Peck Tear, no more nationals.

[danmac]

So i was training for CPU nationals... i did one last bench workout just to feel the groove.

And on one of my warm up sets, with 225, my left peck snapped into a ball.

Went to the hospital, they didnt do much for me other than give me some drugs. I have to go for an ultrasound to see if its fully torn or not, if it is i need surgery.

Anyway, im sure lots of you guys have experienced this. How long is the recovery time for this if i dont need surgery? Any recommendations? I am thinking of going to visit a sports injury doctor or something, since the guy at the hospital didn't seem to know much about it.

I am just bummed, i have a train booked for quebec city tomorrow morning, i planned on breaking the 200kg mark for bench.

[Brian Hopper]

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope everything works out for you and hope you have a fast recovery!!!!!

[Travis Bell]

Man that really sucks.

You didn't have any pain in your pecs leading up to the injury?

[danmac]

Man that really sucks.

You didn't have any pain in your pecs leading up to the injury?

I had been having shoulder issues in the same shoulder leading up to this, the pec felt fine though, but im sure its related. My guess is one was compensating for the other. Either way it was a big suprise to have this happen, especially with such little weight. I am relieve that it happened in the gym at home instead of in quebec city especially since my french is poor.

[danmac]

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope everything works out for you and hope you have a fast recovery!!!!!

Thanks man. I just talked to a powerlifter friend, he recommended the sports medicine clinic at Carleton University, apparently they are really good. So i will give them a shout tomorrow.

[jtteg_x]

ouch. its better to have that happen on a warm up set opposed to your top set. heal up soon!

[Travis Bell]

I had been having shoulder issues in the same shoulder leading up to this, the pec felt fine though, but im sure its related. My guess is one was compensating for the other. Either way it was a big suprise to have this happen, especially with such little weight. I am relieve that it happened in the gym at home instead of in quebec city especially since my french is poor.

Unfortunately that shoulder pain was most likely the pec beginning to tear at the insertion point

If you had it ball up, you probably tore it off at the insertion point, which means the only way to truely fix it is to have surgery.

Now, I may be mistaken, but I believe it'd mostly be for asthetic reasons to get it repaired. If you don't get it repaired and just rehab the area (which regardless is going to take some time) your benching technique will really change, but it's possible to go without the surgery.

Obviously talk this over with your doctor though as different types of pec tears are handled differently.

[vdizenzo]

Very sorry to hear it. Get in to the dr asap. The sooner you get things reattached to your body the better. Be a pain in the ass with doctors. They are never in a rush because it's business for usual for them.

[Notorious]

Might want to look into the Starr Rehab method. A doctor is a good idea too, but I doubt they'll tell you anything other than to rest.

[Travis Bell]

Might want to look into the Starr Rehab method. A doctor is a good idea too, but I doubt they'll tell you anything other than to rest.

When you completely tear a ligiment, they certainly do not just tell you to rest

[robchris]

Danmac,
Very sorry to hear that bro... I had a small partial tear last year so I feel your pain.

Get to your Dr. and heal up soon! You'll be back on the bench soon enough!
Good luck,
RC

[danmac]

ouch. its better to have that happen on a warm up set opposed to your top set. heal up soon!

Thats what i was thinking too. It felt like it was on by a thread, so better at home than in quebec city.

Unfortunately that shoulder pain was most likely the pec beginning to tear at the insertion point

If you had it ball up, you probably tore it off at the insertion point, which means the only way to truely fix it is to have surgery.

Now, I may be mistaken, but I believe it'd mostly be for asthetic reasons to get it repaired. If you don't get it repaired and just rehab the area (which regardless is going to take some time) your benching technique will really change, but it's possible to go without the surgery.

Obviously talk this over with your doctor though as different types of pec tears are handled differently.

Thanks. I definitely felt it ball up, but im still hopeful its just partial. The bruising seems to be only on the arm right now if that tells you anything, the pec is still all swollen though.

Very sorry to hear it. Get in to the dr asap. The sooner you get things reattached to your body the better. Be a pain in the ass with doctors. They are never in a rush because it's business for usual for them.

Thanks, I will be seeing a specialist on tuesday morning.

Danmac,
Very sorry to hear that bro... I had a small partial tear last year so I feel your pain.

