Pectoralis Major Tear (pec tear)

[Hockeydude177]

A month and a half ago i tore my pectoralis major at the tendon that connects the pec to the arm. During this time i've read a lot of good information about pec tears on this site and thought that i would share my story.

2-4-08 - The injury

Well it all started the day after the superbowl, I made a point that i wanted to get my strength back and wanted to get in a good workout. I went to the gym and went straight to bench (no cardio warmup) and did sets up ten at 135, 185, & 225. Was feeling good so got someone to spot me at 255, I was a little sore but still felt like i could do the lift. So i started the lift smoothly and got up the first two reps and on the third one my arm gave and down came the weight. I could feel a surge run through my arm. I didn't feel any pain, but i knew I did something bad. I stayed around at the gym and iced my chest for a while and then headed home.

That night my pec swelled up badly and with in a few days my entire left bicep was purple. The next day i went to the doc and after an X-Ray and an MRI they conculded how bad the tear was.

2/24/08 - The Ortho

The Ortho basically told me i had a rare tare (usually the tendon tears off of the bone) and there was no garantee that he could fix it. He said it was possible he could go in and be able to do nothing and just close me up . So he gave me of option of have surgery with no garantee for success or not to have surgery and have a potential of only regaining 60% of my strength back. I decided to go with the surgery.


2-28-08 - The Surgery

Well i went in for 1h 45 min surgery and things went well, the doc was able to perfrom a full repair. I have the possibility to have a full recovery. It may take 4-6 months to get my full range of motion back and maybe in a year + to get my strength back.

Currently 23 days post surgery, i'm still in a sling but should be getting it off and starting rehab in the next few days.

[dungeonlifter]

Good luck man!

[gonzo1980]

I recently tore mine also, after the MRI it was concluded that there was a 30% tear of the muscle and a minor tear of the tendon the bruiseing went down my arm and across my chest and ribs. It has been a litle over a month now and still cant complete a pushup. I was givin the option of surgery but i declined since im in Iraq and i would have been sent home, i will always have a deformaty now but should gain my strenght back over time.

[Hockeydude177]

Yeah, pec tears are no fun. If i could have recovered without surgery, i would have....because surergy sucks. As long as the tendon is intact you should be able to rebuild the muscle. Though my decision to have the surgery was pretty easy. The tendon was completely torn and surgery was my only option to regain my strength

We'll see how my recovery goes since the tear occured where the tendon attaches to the muscle it was a very difficult fix. So the doctor wants to be very conservative with rehab. I start rehab tomorrow, we'll see how it goes. At least i'm allowed to work on lower body, some core and cardio.

I've been out of the sling for a week now(got out of it at 3.5 weeks) and starting rehab at 4.5 weeks after surgery. They say standard recovery time is 4-6 months to regain range of motion, don't think it will take that long...but we will see.

Thanks

[Hockeydude177]

Went to physical therapy for the first time today and could raise my arm 115 degree's, which I guess is good for my first time at PT. Now that I'm allowed to do daily stretching I'm already seeing improvements, I?m interested to see how long it will take to get full range of motion back. From what the PT said, I will have three weeks of just range of motion exercises.

I?m looking forward to being able to do some upper body lifts, there it gets kind of boring only doing leg, cardio and core exercises. I also miss my sports (Golf, basketball, racquetball, etc...) Though i think it will take a while to get over the fear of re-tearing my pec.

[SIR-LOIN]

I tore my pec Monday night on the bench. I warmed up as usual. Did a set of about 10 with 225, then to 315, prob could have gone 7 or 8 reps, but stopped at 4, hoping to get 365 for 4 or 5 ( I did 2 easy the week previous with no spot). This time I got a spotter, mainly just for a lift-off. On the first rep, right as I started to go up with it, this horrible pain and the feeling of a bad electric shock hit me on my pec where it meets the bicep and delt. Obviously I had to get them to pull it off me - glad I had a spotter, may have been much worse. I've been lifting 25+ years and usually opt for no spot.

The pain continued up and down my arm and chest, a lot like when you really smash your funny bone. I iced it, took some Lortab, and went to my general doc the next morning. He looked at it and immediately said it was torn. It was not a complete tear, in that it wasn't rolled up to one side or the other, just swollen like crazy, and a bruise about the size of a couple of baseballs. He just said be still, don't use that arm within reason, he gave me some more pain meds and an anti inflammatory and said to come back in 2 weeks - no gym no golf, etc.

It isn't disfigured other than swollen and I can't really raise my arm up muchpast parallel to the ground. I forgot it was hurt and tried to shut a car door and it really woke me up.

