[Noah930]

Thanks for the offer.

No one NEEDS to have their biceps tendon repaired. (And, remember, that's just your friend's internet diagnosis--not necessarily what he actually has. It's not common for this injury to strike a young guy, like your friend. Most of the time it's guys in their 40s or 50s.) But, in general, young active guys will probably want to have the surgery done. Heck, most guys in their 40s and 50s want to have this surgery done.

Again, we're dealing with pain and (lack of) strength. The pain will subside remarkably over the next couple weeks. But he might be left with some residual pain whenever using the hand/arm for strenuous activity. That's probably unacceptable in a 26 year-old.

Strength will also be limited. Partly due to the pain (which will improve --> and so will the strength), and partly due to the impaired muscle/tendon function. Flexing the elbow will probably not suffer much, if at all. The biceps doesn't really contribute that much to elbow flexion strength, surprisingly. But forearm supination (turning your palm upwards) is primarily done by the biceps (as well as a couple other, smaller muscles). So your friend may notice some future difficulty in turning a doorknob or screwdriver or key. Again, something most 26 year-olds are not going to like.