EME's Pec Tear Recovery Log

[EME]

Dec. 29th, 2005

As many of you know, on Dec. 13th I suffered a major Rupture of my left Pectoralis Major while training. My pec completely tore away from the insertion on the humerus bone and retracted, rolling up into the middle of my chest. In the process of tearing, the tendon that attaches the muscle to the bone was shredded.

I underwent surgery on Dec. 19th to repair the muscle and tendon and reattach it to the bone.

As of today, Dec. 29th 2005, I am in the process of recovery.

In this log I will document my recovery from the surgery, my rehab, and my return to training after recovery.

First, here are some pictures for reference:

The first picture was taken about a month before the tear. I was in the last weeks of my 2005 mass building phase when the tear occurred.



The next picture was taken over the 3 days following the tear.
The bruising actually became much worse. By the time of my surgery on the 19th, my entire bicep, armpit, and chest was black, blue, purple, and green from the bruising and bleeding.



The final picture was taken the night of my surgery, after returning home.



Here is a picture showing exactly where on the muscle that my tear occurred.





Now I will begin the log detailing the road to my recovery.


Dec. 29th - 1st Post Op Visit

Dr. Fox, my Orthopedic Surgeon, did a physical examination of the muscle and let me know that he was very pleased with the way the reconstruction is looking. The symmetry seems to have been restored and the muscle is already starting to take shape again.

The support pad was removed from my sling / brace, and it is now just a regular sling... much more manageable.

Dr. Fox gave me some very simple movement exercises to begin doing twice daily. Note... these are VERY, VERY slight range of motion exercises.. nothing stressfull at all. Just a little something to get the muscle moving again, ever so gently.

I have to wear my sling for the next 4 weeks, and not use my left arm at all, except for the motion exercises I was given.

My next appointment is in 4 weeks, at which time my doc will evaluate whether I am ready to begin some limited physical therapy.

Finally, at the end of my appointment, my sutures and bandages were removed and I finally got to look at the incision. Lovely!... actually not as bad as I expected. It's a long incision... but it's already healing up nicely, and the doc doesn't expect the scar to be too bad. Nothing a little Pro Tan won't cover on stage.

We'll that's it for now. Feel free to ask any questions along the way.

I intend to document this entire process, both as therapy for me... and as an informative guide about this type of injury and recovery.

- EME

[EME]

Dec. 31st, 2005

I have started back on some supplements and I'm feeling much better.

I discontinued all supplements immediately after the tear, just to make sure nothing interfered with my surgery.

I have started back on CEE and NO2 and in addition I am taking in 20g daily of a Glutamine Peptide Matrix.

I am also supplementing 2-3 times per day with BCAA's.

I have lost a lot of weight since the injury, 12+ pounds, and I think a lot of it is the result of intracellular water loss from discontinuing the creatine.

Some of the weight loss is from muscle atrophy however.

My arms, chest, and shoulders are already significantly smaller, but I know this size will come back when I can begin training again.

Since starting back on the CEE a couple days ago I am already starting to fill back out.

I look the best today that I have looked since the surgery. I believe it's due to my muscles starting to rehydrate some.

I know I won't get the benefits from the CEE, etc... that I would when training.. but even if I get slightly more muscle hydration, that can only help with the recovery process.

Happy New Year Everyone! Be safe tonight.

- EME

[waitlifter82]

I saw the thread on IM discussing the injury. Damn, did I feel sorry for you. I don't think anything can be as aggrevating as an injury when you're dedicated to this sport.
Good luck to your recovery You'll gain the muscle back in no time. Muscle memory is a wonderfull thing

[fitnessman]

Best wishes and SPEEDY recovery!

[young_squatter]

Best wishes man, I read about this happening and felt really bad for you, because your bulk was going so well and then this happens. But once you get back in the gym you will be right back on track. Good luck on your recovery.
Happy New Year.

[Gunn27]

Followed the link from the o/35 section. Good luck on the road to recovery, you have a great attitude and I have no doubt you will succeed. I look forward to following your progress. Happy New Year.

[EME]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the support.

I don't want to gross anyone out, but here is a picture of the surgical repair process in a patient who tore their muscle/tendon in roughly the same place that I did.

The torn muscle tendon junction is being held in the clamp in the picture below.

However, unlike this patient, my muscle tendon junction was torn to pieces and actually pulled off the bone. It had to be put back together before reattaching to the bone. This patient appears to have had a pretty clean tear of the tendon itself.

This should give you an idea of the incision size ( 3-4 inches ) and the surgical process that I went through.




Here is an excellent diagram showing exactly what happened in my case:




- EME

[young_squatter]

Wow thats pretty disgusting. When that happened it had to be very painfull, especially when yours actually tore off the bone. Good thing they were able to fix everything and now you are the road of recovery. Man when I am DB Pressing I am always going to think about this.

Good luck with recovery.

[EME]

Thanks Young_Squatter.

Yes, it hurt very badly when it happened.