Should I get another opinion from an orthopedic or something? I'd hate to sit here and it heal up incorrectly. I had a goal of a 500 lb bench before i throw in the towel, now it looks like that's out. I'll forever be chicken sh!t on the bench now.

[Hockeydude177]

To be safe you may want an ortho to look at it and possibly an MRI. If it does need to get surgically repaired (many tears do not), the sooner you get fixed, the sooner you can get recovered. The first doc, I saw thought it was a torn bicep. He sent me to PT and then PT sent me to an ortho. The first orthopedic I went to said it was a tear and any surgery would probably be for cosmetic reasons. So I just went to physical therapy for a week and then went and got an MRI. After the MRI it was pretty blatant that the tear was bad. So i went to another ortho and was scheduled for surgery.

So I tore my pec on 2/4, first ortho 2/8, MRI 2/15, 2nd ortho 2/24 and got it repaired on 2/28. If I would have got my MRI the first week could have probably shaved a week or 2 off of my time.

As for the fear of benching, I know the feeling. I am constantly checking to make sure my pec is still connected.

Good Luck

[SIR-LOIN]

went to an ortho today. He said it's not a major tear, no surgery required and I should have full use of it again. I'll just always be paranoid. I have to refrain from anything that significantly engages that muscle for about 6 weeks .. not even golf, which I do a lot of this time of year.

I just wonder if there's a greater chance of reinjury now that it's been hurt/ I didn't ask him that question.

[Hockeydude177]

Good to hear that you don't need surgery, because surgery sucks.

I know about golf, I miss it. It?s been 2 and a half months since I?ve been able to play any sports and I can't wait to start doing something. Doc says I?ll probably be able to start playing some sports by the end of May.

As for chance of re-tearing, I?m not expert, but when talk to my physical therapist today, they said if you end up having a lot of scar tissue it can be the weak point of the muscle and make it more likely to tear. I would do your homework and find out how to minimize scar tissue.

[Karl_Hungus]

Man, it scares me how many people are getting pec tears. I have a couple of questions for you guys.

1) What portion of the lift did the tear occur? At the bottom? Halfway up?

2) If you would have dropped the weight immediately when you felt pain (i.e. on safety bars), could you have avoided the injury? Or, by the time you feel it, is it already too late?

Good luck on your recovery guys.

[Hockeydude177]

1. The tear occured on the burst off my chest on the third rep of 255. I would estimate i was a few inches off of my chest when i felt the tear. (I had warmed up with 135x10, 185x10, 225x10)

2. Well my tear was unique, i didn't feel much pain. But trust me when i say, i knew i had done something bad. My pec swelled up a lot and the webbing that you see that connects your pec was deformed. My tear was in tendon where the tendon attaches to the muscle. This is a very rare tear, ussaly the tendon is tore from the bone. My only guess there are not to many nerve endings in the tendon, which is why i felt next to no pain.

I'll explain:

First of all i didn't have a very good spotter and he did not have his hands under the bar (but i'm not sure if it made a difference). So i started repping and first rep felt good, second rep i did not have good control of the bar and i let it drop to fast. Being aware of my bad second rep, i made sure to control my third rep, took the weight to my chest and burst up. I suddenly felt a surger run through my arm (I assume the tendon was ripping or ripped). Then my left arm dropped and the spotter helped me knock the weights off of the bar. Even if the spotter had his hands underneath the bar, i'm not sure if it would have made a differnce, but i do wonder about it.


After everything that i've read these are the factors that i think played in my tear.

1. I was a bit sore going into lifting that day but decided to still lift.
2. I recently decided to up my weight, i ussaly just did 135x10, 185x10, 225x10)
3. I lift with a wide grip, which puts more strain on the chest muscle.

Hope this info helps.

Thanks

[SIR-LOIN]

My tear was before I began to push up, right as it hit bottom. Luckily I had a good spotter. I usually don't get a spot unless I go over 365, but I've done 405 before with no spot. Never again. My buddy and bench mentor (540 max w/ pause in competition - RAW natural @ 220 lbs bodyweight) rarely gets a spot or lift off, believing his bench benefits from controlling the entire lift himself within reason. He's unracked as much as 500 and done it with a pause without the aid of a spotter (although there is someone right there). So, he encouraged me to do the same when I can. I've had too many birthdays to do anymore of that.

But this time I wanted to try 4 to 5 reps with 365. He was able to jerk it off of me pretty quick. I had a lot of pain initially, felt like a bad electrical shock. After about 5 minutes, the sharp pain let off, but more of a numb pain. My doc gave me some Lortab I took a day and a half. So, unless I do something to use the muscle, I can't tell it's hurt.

