EMS stimulation to strengthen pectoral muscle

[Davidd]

Hi,

Background:

For some time now I have noticed that my right pectoral muscle is significantly smaller than my left. I notice that when I'm doing a variety of activities my right pec simply doesn't engage at all or at least to the point where it's noticeable. I can flex it without difficulty but I don't feel the same response that I would get from the left pec. To give you an idea of the difference in response here is a typical situation: I'll dedicate an entire workout to my right pec and then do one set of bicep curls. After the workout my left pec feels like it has had ten times the stimulation just from what it does during bicep curls and my right pec feels as if I didn't workout at all. I have been to various doctors and physiotherapists but no one has been able to diagnose the problem although most have said it's likely a nerve problem. I am now waiting to see a specialist but I don't know how long that will take. In the mean time I have been trying to continue my right pec only workouts to get better symmetry but I'm worried that this will cause asymmetry in other muscle groups.

My question is can EMS stimulation be used to

A) retrain the muscle to some degree so that the right pec receives more stimulation and starts doing the work which I assume has been taken over by other muscle groups (I can lift the same with my right and left arms).

B) isolate the muscle during my workouts so that I can use lower weights to build up my pec while not causing other muscle imbalances. Ie: Do a dumbell press with my right arm while having the muscle stimulated at the same time.

Thank you for your help and I'm grateful that this site exists.

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[michaeho1]

Hi,

It is unbelieveable that I have found someone who shares my affliction. Everything you have described, I have endured, and I felt like I was the only one. I don't have health insurance, so I haven't had the option to seek medical opinions. I have tried everything to build my right pectorals, but as you have said, the other compensatory muscle groups have indeed grown larger than their left-sided counterparts. It is incredibly frustrating and I have given up weightlifting as a result. I hope you have found some resolution or better answers. If so, I would love to hear what has become of your search for a more thorough understanding of this issue. Thanks and take care.

[gcoe]

Hi David

There can be lots of reasons for being assymetrical - everything from occupational (you are in an occupation where you use one muscles more so than the other, anatomical (nature gave you different sized muscles or are missing a muscle or part of a muscle) to pathological (there is some disease or injury that accounts for muscle weakness or a nerve problem.

If you are worried about it I would get it checked out to see if the muscle is ok.

would electrical stimulation work? On the whole no. Electrical stimulation (you stimulate the motor nerve that supplies the control to the muscle) is good when there is a really marked pathology of the nervous system such as if you had a stroke, or another disease that has caused paralysis, or serious injury to the muscle that has caused it to really stop working. properly. It works when the weakness is very very marked. This would not be likely in your case. If you are able to work against weights - even if there is considerable difference between sides then you are too good for electrical stimulation.

You would be much better off doing progressive resistance training in the gym. You could get a trainer to give you a comprehensive exercise programme to target the muscle

[Yarok]

hi

Apart of the neural structures being culprit of muscular imbalance, the inhibitoryinfluance can be from joints ( spine, shoulder, scapular, sternal) , fascia, muscle or attachment.
check it up
all the best
Jarek
Fizjomanual I Fizjosport - Start

[Davidd]

Wow, forgot all about this thread!

I had been trying to deal with this problem for quite some time and eventually I was able to go to see a specialist (It's been quite a while and I can't remember the type. I had needles inserted into my muscles to measure their activity, if anyone can suggest what this is called...). He told me that it was most likely something that I was born with and that the muscles probably formed differently or I was missing the lower third of the pec major. Either way, it wasn't really something I could fix.

It's taken some time, but I have since come to terms with the problem. There is no point in trying to build muscle where it simply doesn't exist. The problem doesn't stop me from doing anything, I have full functionality and am able to enjoy all the activities that I want. I'm not overly pleased when I look in the mirror or even down at my shirt and see the difference, but there isn't anything I can do about it. Implants would be about the only option and I'm not putting myself at risk for a major surgery to correct the aesthetics of my chest and go through downtime for recovery.

michaeho1, I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear. I know it's not the kind of thing I was looking for. I put off training for a long time or tried to train the right pectoral which caused other imbalances, posture problems, etc. There is more than one muscle in the body and you can't neglect them. I still avoid most chest workouts, partly because I'm very focused on improving my posture and getting rid of my rounded shoulders. All I can really tell you is that if you are in the same situation as me, you can't waste your time and harm the rest of your body trying to fix your pec. Be happy that it doesn't stop you from being active and don't let one bad muscle get in the way of building a strong body.