Any advice on surgery and recovery?

Are you sure it's a full rupture and not just a very nasty partial tear?

Antin, the specific type of surgical approach is one thing.

The skill of the surgeon is another. My recommendation is to ask the advice of at least 3 highly recommended surgeons, and go with the procedure they recommend, based upon your specific injury, and your particular anatomy.

I would not seek out the surgeon, and tell him I'd like to do a certain procedure. I'd rather have him/her do what they are most comfortable doing.

Look for surgeons who work with professional or major college athletes.

Also, if you've been climbing 27 years, you are not a young guy. You won't heal like you would if you were 18 yrs old. 6-8 months might be a bit optimistic. I hope it's right. Judge by how your individual body is healing, not necessarily what the calendar says.

I have a (proximal-much more common and less disabling) long head biceps tear. I opted to not have the surgery, and it causes me very little trouble.

Good luck, whatever you do. Please post your choices and outcome, so others can learn from your experience.

I would not seek out the surgeon, and tell him I'd like to do a certain procedure. I'd rather have him/her do what they are most comfortable doing.

I agree with that. When I needed neurosurgery, I talked to an ER physician I knew and trusted, and asked her for advice on trusted neurosurgeons. She told me "If it were my child, I would go see Dr. X, and do what he says."

The surgeon has spent years and years training to do what he/she does. Best bet is they'll make the best decision for your injury.

And, since OAHM is too humble to say it, I will: You'll also need a quality physical therapist to help you get back to function after the surgery. The doctor will attach the correct body parts, but it's the PT who will get those body parts working as well as possible. Find one, listen to 'em, and don't push yourself too far too fast. Stuff like this takes time.

Very sorry to hear that. Hope you get patched up and heal soon.

For the rest of us, do you have any information, either on your own intuition or what you've heard since, on what caused that to happen? so the rest of us can try to avoid it, that is?

Well, if I were you, I would contact the user here at rc.com "jgill." He similarly tore his bicep muscle off from its attachment point at the elbow, had it surgically reattached, and was doing one-arm pull ups again on that arm after one year. Oh, and he was age 50 when he sustained the injury. YMMV, of course.

Curt

Six Weeks after surgery, this guy is cleared to climb. Woo hoo!