[Karl_Hungus]

Hey guys -- Thanks for your responses! Just wish I had more rep power to give you....

Yeah, I've been pursuing a big bench for a long time. My goal has been to hit 450 at a bodyweight of 225, but after reading about all the pec tears on here lately, and reading Layne's journal (he seriously tore his pec), I'm starting to re-evaluate that goal. All along, my goals have mainly just been to improve my strength. I don't think I'll drop flat BB press altogether, but I am thinking of modifying my technique (maybe stopping an inch or two above the chest, and using a narrower grip while staying away from the low rep heavy ranges). Going after huge numbers just isn't worth the risk at my age....

Again guys, thanks for your responses, and best of luck with your recovery.

[medblak]

Last week I tried to max 305 (no spot) just as i got the bar off my chest i knew i wouldnt be able to get the weight all the way up. So i managed to get one end on the bench's spot and the other end came down on me. I herd a loud tear in between my pec and shoulder. After all the weight fell of the bar i felt little pain. Nothing too serious. I've been icing it daily and appling pain relieving rub. Im scared to do to go to the doctor and get billed for nothing. It feels like its getting better but still feel pain when i do pushups. Any advice is appreciated.

[bradyjordan23]

Not to just throw a random "me too" in here, but about three months ago I had a partial tear. I felt the "wet towel tearing" sensation pushing up from my chest at a relatively light weight for me (225lbs). I did the ice and ibuprofen thing for a week and nursed it back to health with light single arm presses for higher reps, only doing what I could without pain. This was sometimes only 30lbs. But, as of now I am back to where I was before the injury. I just went heavy this last week for the first time. It takes a while, but the body wants to heal if you rest it and eat right.

[Karl_Hungus]

Last week I tried to max 305 (no spot) just as i got the bar off my chest i knew i wouldnt be able to get the weight all the way up. So i managed to get one end on the bench's spot and the other end came down on me. I herd a loud tear in between my pec and shoulder. After all the weight fell of the bar i felt little pain. Nothing too serious. I've been icing it daily and appling pain relieving rub. Im scared to do to go to the doctor and get billed for nothing. It feels like its getting better but still feel pain when i do pushups. Any advice is appreciated.

Man, I'd go to the doctor. Read Layne Norton's journal. He tore his pec, didn't have much pain, thought it was a strain. Went to the doctor and found out he had a very bad tear.

Good luck man.

[str8flexed]

As for the fear of benching, I know the feeling. I am constantly checking to make sure my pec is still connected.

Good Luck

i know the feeling... i check it obsessively

[BootsManuva]

This sounds very similar to what happened with me last Saturday. I have bruising on my upper arm/top of the bicep, but can feel something at the upper pec/under arm as well.

[buff6565]

i know the feeling... i check it obsessively

hahaha...I think I grab it after every set....man it's tough to get that confidence back in it.

[Hockeydude177]

Well I just got back from the ortho and all is good. He is very impressed with my range of motion; I pretty much have it all back 6.5 weeks post surgery.

He also told me to come back in July and he plans to release me to my full lifting and sport regiment. I of course scheduled my appointment as early as possible, so I set it for July 2nd.

Now here's my question what the heck do I do for the next 2.5 months???? He basically told me I could do any isolated exercises that I wanted that don't involve chest and just make sure I don't do any heavy chest exercises. He also told me I didn't have to go to PT any more but I think I?m going to try to continue going to PT to have them help guide me on how much to push myself. He also said that I could probably start swimming (I think it would be a great rehab exercise) mid May.

Basically July 2nd will put me at 4 months post surgery, which from what I hear is a good recovery time. But I just want to make sure that I maximize these next two months, but at the same time not over due it and end up re-injuring myself. Any one have any advice??

Thanks

[str8flexed]

did you ask the doc to be more specific about how heavy you could go on non-chest exercises?

that is great news man that is awesome. fully recovered 6 mo after surgery... wow that's great. I can only hope

[Hockeydude177]

Now those all questions that i should have asked.....but i go back to my PT tomorrow and he's pretty good at what he does so i'm going to have a good conversation with him about my situation.

I want to continue going to my PT until i get most of my scar tissue worked out, i've got a good amount since the tear was pretty jagged. I also want to work closely with him for a game plan on what i should do for the next 11 weeks, but I will have to wait and see what he says.

[JDF1972]

Will you do chin ups and squats at 10-11 weeks post-op?

[Hockeydude177]

I don't plan to be doing chin ups or squats at 10-11 weeks post op. Though I do currently do leg press. Currently i am at 7 weeks post op and 3 weeks i will be allowed to swim. And then at 18 weeks (4 months) post op is when i will be released to resume normal lifting.