Get to your Dr. and heal up soon! You'll be back on the bench soon enough!
Good luck,
RC

How long was the recovery on that? Hopefully i will be benching again soon, though the technique will most likely have to change.

[robchris]

danmac,
With the partial tear, there was no benching for about 6-weeks... Did you get an MRI yet? Keep in mind mine wasnt as extensive as yours. I was on anti-flammatorys & ice the whole time and was able to do Lt. shoulder/ back work... started back light w/ DB's. I use a shirt a lot more now once I get heavy.

I'm pretty much back to where I was pre-injury now, but I definitely warm-up a lot more now!!!

I've got a buddy who had a lot worse tear than mine and he was out for approx. 6-months.

1-year after the injury hes about back to where he was pre-injury on the bench(405 raw) Most guys I've talked to w/ a tear similar to yours say 6-months recovery after surgury is about the norm... Again, I am by no means an expert, just sharing my experiance w/ this injury. Hope this helps man.

Best of luck bro, and keep us posted w/ your recovery...
RC

[Sidior]

That is rough man. Best of luck with the recovery. Can you still squat and pull?

[danmac]

danmac,
With the partial tear, there was no benching for about 6-weeks... Did you get an MRI yet? Keep in mind mine wasnt as extensive as yours. I was on anti-flammatorys & ice the whole time and was able to do Lt. shoulder/ back work... started back light w/ DB's. I use a shirt a lot more now once I get heavy.

I'm pretty much back to where I was pre-injury now, but I definitely warm-up a lot more now!!!

I've got a buddy who had a lot worse tear than mine and he was out for approx. 6-months.

1-year after the injury hes about back to where he was pre-injury on the bench(405 raw) Most guys I've talked to w/ a tear similar to yours say 6-months recovery after surgury is about the norm... Again, I am by no means an expert, just sharing my experiance w/ this injury. Hope this helps man.

Best of luck bro, and keep us posted w/ your recovery...
RC

Thanks. So i went to the sports doctor today, he said partial tear and i shouldn't need surgery but i have an MRI booked anyway to make sure. Then i saw the ultra sound guys, who said partial tear but saw some other thing that might be a bone fragment so i got xrays, and i have been referred to another surgeon who will assess that and let me know if i need surgery.
So really i learned nothing definitive today, even though i spent about 8 hours with doctors/ in hospitals. Hopefully though, it will be like yours and it will heal over time. Even though my bodybuilding ambitions (if i had any) are shot as i will have a divot in my chest.

That is rough man. Best of luck with the recovery. Can you still squat and pull?

Thanks, I cant do much yet. But soon i will be able too, i think its leg press, extensions, and leg curls for the next month.

[roots]

thats brutal, hope the recovery doesnt take too long. Let me know how the MRI goes.

[ScottYard]

Good luck with your recovery. I wouldnt wish that on anyone.

[danmac]

So looks like im going in for surgery next week. Talked to the surgeon today, seems like the right choice.

[Travis Bell]

So you did tear it off completely?

[danmac]

So you did tear it off completely?

No they still said its partially attached, but not by much. There is also a piece of bone "shrapnel" in there from the area that ripped off that they want to get out. The surgeon doing it is well known for being a shoulder and elbow specialist, so I think I am in good hands, and he heavily recommended the surgery.

[robchris]

God bless and good luck bro... Keep us posted!

[Travis Bell]

bone fragment..man that sucks.

Well hopefully you heal up quickly and rehab goes well. Best of luck man.

[danmac]

Had the surgery today! It was a complete success. Turns out it was fully torn. Anyway, its hard to type but i figured i would update.

[fixationdarknes]

Hey man, I'm glad it was a successful surgery! I hope the best for you in your recovery. My hernia surgery was totally not cool, so although I'm not a PL I know the feeling of injury/surgery just screwing crap up. How long did your surgeon estimate it would take to be fully healed?

[danmac]

Hey man, I'm glad it was a successful surgery! I hope the best for you in your recovery. My hernia surgery was totally not cool, so although I'm not a PL I know the feeling of injury/surgery just screwing crap up. How long did your surgeon estimate it would take to be fully healed?

Thanks! i have 12 weeks of rehab stuff before we start strength work. 6 months and i should be good as new.