Author Topic: Torn Pec (Read 8566 times)

Eric15210 · « **on:** April 29, 2006, 09:11:01 AM »

I had a torn pec 2 years ago and still feeling very weak. I don't do bench presses just dumbells and stay away from flyes. My chest workouts are incline press, dumbell presses and pushups.

Anybody have some advice or had a torn pec muscle?

thanks for any info

BigAnt · « **Reply #1 on:** May 07, 2006, 10:48:58 PM »

A torn pec is very common for some guys that do not stretch a lot and use bad form when training...however, it can heal with proper advice.

For every one pushing movement, you should be doing 2 pulling (rowing) movements to prevent that pec-shoulder tightness....

Some guys who do very heavy benching with no rowing movements have very pulled-forward shoulders and poor flexibility in the pec-shoulder area. I have seen people that have the above, usually have pec injuries for that reason...

Did you get surgery>?

Are you icing it afterwards, warming up/stretching a lot? Putting IcyHot or Mineral ice on the effected area to keep it warm before training?

Sounds like a vague answer but with limited info. you are going to have to train through it with "pain free" exercises and maybe with limited range of motion...Machines are great to use while working through an injury. A physio or Bosu ball can be used when doing push ups to work stabilizer muscles....

homer77 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2006, 08:58:31 AM »

i tore mine 3 yrs back and continued to strain it because i came back too early. i stay clear of the flat bench unless i superset flies 1st and that is once every 2 months. Stick with inc, inc db, flat db, machines, and flies dont bother me anymore. At the end of each chest wrkout i grab 10lbs db's and stretch on the flat bench at different angles. i just let my arms go staright out to the side and let the db do the work. it has worked for me. good luck

!@#$% · « **Reply #3 on:** May 09, 2006, 04:09:14 PM »

What is a torn pec exactly? The muscle actually tears? Doesn't it ever heal or it never completely heals and is alway weak from certain angles? What does it feel like?

Just curious.

Eric15210 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 09, 2006, 06:03:59 PM »

Quote from: AVBG on May 07, 2006, 10:52:45 PM

Good post BigAnt

I did not have surgery and I do stretch a lot now - even when i'm not training I try to stretch out my pec and shoulders. I should try ice after chest workouts. I do dumbells rows and t-bar rows but have to admit did not do them often prior to my injury.

Should I try dips?

thanks for the good advice

homer77 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 09, 2006, 06:18:30 PM »

Quote from: !@#$% on May 09, 2006, 04:09:14 PM

What is a torn pec exactly? The muscle actually tears? Doesn't it ever heal or it never completely heals and is alway weak from certain angles? What does it feel like?

Just curious.

it can be anything from a microtear to a full detatchment from the tendon or bone. it heals, but the scar tissue isnt as elastic or as strong as the original tissue.

rayrod · « **Reply #6 on:** May 09, 2006, 07:31:44 PM »

i tore mine last june benching 405. the 405 was easy. it just tore. i had surgery august 30. i can now incline 95 lbs. and incl db 40. i'm taking it easy right now. my surgeon says i should take it easy for another year. surprisingly i was able to keep most of my size. i can row 315 still. i'm 5'8 235 lbs. i'm still strong on all my body parts but biceps. when i do bb or db curls it flexes my chest so i have to go real light.

what does it feel like. i could feel the muscle actually tearing from the bottom all the way through. when i pressed up i could feel the chest muscle fold under. when i stood up it felt like a heart attack. i could feel the pain from my chest down my arm.

Eric15210 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 09, 2006, 08:12:11 PM »

I agree with the pain - it's by far worst injury I ever had

I heard a loud pop and burning sensation down my arm

ARMZ · « **Reply #8 on:** May 09, 2006, 08:30:13 PM »

Hmm torn pec.. I could talk for days about this subject.. I just wanted in to keep updated on the posts here.. Anybody here have a full pec tear where there was a big cleft/dent in your pec?

oldtimer1 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 21, 2006, 02:41:26 PM »

The bench has been the cause of a lot of injuries. Using a wide grip with a big chest and you have a limited range of motion exercise. Your bench goes up as you muscles get tight from the lost of flexiblility. If you have pain in your shoulders/pec from benching you should listen to the warning signs. Use bar incline incline presses instead. On the flat use dumbbells or a Hammer machine that will let you get a good stretch.

