Summary

Triceps ruptures are less common injuries presenting to the orthopaedic or emergency department setting compared with other musculoskeletal injuries. This to some extent reduces the level of index of suspicion or chances of considering the triceps rupture as one of the differential diagnosis while examining a patient following upper limb injury. The literature search shows that a significant proportion of patient diagnosis has been missed during initial presentation, leading to a delay in diagnosis and in providing definitive treatment, ranging from 6 to 18 months. The triceps are the primary extensor of the elbow and are supplied with the radial nerve. Any injury to the triceps can adversely affect the functioning of the limb and influence the ability to work and return to employment. We share our experience of treating a patient with a triceps rupture, in whom the diagnosis was made 6 months after injury; the patient was able to return to manual work 3 months after surgical repair.