Over the next 11 weeks, i'll slowly start doing pushups and gaining my strength back, but nothing too intense.

Though i did find out something intresting. A 8 week out my tendon should be completely healed, but it takes 4 months to completely regrow the blood flow to the area. If i was to injury the area before than, recovery could be difficult.

[didntnoherage87]

About 3 months ago I was db pressing when I tore the tendon connection the pec major to my left arm. Since Iv'e been in physical therapy and can bench about 135, which is down from about 300lbs. The first doctor said he thinks it is a partial tear, and did not think an MRI or surgery was nesecary. Im going for a second opinion soon to be sure. Pretty much sucks right now because I have been out of the gym since the injury and just started going back. Lost alot of strength and not even close to getting back to were I was. Was wondering if Im recovering way too slow or if Im just impaitent?

[HeavyJae]

Can you flex a torn muscle?

[ozziboi]

Wow theres alot of people in here with pec tears. Did it happen for everyone on flat bench?

[didntnoherage87]

No I was dumbell pressing 100 lbs and my arms started to go out wider till it tore.

[Hockeydude177]

From everything i've read pec tears usually happens during bench press, but i've definitly seen examples of it happening during dumbbell presses and a good example is EME's thread's on his pec tear that he did will pressing 100lb dumbbells.

As for me i'm now 8 weeks out from surgery and I can now play tennis (with my good arm) and jump rope. I gave golf a shot, chipping and putting are fine, but not quite ready for a full swing. I'm hopping to start swimming in a couple.

A question for anyone else here who had pec tears, how long did it take you to get back to lifting and or playing sports.

[JDF1972]

What's up people!!!!!

Hey Hockeydude177,

You are on the right track! Keep your chin up and stay motivated! I was the one that asked you about chin ups and squats a few post back.

I tore my left pectoralis-major on January 15, 2008. It was a Tuesday at about 4:35pm. ( A date and time I will never forget.) I am 35 years old and completely natural, so drugs were not the cause. I was bench pressing 225 lbs. and supersetting that with 75 lb. dumbell flyes. I tore it benching on the second rep of my third set.

I had the MRI on January 17, 2008 and saw the surgeon on Friday, January 18, 2008. Open surgery was performed on January 30, 2008 at 1:00pm. I was home by 7:00pm that night. I regret waiting 2 weeks to have the surgery done, as I was very aprehensive at first. I say this because every week post-op I make progress. If I had it done one week after the tear means I would be one week closer to recovery! Two weeks isn't bad, though, as I'm sure you would agree. Obviously, I pulled the proverbial trigger and had it done - well worth it! I can't imagine why some of these guys wait months if not years, and then finally deciding to see if it can be repaired. But, I digress...

Seems like most of us had the same type of repair (relatively speaking) - open surgery, anchors drilled into the bone, reconnect everything, stitch us up, and then kick us out of the hospital as quickly as possible!

I am 12 weeks and four days post-op now. I have full ROM, and can lift some light weights now. The surgeon advised me not to squat yet, but indicated that I could do front squats on the Smith machine.

If someone could send me their email address I will send a picture of my tear 48 hours after I tore it and taken right after I got back from having the MRI. It can be posted here for reference if you feel like it.

Note: The surgery was performed at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, PA just outside of Northeast Philadelphia.

JDF

[Hockeydude177]

JDF1972,

Welly you did better than me, you had your surgery 15 days post injury and mine was 24 days post injury. The only advantage that i had was that when i saw the ortho only 3 days later was my surgery. So there wasn't much time for me to think.

Whe was your tare loacated, did you tare the tendon from the bone?
Have you tried any jump roping, swimming, or active sports?

Right now similar to i have full ROM back and got the green light to do isolated lifts but make sure i don't do anything that would really strain the chest.

I currently am still going to my PT twice a week to take care of scare tissue and have them help guide me through my injury. Right now i'm dumbbell pressing 3lb and next week i get to start stablization exercises using a medicine ball and holding it on the wall. I will then get to begin standing wall pushups and we will go from there.

[Wizdom C kerr]

what's up forum! Great info and thanks to everyone who has shared their stories.

I thought I tore my pec, but apparently mine isn't nearly as severe as what I've been reading. I went heavy for about 3 or 4 workouts on flat bench. (Heavy for me is 295 - 3x, 315 - 1x.)

Anyway, I went to do 135 on my next workout and when I brought it to the bottom of my chest, I felt a semi-sharp pain coming from the point where my pec and armpit meet on my left side. So I stopped working out chest for about a month but I did everything else.

