete patellar tendon tears, you will often require surgery to reattach the tendon to the kneecap.

The surgery to reattach the tendon to the kneecap, is done via sutures through drilled holes in the bone, often done as an outpatient procedure.

And in cases of severe torn tendon damage, a tissue graft or allograft might be needed to replace or lengthen the tendon.

Small and partial tendon tears might be treated without surgery, which involves immobilizing your knee in a straight, locked brace for 3 weeks to 6 weeks, using crutches to avoid weight bearing, and using anti-inflammatory medication like NSAIDs.

And physical therapy is also done and is crucial for both surgical and non surgical cases of torn tendons, and the physical therapy starts with gentle, protected exercises like straight leg raises and progresses to restoring range of motion and strengthening the quadriceps muscles.

A doctor can see if a tendon is torn by using a combination of physical examination and diagnostic imaging.

During your physical exam for the torn tendon, the doctor will assess your pain, swelling, strength and range of motion and will often also use specialized maneuvers like the Thompson Test for Achilles tears or the hook test for bicep tears to check for structural integrity.

Imaging tests for a torn tendon are often MRI and ultrasounds that are used to confirm if the tendon is torn and to also assess it's severity.

Torn tendons will usually hurt immediately as torn tendons and ruptured tendons will often cause immediate, sharp and even often severe pain at the time of the injury.

Most people with torn tendons, hear or feel a distinct "pop" or "snap" sound when their tendon tears.

Aside from just the sudden pain from a torn tendon, an acute tendon rupture is also frequently accompanied by several other signs which include a visual deformity, loss of function, rapid physical changes and auditory or sensory Pop" sounds.

In some cases of a torn tendon, like a bicep or Achilles tendon rupture, you might also notice a visible deformity or "bunching" of the muscle.

With a torn tendon or torn tendons you may also have marked weakness, inability to move the affected limb, or an inability to bear weight on the injured area.

Immediate bruising and swelling at the site of the injury with a torn tendon will often also occur.

And at the time of the torn tendon injury, a loud snapping or popping sound or feeling at the time of the injury is also common.

Acute tendon tears cause immediate, intense pain and dysfunction.

And chronic issues or minor or partial tendon tears, may sometimes present as a dull, nagging ache which intensifies with activity or movement over time.

And because complete tendon ruptures often require medical treatment, like bracing, physical therapy or surgery, it's crucial that you seek medical attention right away or see an orthopedic specialist if you experience these symptoms to ensure you get a proper diagnosis and prevent any long term complications.

If you think you've torn a tendon, you should seek medical attention by going to the ER or urgent care to get checked out.