A complete pec rupture where the pec tendon is ripped off the bone is one hard injury to come back from. It's not a partial tear or even a muscle tear. One end of the muscle is completely detached. I ripped off my bicep from the insertion. I was lifting a commercial pool table to get the balls out after I put my money in and only a few balls came out. I bicep rolled up my arm to almost my shoulder. It felt like I was electrocuted in my arm when it happended. I later learned the pool table weighed 1000 lbs. So I guess I lifted one end and shook 500lbs and the bicep snapped off.

I was operated on five days later. When the cast came off it took a month just to get my arm to move through a full range of motion. I started doing curls with a 3 pound dumbbell. Even though it was the bicep the whole arm and delt was traumatized. The first time I benched I use the empty bar for 6 tough reps. I worked on getting my strength back like crazy in the gym and rehab. It's been 4 months and I still have a long way to go.

The morale to the story is don't lift and shake pool tables. Seriously a muscle rupture of the quad, pec or any other muscle could be the end of your lifting career. If you have pain from benching heed the warning signs and stop using the exercise. That goes for any other exercise. If it's causing damage don't use it. A lot of times you will get an early warning sign.

Consult a othorpedic surgeon that has ties to the sports community if you think you tore something. Sometimes a little tear can be repaired before it becomes a complete tear.

coolioni · « **Reply #10 on:** July 05, 2006, 03:27:53 PM »

I have torn mine 2 times.
The first time was about 10 years ago, when I was being a dunmbass and was maxing out on flat bech.
I was putting up 405 , got it up hald way and then ccchhhheeepppppeerrrplll loopp!
It popped and then I just dropped the weight.
Stupd me, i did not even go to a doc.
I did not have much swellung or any bruising, so i guess it was mild.
Well for yeard since then I could always feel a little something under my armpit when doing chest,
Well, last march I wa doing flat bench again (and I don't do it much, mostly dumbbells )
Anyways, I was doing a normal set, of 275 no problem, on my 5 ot 6th rep all of a sudden it sounded like velcro tearing. There went the weight down to my chest.
I could feel the muscle fold up down into the middle of my chest grom my shoulder where it attches.
I went to the ER that night. I could not move my arm at all.
The next day I had a MRI done. I went to the specialist the next day. He looked at the mri for 2 seconds and said "yup torn pec " but the ligament was still attached!
So he said he could not operate becuase you can't stich muscle to a ligament, it will would just slide off as soon as I tried to rehab it.
Now about 5 months later I have about a 2inch gap between my shoulder and pec where my pec used to be attched to the ligament.
The bruising is all gone , but the pec now is shaped kind of funny.
When I flex that side sits way higher than the other side. It looks awkward.
My strength has really been coming back too.
I am only doing machines.
I can now do about 2 plates per side on the hammer strength equiptment.
I kind of wish I would have gotten a second opinion, but oh well, what can I do now.
I really don't wish this injury on anyone. It looked really gross doe the first couple of mobths with all the blood in my pec muscle.
Thanks

ARMZ · « **Reply #11 on:** July 05, 2006, 04:03:49 PM »

Quote from: coolioni on July 05, 2006, 03:27:53 PM

I have torn mine 2 times.
The first time was about 10 years ago, when I was being a dunmbass and was maxing out on flat bech.
I was putting up 405 , got it up hald way and then ccchhhheeepppppeerrrplll loopp!
It popped and then I just dropped the weight.
Stupd me, i did not even go to a doc.
I did not have much swellung or any bruising, so i guess it was mild.
Well for yeard since then I could always feel a little something under my armpit when doing chest,
Well, last march I wa doing flat bench again (and I don't do it much, mostly dumbbells )
Anyways, I was doing a normal set, of 275 no problem, on my 5 ot 6th rep all of a sudden it sounded like velcro tearing. There went the weight down to my chest.
I could feel the muscle fold up down into the middle of my chest grom my shoulder where it attches.
I went to the ER that night. I could not move my arm at all.
The next day I had a MRI done. I went to the specialist the next day. He looked at the mri for 2 seconds and said "yup torn pec " but the ligament was still attached!
So he said he could not operate becuase you can't stich muscle to a ligament, it will would just slide off as soon as I tried to rehab it.
Now about 5 months later I have about a 2inch gap between my shoulder and pec where my pec used to be attched to the ligament.
The bruising is all gone , but the pec now is shaped kind of funny.
When I flex that side sits way higher than the other side. It looks awkward.
My strength has really been coming back too.
I am only doing machines.
I can now do about 2 plates per side on the hammer strength equiptment.
I kind of wish I would have gotten a second opinion, but oh well, what can I do now.
I really don't wish this injury on anyone. It looked really gross doe the first couple of mobths with all the blood in my pec muscle.
Thanks