Then yesterday, I did 135 and it felt a lot better but still not 100%, so I was going to give it another week and proceeded to do arms. Next morning the same spot on my chest was killing me!

I don't know what to do, I guess I'm going to have to go get it looked at. But as far as helping it heal, what should I be doing aside from resting it?

Thanks for the advice!

[Foreigner]

I have not torn my pec, unlike most in this thread (knock on wood); however, this thread and Laynes recent tear have scared the **** out of me. I don't go extremely heavy, but I like going wide. I also only use dumbbells. What is the best way to stay safe? I warm up and stretch prior to lifting. Is there anything else I can do besides use good slow and controlled form?

[Jamps]

I have not torn my pec, unlike most in this thread (knock on wood); however, this thread and Laynes recent tear have scared the **** out of me. I don't go extremely heavy, but I like going wide. I also only use dumbbells. What is the best way to stay safe? I warm up and stretch prior to lifting. Is there anything else I can do besides use good slow and controlled form?

- work your rotators
- proper warmup
- no your limits (safe rep range probably 10-12 while still within hypertrophy range)
- increase load slowly (i've noticed that a lot of times people get injured when that do dramatic increases in load)
- If you use barbell then use a powerlifter form (just read up on that)
- preferably stick with db's while not going too wide and not going all the way down (this will put a limit on ur potential gains though since the range of motion is reduced)
- Stay focused while using damn near perfect form
- have at least a low incline (though i prefer medium/45 degree)
- Also have a spotter or make sure ur in an area where u can just drop the weights at will without worry and stop if u feel something that isn't right or extremely painful. A lot of times people work through the pain or they do another rep just to make sure and that just increases the damage.


thats all i can think of right now.

[Wizdom C kerr]

- work your rotators
- proper warmup
- no your limits (safe rep range probably 10-12 while still within hypertrophy range)
- increase load slowly (i've noticed that a lot of times people get injured when that do dramatic increases in load)
- If you use barbell then use a powerlifter form (just read up on that)
- preferably stick with db's while not going too wide and not going all the way down (this will put a limit on ur potential gains though since the range of motion is reduced)
- Stay focused while using damn near perfect form
- have at least a low incline (though i prefer medium/45 degree)
- Also have a spotter or make sure ur in an area where u can just drop the weights at will without worry and stop if u feel something that isn't right or extremely painful. A lot of times people work through the pain or they do another rep just to make sure and that just increases the damage.


thats all i can think of right now.

I think increasing the load quickly is what did me in. I was getting stronger pretty fast and I was so jacked about it that I started going heavy all the time, doing 3 reps of 295 for 5 sets and then finishing with 315 once...So I would say the biggest advice I have after hurting myself was being careful when going heavy and not to do it for too long at a time.

Good luck.

[Hockeydude177]

I have to agree, i never had any issue with my pec until the day i felt like decided to start doing low rep, high weight.

[Jamps]

Lower reps almost always = higher risks and also requires a higher emphasis placed on good form (though form should always be damn good if u know what u are doing and focused). When ur doing higher reps u can get away with a little bad form here and there.....just a little.

The lowest i'll ever go is 4-6 rep range (only on rows and deads, never on bench)

[Hockeydude177]

Thats a really point jampsifit, about lifting heavy weight. I've been lifting for a long time but, tired arms (which can cause bad form) + heavy weight = bad news.... and 3 months later....still paying for it.

[didntnoherage87]

I feel bad about waiting 3 months before getting a second opinion. My first doc told me that it wasn't that serious and that I'd be back in a month. After seeing very little progress since Febuary I saw a new doctor who said I should of had surgery within a week of the injury. Not exactly what I wanted to hear.

[str8flexed]

you can probably still have it repaired, it's just a bit more difficult b/c they have to clear out the scar tissue

[SSK1903]

what's up forum! Great info and thanks to everyone who has shared their stories.

I thought I tore my pec, but apparently mine isn't nearly as severe as what I've been reading. I went heavy for about 3 or 4 workouts on flat bench. (Heavy for me is 295 - 3x, 315 - 1x.)

Anyway, I went to do 135 on my next workout and when I brought it to the bottom of my chest, I felt a semi-sharp pain coming from the point where my pec and armpit meet on my left side. So I stopped working out chest for about a month but I did everything else.

Then yesterday, I did 135 and it felt a lot better but still not 100%, so I was going to give it another week and proceeded to do arms. Next morning the same spot on my chest was killing me!

I don't know what to do, I guess I'm going to have to go get it looked at. But as far as helping it heal, what should I be doing aside from resting it?

Thanks for the advice!

Sounds like a small tear.