I'm honestly not sure which was worse though... the pain after it snapped and rolled up in my chest.......or, the feeling and sound ( Yes Sound! ) of it ripping away from the bone over a period of a few seconds, then snapping off.

I have already had several dreams and flashbacks about that ripping/tearing feeling. I actually think the sound and feeling right when it happened was worse than the pain afterward.

By the second day, even though the bruising was getting worse by the hour, it really didn't hurt...it just looked and felt really strange and ugly.

- EME

[mivi320]

Good luck with your recovery. I subscribed to this journal, so I'll be following along!

By the way, what exercise did you tear your pec on? Bench press?

Once again, good luck on the road to recovery.

[EME]

Thanks mivi320,

I tore my pec doing flat dumbbell presses with 100's.

I was on my third set.. I had done 10 with 65's, 10 with 85's, and was on about my 6th rep with the 100's. I was feeling very strong and my form was good.

Half way up on the 6th rep... I felt the tendon start ripping... I could feel and hear it rip away from the bone, and then Wham, a pop, and my pec just rolled up in my chest.. down came the weight.. and that was it. We were off to the ER.

I had done sets of 6 with the 115's the week before with no problem, so I don't think it was necessarily the amount of weight.

However, a few months before I had strained the tendon in the same spot doing incline bench. I quit doing bench alltogether after that, and backed my weights way off for a couple months.. and everything seemed to be fine.

Over the two months leading up to the tear, I had been increasing my weights again, and this was just my second workout back to using the 100's.

I had moved up from about 75 lb dumbbells for sets of 6-10 to 115's for 6+ in about 6 weeks.

Basically, I think it comes down to the fact that my muscle could handle more weight than my tendon could. Also, looking back I realize I didn't do all my normal stretching that day becasue the gym was busy and I was trying to get a bench... bad mistake. I warmed up some.. just not enough.

Moral of the story......take the time to stretch and warm up properly.....we all need to do more of this. Also, be careful when moving up in weight quickly. Your muscles grow and adapt faster than your tendons do. When you rapidly increase your training weights, even if the muscle can do the weight, the tendon may be a weak link.

- EME

[EME]

Well, the Steri-Strips finally came off and I am able to get a good look at my new scar. Not too bad really.

Unfortunately, I'm down 17 pounds since the tear. Being unable to train or lift anything at all is resulting in some pretty fast atrophy.

Also, the sudden change from training 4-5 days per week, to almost no activity at all has resulted in some fat gain.

Hopefully, if things continue healing well, I'll be able to do seated cardio and legs starting in February....even just that will feel good.

Here are a couple pics so you guys can see how things are coming along.


http://www.MichaelandKendra.com/EME_010606.jpg

http://www.MichaelandKendra.com/scar_010606.jpg

- EME

[Gunn27]

Great to hear you might get back into some type of lifting in February, I hope that goes according to plan. Hard to believe the body can drop weight so quickly when forced into a layoff like this, but you still look great and the good news is you should quickly get it back when you can resume training.

That is some good advice you gave about allowing tendons to keep up with muscles as we move up in weights, I think that is often overlooked. I cringe every time I think about the injury happening, that's quite the scar. Best of luck going forward from here.....

[young_squatter]

Hope your feeling better, I bet you cant wait to be able just to hit the gym again.

[EME]

Hey Gunn and Young Squatter,

Thanks a lot for the encouragement and for following my log!

- EME

[spytechs_wife]

wow, that is quite the owwie you've got there. i can't imagine the pain involved. i wish you the best recovery and am looking forward to following the journal.

clare

[EME]

Thank you Clare.

- EME

[Dominik]

Basically, I think it comes down to the fact that my muscle could handle more weight than my tendon could. Also, looking back I realize I didn't do all my normal stretching that day becasue the gym was busy and I was trying to get a bench... bad mistake. I warmed up some.. just not enough.

Moral of the story......take the time to stretch and warm up properly.....we all need to do more of this. Also, be careful when moving up in weight quickly. Your muscles grow and adapt faster than your tendons do. When you rapidly increase your training weights, even if the muscle can do the weight, the tendon may be a weak link.

Hi EME, I'm sorry to hear about your injury and will be keeping tabs on your journal to hear how it comes along. I really appreciate the detail you've gone into with the photos because I've always been curious about the surgery and recovery process since it's a common training injury.

What I quoted above from you is excellent precautionary advice and I hope more people take notice of it. Even though I haven't been seriously injured before, it's something I've kept in mind over the past year having done a little research into connective tissue vs. muscle adaptation rates so I often mention similar advice myself when discussing weight progression but you've explained it a lot better than I could.

Good luck with everything and I hope you make a quick recovery.

[madden]

I'm 95% sure I met you in Dallas a while back and you gave me GREAT advice on my lifting and competing lifestyle. Good Luck with your recovery because you're one of the best members to follow on this site!!!

[EME]

Hey madden and _Dominik_,

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the nice words and that you guys are following my log.