I hear ya.. This injury is unrepairable. If you hear ripping in the pec, more than likely it was the muscle.. Almost feels like 100 rubber bands getting cut and snapping.. No surgeon will even try to repair this kind of tear..
A surgeon once told me it would be like trying to sew spaghetti together.. If anybody ever tears their pec, just prey that it is just your tendon that came off the bone..

coolioni · « **Reply #12 on:** July 05, 2006, 04:21:28 PM »

well unfortunatly that is not my case.
But 3 nice long cycles plus rehab has really healed it up nicely.
But it does look a little funny.

ARMZ · « **Reply #13 on:** July 05, 2006, 04:28:07 PM »

Quote from: coolioni on July 05, 2006, 04:21:28 PM

well unfortunatly that is not my case.
But 3 nice long cycles plus rehab has really healed it up nicely.
But it does look a little funny.

Yes, the muscle will connect and heal, but will connect near the middle of your pec, so you will have a cleft/dent in your upper outside of your pec.. and if you ever diet down you will see a lump of muscle in the middle of your pec when you hit a double bi shot for example..

coolioni · « **Reply #14 on:** July 16, 2006, 12:37:57 PM »

you are absolutely right about the missing space.
It is like the pec has seperated from the front of my shoulder.
It slid down quite a bit from the ligament, I would say a good 2-3 ".
When I flex my chest it is very uneven now.
The side that tore is way up in the air now , when I flex my chest.
It looks pretty strange. Also when I train my chest now, I have to be real carefull with my form, it almost feels like on the way back up, my shoulder wants to pop out of place since the pec is no longer in front of it.
I really wish they could fix this, but at this point, it has been about 4 months of rehabbing it.
My doc told me if I went under the knife I could not train my upper body (for the most part) for close to a year.
I heard this happened to Lou Ferigno (sp?) , but they did operate on him.
Is this true ?

oldtimer1 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 16, 2006, 06:05:52 PM »

I'm confused about the advice given here. Any muscle is attached to bone by a tendon. One at the insertion and one at the origin. Ligaments attach bone to bone. You can tear a muscle and this normally isn't operated on. It will heal on it's own even if it's misshapen. A partial tendon or complete tendon tears can usually be repaired. It's important to have it repaired quickly. A complete rupture from a tendon pulled off the bone means the muscle isn't attached. If a muscle isn't attached and it can't contract and move a joint. Muscles never contract in isolation so auxiliary muscles come into play. A very serious injury for an athlete. Ligaments can somtimes be repaired depending upon individual circumstance. As usual don't take advice off a posting board but see an orthopedic surgeon about these serious sports injuries.

ARMZ · « **Reply #16 on:** July 16, 2006, 11:03:54 PM »

Quote from: coolioni on July 16, 2006, 12:37:57 PM

you are absolutely right about the missing space.
It is like the pec has seperated from the front of my shoulder.
It slid down quite a bit from the ligament, I would say a good 2-3 ".
When I flex my chest it is very uneven now.
The side that tore is way up in the air now , when I flex my chest.
It looks pretty strange. Also when I train my chest now, I have to be real carefull with my form, it almost feels like on the way back up, my shoulder wants to pop out of place since the pec is no longer in front of it.
I really wish they could fix this, but at this point, it has been about 4 months of rehabbing it.
My doc told me if I went under the knife I could not train my upper body (for the most part) for close to a year.
I heard this happened to Lou Ferigno (sp?) , but they did operate on him.
Is this true ?

