Comparative Analysis on Muscle Strength among Patients Who Underwent Arthroscopic Tenotomy of the Long Head of the Biceps in Relation to Esthetic Deformity

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there was any discrepancy in elbow flexion strength among patients with and without evident clinical deformity resulting from arthroscopic tenotomy on the long head of the biceps. METHOD A group of 120 patients who underwent this procedure were evaluated. After applying the exclusion criteria, 89 patients remained in the analysis. Eighteen months after the operation (median), the elbow flexion strength was measured in newtons using a digital dynamometer. Three consecutive measurements were made and the average was used. The dominant and non-dominant sides were compared. Sex, age and mean elbow flexion strength in the operated and contralateral arms of patients with and without apparent clinical deformity were evaluated. RESULTS The median elbow flexion strength among the patients with evident clinical deformity was 17.78 N for the dominant arm and 20.87 N for the non-dominant arm. The difference was 2.51 N. In the group without evident clinical deformity, the difference was 2.14 N. The median muscle strength in the operated arm was 17.26 N, while the median was 20.06 N in the non-operated arm, thus suggesting that there was a significant loss of muscle strength (p = 0.005). The difference in muscle strength loss between the patients with and without evident deformity was not considered statistically significant (p = 0.977). CONCLUSION The patients who underwent arthroscopic tenotomy on the long head of the biceps with or without apparent clinical deformity from distal migration presented similar elbow flexion muscle strength.