Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs won't have surgery on his torn biceps, which he suffered in December. (US Presswire)

Writhing in pain in the fourth quarter of an early December loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs clenched his right arm as he ran into the locker room for further evaluation.

In a year marred by injuries for the 2011 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Suggs suffered a torn biceps against his bitter rival. Suggs missed just one game, before recording 16 tackles in his final six games of the year, including the postseason.

Now after seeking a second opinion, Suggs has opted to bypass surgery on his arm, The Baltimore Sun reported. Suggs wore a compression sleeve throughout the playoffs for added protection. The former Arizona State linebacker/defensive end missed the first six games of the season with a partially torn Achilles tendon.

“I’m a guy that doesn’t normally doesn’t get hurt and had two injuries this year that were supposed to sideline me for the rest of the year, but I just refused to accept that,” Suggs said days before the Super Bowl. “What drove me to work so hard was the possibility of being here. I knew we had a team that was right there on the brink, was always on the brink, so I just wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t want to watch the season on the sideline and I definitely wanted to help my teammates reach this point.”

Athletes with a torn biceps are encouraged to use cold packs and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the swelling, according to The Steadman Clinic, one of the nation’s top orthopedic clinics for sports medicine. Though Suggs may be advised to avoid heavy lifting for the next several months, he could compensate with a series of physical therapy exercises. If Suggs underwent surgery he could have missed three to four months.

Despite the injury, Suggs had 17 tackles combined in wins over Denver and New England in the AFC playoffs. In the Super Bowl, Suggs was limited to two tackles and did not have a sack.

“I don’t know if I’m even close to normal right now,” Suggs said on Jan. 30. “I guarantee you, come February third, when the clock reads 0:00 in the fourth quarter, if the score reads how I expect it to read and how I want it to read, I promise you I won’t feel any pain.” 

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