Proximal biceps tendon tear in an adolescent tennis player.

The diagnosis of a torn biceps tendon in athletes who use overhead throwing or swinging motions can be difficult to make because there is no one physical examination finding that will confirm the diagnosis, and because magnetic resonance imaging, although sometimes helpful, does not image the length of the biceps tendon adequately. We report a case of an isolated partial biceps tendon tear in an adolescent female athlete who was diagnosed during arthroscopy after the tendon was pulled into the joint. The tendon was cut and a tenodesis was performed. Two years after the surgical procedure, the patient was without pain and returned to playing tennis at her previous level.