Tore my Pec

[fanofbmwe46]

I’m 38 yrs old and recently quit my toxic corporate job which was starting to impact me mentally and physically. Joined a more flexible start up situation which allows me time to focus more on my health.

I created some fitness goals and have been working toward them. Just a few days ago I was doing a chest lifting day and worked the weight up on bench press to 200lbs. I asked for a spotter at 200 and told him I was going to try for 3 reps. I got to bottom of the second rep and heard and felt something pop/rip/tear in my left pec area. I lost all strength in that arm and spotter took the weight.

Went to urgicare and they said likely some sort of tear in my chest / armpit area.

I have an appt on Monday to see a specialist and likely get an MRI referral.

In the meantime I’m icing my swollen chest and trying not to move my left arm much. Pain was horrible the first day but couple days later now and it’s not bad unless I move my arm too much (can only lift it like 20-30 degrees before pain kicks in.

I have a couple cars I can drive easily with one arm that are auto transmissions… my G80 is a manual though and haven’t tried driving it since. I am planning to trade it for a custom ordered G87 M2 that arrives in 3-4 weeks though that’s also manual. Dealer is a couple hours away. I’ll probably be able to drive slowly/carefully and make it there but I won’t be able to enjoy the new M2 until I get my chest taken care of.

Anyone else have a pec injury like this and recover from it? There seem to be a lot of different types of tears so I guess the best thing to do is try not to worry or aggravate it anymore until the imaging is done and the doc advises on a plan of action.

[Watching The World Burn]

My brother tore his pec in a similar way. He had to have surgery though to correct it but is back to mostly normal now. Good luck but just prepare yourself that it might involve surgery.

[Reborn_]

I have several injuries that would be resolved with surgery. I have chosen to live with them instead, at least as long as I can. Prepare yourself for that, too. It makes you decide how important your gym goals are in the broader context of your life.

[floridaorange]

How old are you and how long are you warming up for and how long has it been since you were consistent with working out?

20 mins a day is the minimum we all need regardless of age - or we lose more than just muscle and mental health, we lose all the supporting components - ligament strength, mind muscle connection, bone density, mature muscle.

I reccomend body weight workouts - like a burpee - minus the jump - long before you step foot in a gym. Get your core strong and the mind muscle connection back and the protein intake and cardiovascular endurance up - then you’re ready for a gym.

For chest - I prefer various forms of fly’s and overhead press vs bench. You will heal back stronger, it’s a part of the process.

[dkmesa]

My buddy tore his pec three months ago. 36 years old, coincidentally was going for third rep of 205. He had surgery on it and is recovering fine.

[fanofbmwe46]

Went to Dr today and he said likely fully torn sternal head pec tear. MRI tomorrow to confirm.

He said if it’s torn surgery should happen quickly and I would be back to normal in 6 months. After 6 weeks of being in a sling and rest of that time ramping back up via PT appointments.

He also said I could opt out of surgery but would have 30% or so less chest strength and would have some muscle deformaty in that pec.

I guess given I’m 38yrs old and want to live a long athletic healthy life I should probably opt for the surgery if the tear is confirmed. It’s going to suck trying to drive a manual car though. I guess I won’t be enjoying my M car much over the winter anyways so maybe good to do this surgery recovery during months that the car would be parked anyways.

[fanofbmwe46]

MRI says I tore the tendon at the sternal head. Doctor said if I opt out of surgery I’ll just have about 80% strength on the left side for rest of my life and some deformation of the left pec. If I do the surgery I can rehab back to about 100% strength and the pec should look normal. So even tho the recovery will suck and this will cost me close to $5K after insurance when it’s all said and done it seems worth it to get the surgery. So that’s the plan.. and it will be set for next week.

[lopeydeath]

Not sure how you did that much damage on a relatively light weight.
I was doing 465lbs on bench and felt a “tear”. Dumped the weight and it’s only a partial tear that doesn’t warrant surgery.
Unless surgery is truly needed I would avoid it - most don’t.

[lopeydeath]

Originally Posted by fanofbmwe46

MRI says I tore the tendon at the sternal head. Doctor said if I opt out of surgery I’ll just have about 80% strength on the left side for rest of my life and some deformation of the left pec. If I do the surgery I can rehab back to about 100% strength and the pec should look normal. So even tho the recovery will suck and this will cost me close to $5K after insurance when it’s all said and done it seems worth it to get the surgery. So that’s the plan.. and it will be set for next week.

I do have a mild deformation in my pec but it does not affect strength. If you didn’t tear the pec off and you only have a mild deformation you do not need surgery and I would not recommend it. I did not lose significant strength after my injury, and $5K is a lot.

[fanofbmwe46]

Originally Posted by lopeydeath

I do have a mild deformation in my pec but it does not affect strength. If you didn’t tear the pec off and you only have a mild deformation you do not need surgery and I would not recommend it. I did not lose significant strength after my injury, and $5K is a lot.

Hmm interesting. My tear is 1inch by 1.5 inches of the sternal head. The clavicular head is still attached but the sternal is not.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

For chest - I prefer various forms of fly’s and overhead press vs bench. You will heal back stronger, it’s a part of the process.

Overhead press is for shoulder, isn't it?

[floridaorange]

Originally Posted by Mason Hatcher

Overhead press is for shoulder, isn't it?

Sure is but it also works the upper pectoral area and engages outer pectorals as well. Meaning - if I’m gonna do a press, aside from burpees it’s overhead press.

[carseatsm5]

I tore my labrum and got the surgery and regret it. Rehab is brutal and shoulder has never been the same since to the point that the injury was preferable. I would get a second opinion and consider PT before moving forward with surgery.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by lopeydeath

and $5K is a lot.