Did the MRI show any muscle torn? If not, I would go through with the surgery.. The rehab will be about 4 months and maybe even get 100% recovery.. I know 100s of guys that had the surgery and some of them waited 5 years after it was torn.. Toney Freeman for example.. The earlier you get it done the better..

coolioni · « **Reply #17 on:** July 19, 2006, 06:26:44 PM »

I got the MRI and yes muscle is torn and has fallen down the ligament.
Maybe it is time for a 3rd opinion.

Farkenell · « **Reply #18 on:** October 15, 2006, 11:17:37 AM »

Im sorta confused here. I have one shoulder that always plays up.. so Im more cautious than before.

Ive never torn anything, but I'd appreciate a bit more insight from you guys. I have a couple of questions

Bob Chick said on PBW that the flat bench is the main cause, is this true?

For you fellas that have torn it, Was it due to the following???

-Poor form
-Lack of warming up
-Low reps
-Imbalance of chest development.. say upper is less developed than the lower.
-Grip.. Wide or Narrow?
-lack of training and/or development of muscles surrounding the chest... like arms, back, delts?

Im not a retard that doesnt know how to bench.. Im just curious if any of the above contributed to the injury?

Cheers

UpTheDosage · « **Reply #19 on:** October 17, 2006, 04:24:28 PM »

Quote from: Farkenell on October 15, 2006, 11:17:37 AM

Im sorta confused here. I have one shoulder that always plays up.. so Im more cautious than before.

Ive never torn anything, but I'd appreciate a bit more insight from you guys. I have a couple of questions

Bob Chick said on PBW that the flat bench is the main cause, is this true?

For you fellas that have torn it, Was it due to the following???

-Poor form
-Lack of warming up
-Low reps
-Imbalance of chest development.. say upper is less developed than the lower.
-Grip.. Wide or Narrow?
-lack of training and/or development of muscles surrounding the chest... like arms, back, delts?

Im not a retard that doesnt know how to bench.. Im just curious if any of the above contributed to the injury?

Cheers

I tore my pec and had surgery to fix it a month ago and to be honest I have no idea why it happened. I was flat benching and went through my normal pyramid. I always use perfect form and actually use a sort of narrow grip, keeping my elbows in, fearing a pec tear. I was on my 5th and final set and my pec blew up on the 6th rep and here i am now. I don't know why it happened, didn't do anything different, just the luck of the draw.

If you're bodybuilding I honestly wouldn't even flat bench with a barbell at all. Just use dumbells because they allow you to position them comfortably without so much tension on the tendons.

Jr. Yates · « **Reply #20 on:** November 09, 2006, 10:50:17 PM »

Quote from: FroZZoR on October 18, 2006, 11:03:27 AM

One point:

Stretching is BAD. Especially for lifting weights. Stretching causes helps to cause injury and doesn't help to prevent it. Especially static stretching.

why?

coolioni · « **Reply #21 on:** November 12, 2006, 08:25:13 AM »

I have been hearing the same thing.

I was told this" If you take a rubber band out of the fridge and strtch it will be tight, and may break, but after it is warm it will stretch alot easier."
The same applies to your tendons since they are like rubber bands.
I was told the best way to warm up is wear a long sleeve shirt and do low weight for a few sets, then you can start your stretching.
I just started doing this a few weeks ago.

slashmw · « **Reply #22 on:** January 11, 2007, 10:27:54 PM »

I was diagnosed with a partial tear yesterday. I think my main cause was pushing it too hard when my body wanted to rest. I would train even though I was still sore sometimes, which I'll never do again. I train chest once a week and if its continually sore by the time I'm ready to train it again I'm over training. I need to constantly remind myself, stimulate, not anihilate!

The key from all our injuries is to learn from it, so that it doesn't happen again. Oh and I had just started flat barbell benching again. Not sure if I will go back to it, maybe but with much lighter weight.

Do you think flyes are just as bad? The stretching motion seems worse than the pressing motion?

Doing nothing but legs for the next 4 weeks. Then maybe I'll be able to start doing isolated arm exercises. =( This sucks!