I hope to provide some insight and first hand experience about the injury, rehab, and recovery process.

I should be starting physical therapy in about 3 weeks, and then I'll really be able to provide some good detail.

For the next three weeks, it will basically be doing what I'm doing now.. resting and getting a little stronger each day.

Thanks again!

- EME

[warriors]

How much weight have you lost Michael?? It doesnt look like you have lost that much.

[EME]

Unfortunately, a lot.

17 lbs in three weeks.

My left arm, and shoulder have really atrophied due to the immobilization.

My right arm is already down 1 inch since the injury, and my left is already MUCH smaller than my right... I don't even want to measure it.

It will all eventually come back once I can begin training again. It's just really frustrating because I had made such great progress on my Fall bulk.

Oh well... we all have challenges and obstacles in life.

It's what we do to overcome those challenges that makes us into the people we are.

- EME

How much weight have you lost Michael?? It doesnt look like you have lost that much.

[sjl25]

Thanks for keeping such a detailed log EME. I never realized the importance of stretching before a workout. I will definitely start now!





Holy crap, I thought you looked familiar. I just realized that you're the x-factor guy.

[EME]

Thanks sjl25,

I really can't stress the importance of stretching and warming up enough.

Just warming up more thoroughly may have prevented this injury.

The week before I had taken more time to warm up, and I did sets with the 115 lb dumbbells with no problem.

When I tore my pec, I was only up to the 100's.. but not warmed up as thoroughly.

I don't think that was the only cause, but definitely a big contributing factor.
As Dominik mentioned above... overall Tendon strength was definitely a factor also, IMO.

I will be doing a LOT more stretching and warming up once I am cleared to begin training again... and not just on chest, but on every body part.

I will also be moving up in weight much more slowly as I get back up to full speed.

Trust me, I don't want to ever go through this again!


- EME


And, yep that's me in the X-Factor magazine ad.

http://michaelandkendra.com/Michael/...XFactor_Ad.htm

Thanks for keeping such a detailed log EME. I never realized the importance of stretching before a workout. I will definitely start now!





Holy crap, I thought you looked familiar. I just realized that you're the x-factor guy.

[EME]

Quick update for the week.

My recovery is continuing to go well.

I hit a small milestone this week.

This will probably sound funny, but for the last three days I have been able to get dressed for work with no assistance at all.

This may not seem like a big thing until you consider that for the first two weeks after my surgery I could not put on, or take off a T-Shirt by myself.

Things like putting on a belt, or tucking in a dress shirt, or tying shoes were nearly impossible because I really had no use of my left arm, and any stress on my left shoulder or pec was painful. Not only was it painful, but I also risked pulling the muscle away from the bone if I pushed or pulled too hard.

Every day I have been getting a little stronger, and now I can do everything necessary to get ready for work on my own.

Unfortunately, getting dressed is currently the most physical activity I have everyday. However, two weeks from today I am scheduled to get this sling off, and should be able to go back to the gym and do some seated legs and cardio.

That will be nice.

For now, I'm recovering, slowly but surely.

- EME

[young_squatter]

Hey thats good news EME, I bet you can not wait to hit your legs and do some cardio.

[Braindrop]

Freakin ow!

Glad to see you're doing better, I'm subscribing to watch the progress.

[Gunn27]

Baby steps indeed, but a sure sign of progress nonetheless. Bet those two weeks can't pass quickly enough, hang in there.

[EME]

Hey guys.

Thanks, I really appreciate the encouragement.

In two weeks, I will also be scheduled to start rehab, and then the next really interesting part of the log will begin.

I will document my rehab sessions, as well as my progress in the gym on the limited exercises that I will be able to do.

I'm very interested to see what rehab is going to be like, as well as seeing how long it takes my muscle mass to recover from this atrophy ( and/or how much worse the atrophy will get ).

Thanks for following my log guys.

- EME

[EME]

Well, here's an eye opener for you regarding just how fast atrophy happens.

I decided to go ahead take a couple measurements for documentation purposes.

The week before my tear, both my left and right arms measured 16.75 in. cold.

One month after the tear, here are my measurements:

Right Arm: 15.75 in cold. - 1.0 inch

Left Arm: 14.25 in cold. - 2.5 inches


As of this week, I started doing some movement with my left arm to get it going again.

Three times per day, I have been doing a curl motion with no weight, flexing by bicep at the top of the movement, and flexing my tricep at the bottom of the movement. I'm doing 1 set of 20, 3 times per day.

Believe it or not, this small amount of activity is already starting to fill my arm back out. When I first started this, I literaly could not see almost any tricep shape on my arm... a small V, but no horseshoe.

Since I have been doing this daily, the horseshoe shape has already returned, and the rear head of the muscle is noticeably bigger.

This is actually why I decided to take a measurement. I feel like I'm on the upswing now and I wanted to document my arm size at it's smallest.

I'll continue to measure weekly and post the results.

Wow.... 2.5 inches lost in 4 weeks. Amazing.

- EME