$5k is a lot to invest in your body and a prevention of a life-long deficit and deformity? Says the guy with a 100k car who lives in Oceanside (a relatively wealthy area)? Come on lopey, people blow 5k on useless carbon fiber bits without blinking an eye.

Surgery has risks, but for Pete's sake (whoever the F pete is), chose if you have surgery or not based on medical factors, not on a measly 5K.

[Wolf 335]

Surgery is 100% warranted in OP's case, considering it is a complete detachment.

If not treated his deformation would be quite significant and chest would look way off balance.

This is a no brainer.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

I tore my labrum and got the surgery and regret it. Rehab is brutal and shoulder has never been the same since to the point that the injury was preferable. I would get a second opinion and consider PT before moving forward with surgery.

A labral tear vs pec tear are nothing alike. Labral tears are very successfully manageable and injectable and surgery is OFTEN not needed (even though the orthos may tell you otherwise). But sometimes surgery is needed. Labrum surgeries are not as complex as pec surgeries, but both can be brutal post op and recovery.

Complete pec tears are simply not sustainable if you want any reasonable function and they are not injectable or manageable with conservative options. OP, if you were 70+, different conversation vs 30 something

[fanofbmwe46]

Here is the latest from the Dr office in image below.

I think at my age and with my desire to be as physically fit as reasonably possible and carry a strong looking physique, I should do the surgery.

[thebmw]

So basically what they are saying is you can walk around, eat, wipe your ass, and do other things called "activities of daily living", but good luck working out.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

I tore my labrum and got the surgery and regret it. Rehab is brutal and shoulder has never been the same since to the point that the injury was preferable. I would get a second opinion and consider PT before moving forward with surgery.

I've got a torn labrum. Tore it while doing my arm back swing on a volleyball attack about 1.5 years ago. Luckily it's not my hitting arm. I'm 50 and play high level VB. I'm not doing surgery so as long as things don't get any worse as I've been told the same thing by many about rehab and the shoulder potentially not improving. I hurt my other shoulder years ago playing VB and was told I likely had a rotator cuff tear and needed surgery to fix what "might" be torn. I said F that and did some home PT, light weight training, and learned to swing better. It healed right up. I know I have a torn labrum, but I've taken the same approach and it's doing quite good. It's funny how much difference just some stretching and really light weights can help and how the body adapts. My shoulder with the tear sits fractionally lower. So be it.

My wife blew out her ACL and damaged her MCL a few years back. She never got surgery. She does just fine with jogging, paddle boarding, hiking, yoga, etc.

I know guys that have had separated pecs and didn't have surgery. They were told the same thing by the docs. They came back nearly 100%. Docs will always tell you the average best case scenario as most people in this country are out of shape and don't put in the work. If it were me, I'd pass on surgery assuming you can handle perhaps a slightly odd look in the chest. If it doesn't work out, then do surgery. Surgery should always be the last resort, IMO. Rehab is often grueling, painful, lengthy, and about 50/50 shot at coming back 100%.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I've got a torn labrum. Tore it while doing my arm back swing on an attack. Luckily it's not my hitting arm. I'm not doing surgery so as long as things don't get any worse as I've been told the same thing by many about rehab and the shoulder not improving. I hurt my other shoulder years ago playing VB and was told I likely had a rotator cuff tear and needed surgery to fix what "might" be torn. I said F that and did some home PT, light weight training, and learned to swing better. It healed right up. I know I have a torn labrum, but I've taken the same approach and it's doing quite good. It's funny how much difference just some stretching and really light weights can help and how the body adapts.

My wife blew out her ACL and damaged her MCL a few years back. She never got surgery. She does just fine with jogging, paddleboarding, yoga, etc.

I know guys that have had separated pecs and didn't have surgery. They were told the same thing by the docs. They came back nearly 100%. Docs will always tell you the average best case scenario as most people in this country are out of shape and don't put in the work. If it were me, I'd pass on surgery assuming you can handle perhaps a slightly odd look in the chest. If it doesn't work out, then do surgery. Surgery should always be the last resort, IMO. Rehab is often grueling, painful, and lengthy.

You are correct that surprisingly, many tears are manageable with various options. The issue in this case is that a pec is not a labrum at all. The longer OP waits to do surgery, if he needs it, the harder surgery is as the pec retracts and is a super powerful muscle. Thus, the lower the chance of 100% success and the higher chance of retear, additional surgery, additional pain, etc. Like anything in life, it is a risk/benefit decision and no one has a crystal ball.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by thebmw

You are correct that surprisingly, many tears are manageable with various options. The issue in this case is that a pec is not a labrum at all. The longer OP waits to do surgery, if he needs it, the harder surgery is as the pec retracts and is a super powerful muscle. Thus, the lower the chance of 100% success and the higher chance of retear, additional surgery, additional pain, etc. Like anything in life, it is a risk/benefit decision and no one has a crystal ball.

Yeah, I do agree. One does need to consider risk/benefit. Between 2019 and 2021, I managed to break both 5th metatarsals 1.5 years a part due to severe ankle rolls. Due to lack of blood flow to that bone, surgery and inserting a pin was my only option if I wanted the bone to fully heal and heal fast. If I didn't so surgery, I'd never play VB again. I elected for the surgery which was simple and highly successful. I think I'm about $12K out of pocket for those two surgeries. This sport as cost me a fortune as I've gotten older

The OP needs to research this as I've read that pec reattachment and full recovery is kinda hit and miss.

[fanofbmwe46]

Yea that’s what makes this so hard. I look fine now and am getting around fine a week after the injury. But I have no idea how I’ll respond to weight training again and I can’t wait a few months to see how I do. I have to do the surgery within 2-3 weeks max of the injury otherwise it becomes inoperable / poor results. So given that I need to make a leap of faith. As of now the surgery is scheduled for next Thursday (2 weeks total out from the injury date).