[Hockeydude177]

A quick update I am now about 11.5 weeks post surgery and things are going very well. I can swim with no discomfort, play golf and even shoot around and dribble a basketball with no issue at all. It is still 6.5 weeks until i get released to do all workouts and start playing some contact sports. As for lifting, I'm still limited to doing isolated arm workouts but have been allowed to do some chest presses on a machine with about 30lb (they are pretty easy, just getting the motion back). Within the next few weeks, i'll be allowed to do pushups again.

Any one else here whos had a pec tear, how long did you have to wait until you were allowed to do pushups again?

[Jamps]

bump for updates

[Hockeydude177]

I'm now at 13.5 weeks since my surgery and was finally able to start doing pushups. A few days ago i thought it was time to give it a shot and was able to hammer out 10 pretty easily. I decided to stop at ten, I didn't want to push my luck.
In 4 weeks i visit my ortho for my 4 month post opp visit. I am hoping he will tell me everything is healed up and i can return to all sports, but we will see....

[Hockeydude177]

4 Month Update - Today i went to the ortho and he told me that everything is looking great. It appears that everything has healed well and the muscle is building back up. He says in 3-4 weeks i can return to full lifitng. The only thing that kind of scares me is when the doc said, basically the repair looks great but the only way to truely know how good a fix it is, is to test it. If it holds up, its a good repair.

As for getting my strength I've been able to do pushups (sets of 15) for the last couple of weeks. It is nice to start doing my old workouts again, i still haven't tried any bench press yet.

[str8flexed]

awesome man! they just cleared me to start doing girl push ups and am cranking off sets of 15! hehe

[Hockeydude177]

str8flexed - Did they tell you when they would completely release you to lifting? Also did they say anthing about chance of possible retear?

[str8flexed]

not yet, i meet with my surgeon next week and i'm going to ask him about it.

[yoz]

I wanted to share my story. On June 22, 2008 I ruptured both the upper and lower pec tendons. I was only benching 225 lbs. I was on my 6th rep and I heard RRRRRRRP. I knew I did something major and got out of the gym.

I had no pain from the tear. Strange because it looks like it hurt like hell. As for the cause, I think it was related to the fact that I was getting strong using dumbbells. I moved to the flat bench barbell and I think the movement put a lot of stress on the tendon. Maybe the tendon was not strong enough. I know that in the past I have bench 300 lbs for 6 reps. So the weight was not a huge amount.

The injury swelled up so much that I thought it was going to break through the skin. I actually went to the emergency twice because of the swelling.

I had surgery on June 30, 2008. The surgery was somewhat painful but not too bad. I am currently at almost four weeks post surgery. The Dr told me I could take to sling off at 2 weeks. This is a little scary because most of my research has described that you should be in a sling for 4 to 6 week. I still use the sling off and on.

[Hockeydude177]

Hey yoz,

Where was your tear at? Did you tear the tendon from the bone?

Your situation was extremely similar to mine. I know the feeling of tearing your pec and not feeling any pain. Your picture was also looks a lot like what happened to me, but i had no visible bruising in the pec, it was all in my arm (I may post a pic).

Don't worry about the sling, i was out of my sling in a little under 4 weeks and was fine. But i was paranoid about sleeping, so I slept with it on for at least an extra week.

Just keep with it, you'll be healed up in no time.

[yoz]

Hockeydude

Thanks for the reply

The Dr. said I left some tendon on the bone. But there was enough left on the muscle to reattach.

I am also leaving the sling on for a little longer while sleeping. I am a restless sleeper.

How are you doing? Have you given any thought on strategy on training chest after the rehab is done? I would be interesting in your approach. I think over all this injury will change my workout approaches - total body not just chest.

[jatt07]

I partially tore my pectorialis minor on my left pec when I was like 15 due to being stupid( overtraining, too much weight), I never gave it time to rest and it got screwed up again, now I realize how stupid and immature I was.

[Hockeydude177]

Yoz,

At least your tear was better than mine, my tear was where the tendon meets the muscle, since you really can't sew to muscle, there was a possibillity it wasn't going to be able to be fixed, but luckly i had a good doc.

Well i've been healing up well. I'm 5 months post surgery and all is good. I've been released to do just about everything, but am still pretty careful with my chest. I pretty much play all sports, but still am tentive with my left arm. Hopefully as i build my strength back, i will gain confidence in the arm.

In order to stay in shape I've started doing crossfit (strictly lower body) and it has worked out great for me. I went to PT for a couple of months, longer than the doc recommended, but insurance paid for it so i went. Also did the PT exercises every day (with PT's approval of course). It only took me a few weeks to get full ROM back.

