torn pec - what a shitty day

[SquatLord2k]

It's a sad day in mudville for this powerlifter.

This morning, around 8:15am, I tore my right pectoralis muscle during a workout, preparing for an upcoming meet. I was still warming up, on my 5th rep of a close-grip bench with 405 when the rip occurred. Major thanks to my two training partners who took me to the ER and spent the majority of the morning with me. You guys are the best!

A visit to the ER landed a nice supply of Percosets and a sling followed by an MRI tomorrow and doctor follow-ups for surgical evaluation next week.

Any of you out there who have had this injury and have some nice inspiring stories of recovery, please pass them on! I am sitting here looking at my brand new Texas squat bar, just in from Texas, realizing I won't be using it for a little while.

Also, any things I should be asking the doc about to make sure he is the right one for the job?

I am going to begin a picture catalog, documenting the injury, starting with today's puffiness and discoloration to post surgery. I will keep you bro's up to date.

Really pisses me off..... I was SOOOO confident that 600 was coming.

And a BIG FUCK YOU to the nurse that said weightlifting was unhealthy.

 

[champion]

Fuck bro that sucks. Keep your head up, stay strong 600pds fuck I wish

 

[ryker77]

I feel your pain. I have had two hernias in the last year. The last hernia I got or found on the last day of an 8 week cycle. Talk about post cycle depression. I was almost looking at jumping off a building. I lost almost a years worth of body mass due to the last injury.
I had a phunkin nurse say " well after two herinias perhaps you learned your lesson " Well no I didn't it just means that since you'll wont give me legal gear I am forced to buy on the black market and I'll have to train harder to put the lbs back on. Dumb ass medical. What due they teach these guys a medical school anyways?

Best of luck with your recovery.

 

[The_Eviscerator]

If it was up to most doctor's and nurses they would suggest sitting in a fucking glass bubble eating potato chips. I swear the medical profession has some of the unhealthiest mother fuckers I have have ever seen.

Good luck on your recovery.

 

[jersey boy]

Sorry to hear that. Been there, done that. I had two doc's say no to surgery at first. Thank god I am stubborn and very arrogant when it comes to my body. Needless to say, I had it done. My advice is that you find out EXACTLY what was torn. i.e. muscle, tendon, tendon off the bone. At any rate, make sure that if there is both, that he/she makes an extraordinary attempt to repair the muscle belly as well.
It can be put back on the bone, but if the belly itself is not repaired as best as possible, you will NEVER be the same.
Good luck!!!

 

[bigkraut]

Wish you the best of luck bro. There is just something about busting that 400 pound mark that puts you at a higher risk for injury. 455 is where I got hurt once. Get well soon!

 

[PerfectRep]

Sorry to hear that. I'm no powerlifter, but I remember when Levrone tore his pec and it seems as though he came back even stronger. My advice would be to take your time coming back and try to enjoy the time off.

 

[Squat]

Hey sorry to hear about your pec. i tore my hamstring a while back...didn't see a doc. just took a while off and let it heal naturaly. best of luck on your possible surgery

squat

 

[nyironman]

injuries are the fuckin worst and the pec is a long time healer i strained a pec tendon a while back and if you dont warm up thoroughly even after time off and months of recovery you can actually tear it again best thing i found was ice after the workout for 20 min followed by heat lotion prior eventually it will heal but take it easy for a few months.

 

[JD2001]

I had one of the worst known pectorial muscle tears a few years ago when I was 16. There was a little pain ion that area for awhile and one day I was benching and the mother fucker ripped and all the weight fell on me and had to throw it off to the side. It was the most painfullest thing to happen to someone if yours was as serious as mine. I had a big bruise down my arm from the bleeding inside and a big hole/dent in the area where the muscle detached over by the shoulder and the under arm at the corner at the top of the chest. I then went to ER and I then made a appointment with the orthopedist and that took about 2 weeks. When I saw someone it was the physicians assistant who had to see me before the orthopedist because she was full with appointments. Then it took another fucking month or so to finnaly see the orthopedist and I then had to make a appointment for a MRI which took 2 weeks and then it took another month to get the appointment with the orthopedist. This Dr. did not know what she was doing. She said my wound will heal and the hole would fill up with scar tissue which never did and if I was ever to compete one day I would have to get a small implant in the deformity. She said sewing muscle fibers back together was like sewing spagetti together and was very difficult and was not gauranteed to help. She said I ould heal up in about 6 months. So it took 8 months for me to finnaly be back on the bench press and was impossible before this because it was so painful. The phisicians assistant and the reading I have done on the internet says you have to get muscle tears fixed a few weeks after it happened or it will leave a big hole/dent/gap in the muscle. When I finnaly saw this orthopedist she must have known it was too late. I was going to a big clinic and they only had one orthopedist and my dumb ass thought nothing about seeing anotherone. Always get a second opinion if the dont reccomend surgery. Three years later I am weaker on that side by about 5 pounds when benching but am making gains but dont know if they would be faster if it did'nt happen. If it is a small pec tear without a noticeable hole where the tear happened then they might not do surgey because it could not be severe enough but if you had a good size tear you should get surgery no longer than 6 weeks after it happened or it will be unrepairable. I have never seen a post about this before and I remeber posting about a year ago about this and knowone knew nothing so I thought I was the only one.

 

[Lift Or Die]

Cripes there seems to be a lot of pec tears going on lately.

Last year I tore my left pec tendon right off the bone.

SquatLord2k, if you want details email me. This shit is depressing to hear and I don't feel like talking about it right now.

 

[Perry]

I've only had a hernia an a torn right bicep, feel for you tho.
My only advice is get someone with experience!
The guy who handles your local sports team maybe, who understands how important training is an will try to get you back to working out asap.
Good luck bro.

 

[Native]

SquatLord2k,

Sorry to hear of your pec injury. I also tore my right pec about eight years ago while flat benching. I was on my 4/6 rep of 365# when I felt a sharp pain shoot across my pec. When the muscle tear occurred I’d shrugged it off as a minor tear and did not seek medical attention right away – big mistake. A couple of days later I tried to flat bench again and experienced even more intense pain and that’s when I knew the injury was worse than I’d originally thought. The next morning my right pec sore as hell, black&blue and swollen. I immediately visited my orthepedic doctor that morning & after examining the tear and taking into consideration that 72+hrs had passed since the injury, scheduled me asap for surgery later that same evening. My orthopedic doc had previous surgical experience with chest/pec injuries, so I was very lucky in that respect. It was a tedious 3-hour surgery and was described to me as taking the torn muscle fibers (like spaghetti noodles) and one by one – stretching them back across my chest and re-attaching them. Afterwards, my orth-doc told me that I had torn away about 40% of the pec and that he was able to piece back together the majority of the muscle – but not all of it! He guess-timated that after time & rehab that my right pec would recover to about 90% of what it was before the injury. He did do a good job of hiding the 5-inch scar under my armpit and the only thing noticeable today is when I flex my pecs, you can see a horizontal gap running ½ way across my right pec, traveling towards my armpit. I was able to regain my bench strength within a couple/three years, but it required a good deal of patience and reserve – not pushing too much weight too soon. Back then it seemed like it was a long slow road back, but looking back now 8 yrs later & it’s almost like it never happened - just be patient and don’t push the pec too soon.

My only recommendations are; time is of the essence as far as surgical re-attachment is concerned (so don’t procrastinate a decision) and if your Doctor does not have prior experience with this type of injury/surgery – get a second opinion from an experienced orthopedic surgeon asap. Anyway, good luck if you opt for surgery and subsequent rehab! Be patient & positive and you’ll do fine.

Peace,
/Native