As for working out, i basically told my self if i can easily do three sets up ten i up the weigh, to keep myself from getting in trouble.

I actually kept track week by week of how i progessed and how well i advanced, let me know if you have any questions. Also if you ready through this post, i've got quite a few updates.

[GBLynden]

Hey guys -- Thanks for your responses! Just wish I had more rep power to give you....

Yeah, I've been pursuing a big bench for a long time. My goal has been to hit 450 at a bodyweight of 225, but after reading about all the pec tears on here lately, and reading Layne's journal (he seriously tore his pec), I'm starting to re-evaluate that goal. All along, my goals have mainly just been to improve my strength. I don't think I'll drop flat BB press altogether, but I am thinking of modifying my technique (maybe stopping an inch or two above the chest, and using a narrower grip while staying away from the low rep heavy ranges). Going after huge numbers just isn't worth the risk at my age....

Again guys, thanks for your responses, and best of luck with your recovery.


From everything i've read pec tears usually happens during bench press, but i've definitly seen examples of it happening during dumbbell presses and a good example is EME's thread's on his pec tear that he did will pressing 100lb dumbbells.

As for me i'm now 8 weeks out from surgery and I can now play tennis (with my good arm) and jump rope. I gave golf a shot, chipping and putting are fine, but not quite ready for a full swing. I'm hopping to start swimming in a couple.

A question for anyone else here who had pec tears, how long did it take you to get back to lifting and or playing sports.


awesome man! they just cleared me to start doing girl push ups and am cranking off sets of 15! hehe

Nice you guys, I am glad you all have such a positive attitude about everything that's happened to you. Being someone that just came out of a very long and drawn out rehab process after a car accident (over two years), I know that's the most important thing you can do. Think positive, be conservative, and most importantly, listen to you body.

I strongly recommend that you guys avoid flat bench of any kind due to the direct pressure it puts on the pec tendons. During my rehab I won't do more than some very light warm-up reps with flat bench. I like to go heavier on the slight incline press to take the pressure off my tendon and still put a strong stress on the muscle.

Beyond that I am of not help in this thread, so I will leave and wish you all the best!

[Hockeydude177]

Its been 11 months since my injury and 10 months since my surgery and all is going well. Its been a tough battle to get my strength built back into my chest. I'm still parinoid about bench pressing and have kept it to a minimum but have got almost all my other lifts back to normal. Though I have been able to do 5x20 push ups with out much issue. Also i've been able to do 4x10 sets of pull ups. 3x10 on 55lbs dumb bell flat bench.
I've also been able to return to playing all sports, Basketball, roller hockey and flag football has been no issue.
Basically every day my chest is feeling stronger and stronger, not sure if i'll ever bench 315 again, but I ask myself.....do I really need risk reinjury. Just thought i would drop an update. Happy New Year!

[NWOG]

I have a (perhaps stupid) question regarding pectoral tears.

When I go heavy and let the dumbbells low so I get a good stretch, I feel a kind of tearing/good stretch feeling on the outer side of my pecs when I start to pull upwards, a stretch close to my biceps. I really don't mind the feeling, but it feels like a bit as like my outer pectorals is tearing/ripping apart. I don't know if it is overly stretching the muscle, a tearing or what. But I really don't mind the feeling very much. Is this a normal feeling, or should I be careful to go so far down with the dumbbells?

[NWOG]

Nice to hear things are going well! :)

[ChiefRocka]

I recently tore mine also, after the MRI it was concluded that there was a 30% tear of the muscle and a minor tear of the tendon the bruiseing went down my arm and across my chest and ribs. It has been a litle over a month now and still cant complete a pushup. I was givin the option of surgery but i declined since im in Iraq and i would have been sent home, i will always have a deformaty now but should gain my strenght back over time.
I too tore my pec in about the same manner you did and decided against surgery also...I probably would have had it if I didnt already have shoulder surgery like 7 months earlier. Bad timing, did not want to go under the knife again so soon. This was a year and a half ago and I have since regained all my bench press strength and the cosmetic appearance is unnoticeable unless I do a bicep flex where you can see the divot by the armpit.

And its normal not to be able to do a pushup a month after. Its a long rehab process I would say I didnt see most of my strength return until a year later.

[fayssal]

Hello everybody, my name is Fayssal Im 250Lbs i love working out boxing mma weight lifting my max in the bunch press was in 2008 480Lbs well I moved to the USA last year in May 2009 stoped working out for few months to ajust to americcan life went back to lifting 8 months ago well back to the story I went to the gym at 7:00pm didn't warm up anough cuz the gym was busy BIG HUGE MISTAKE in my fifth set i did 360LBS i tore my tendon in the first rep now I can't work out and even I cant work cuz my job is physique so they had to lay me off :(
now im just here to share my story and look for some advices to get back in shape and be able to lift and fight please tell me ur stories BTW never used roids b4 but I need help and fast recovery will they help me?? cuz I heard that HGH help for fast recovry is that true??
thanks for ur advices
Peace be on you

Fayssal aka The Gladiator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Hockeydude177,

You are on the right track! Keep your chin up and stay motivated! I was the one that asked you about chin ups and squats a few post back.

I tore my left pectoralis-major on January 15, 2008. It was a Tuesday at about 4:35pm. ( A date and time I will never forget.) I am 35 years old and completely natural, so drugs were not the cause. I was bench pressing 225 lbs. and supersetting that with 75 lb. dumbell flyes. I tore it benching on the second rep of my third set.

I had the MRI on January 17, 2008 and saw the surgeon on Friday, January 18, 2008. Open surgery was performed on January 30, 2008 at 1:00pm. I was home by 7:00pm that night. I regret waiting 2 weeks to have the surgery done, as I was very aprehensive at first. I say this because every week post-op I make progress. If I had it done one week after the tear means I would be one week closer to recovery! Two weeks isn't bad, though, as I'm sure you would agree. Obviously, I pulled the proverbial trigger and had it done - well worth it! I can't imagine why some of these guys wait months if not years, and then finally deciding to see if it can be repaired. But, I digress...

Seems like most of us had the same type of repair (relatively speaking) - open surgery, anchors drilled into the bone, reconnect everything, stitch us up, and then kick us out of the hospital as quickly as possible!

I am 12 weeks and four days post-op now. I have full ROM, and can lift some light weights now. The surgeon advised me not to squat yet, but indicated that I could do front squats on the Smith machine.

If someone could send me their email address I will send a picture of my tear 48 hours after I tore it and taken right after I got back from having the MRI. It can be posted here for reference if you feel like it.

Note: The surgery was performed at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, PA just outside of Northeast Philadelphia.

JDF[/QUOTE]

[fayssal]

hello everybody, my name is fayssal im 250lbs i love working out boxing mma weight lifting my max in the bunch press was in 2008 480lbs well i moved to the usa last year in may 2009 stoped working out for few months to ajust to americcan life went back to lifting 8 months ago well back to the story i went to the gym at 7:00pm didn't warm up anough cuz the gym was busy big huge mistake in my fifth set i did 360lbs i tore my tendon in the first rep now i can't work out and even i cant work cuz my job is physique so they had to lay me off :(
now im just here to share my story and look for some advices to get back in shape and be able to lift and fight please tell me ur stories btw never used roids b4 but i need help and fast recovery will they help me?? Cuz i heard that hgh help for fast recovry is that true??
Thanks for ur advices
peace be on you

fayssal aka the gladiator

ps: My email address is : icebear_10@hotmail.com
thanks again
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hey hockeydude177,

you are on the right track! Keep your chin up and stay motivated! I was the one that asked you about chin ups and squats a few post back.

I tore my left pectoralis-major on january 15, 2008. It was a tuesday at about 4:35pm. ( a date and time i will never forget.) i am 35 years old and completely natural, so drugs were not the cause. I was bench pressing 225 lbs. And supersetting that with 75 lb. Dumbell flyes. I tore it benching on the second rep of my third set.

I had the mri on january 17, 2008 and saw the surgeon on friday, january 18, 2008. Open surgery was performed on january 30, 2008 at 1:00pm. I was home by 7:00pm that night. I regret waiting 2 weeks to have the surgery done, as i was very aprehensive at first. I say this because every week post-op i make progress. If i had it done one week after the tear means i would be one week closer to recovery! Two weeks isn't bad, though, as i'm sure you would agree. Obviously, i pulled the proverbial trigger and had it done - well worth it! I can't imagine why some of these guys wait months if not years, and then finally deciding to see if it can be repaired. But, i digress...

Seems like most of us had the same type of repair (relatively speaking) - open surgery, anchors drilled into the bone, reconnect everything, stitch us up, and then kick us out of the hospital as quickly as possible!

I am 12 weeks and four days post-op now. I have full rom, and can lift some light weights now. The surgeon advised me not to squat yet, but indicated that i could do front squats on the smith machine.

If someone could send me their email address i will send a picture of my tear 48 hours after i tore it and taken right after i got back from having the mri. It can be posted here for reference if you feel like it.

Note: The surgery was performed at st. Mary hospital in langhorne, pa just outside of northeast philadelphia.

Jdf[/quote]