Torn pec/rotator cuff.

I was doing a bench press on Thursday and at the bottom of the rep I heard a sound similar to the tearing of paper. The sound was followed by extreme pain and dropping the bar. My spotter was able to get the bar off me. I was in such pain, I got a ride to the ER. They took me in and told me that I had partially torn my pec where it attaches to my shoulder and something in my rotator cuff(not 100% sure what was damaged). That's all they could tell me since they said the injury was too fresh. What should I do? They put me in a sling and told me to take advil every 6-8 hours for the pain. I want to get back to lifting as soon as possible, but I want to make a full recovery before I try lifting again.

Thanks :)

Sounds nasty - basically you need to establish whether you have a partial tear or complete tear of your pec. Generally if you have a severe tear of the pec, then your rotator cuff +/- anterior deltoids will kick in hard to stabilise your shoulder if you are holding a heavy object. See a sports physio and see if its partially torn or complete. Complete tears often have a large amount of bruising down your arm or chest wall after 3-7 days ranging from black/blue to yellow in color. If you lie on your back with your hands straigh up in the air and press your palms together and see a large/mishapen bulge or anatomical difference from the other side - this could indicate that you have completely ruptured your pec. You will need this repaired if it is. The rotator cuff is a whole other kettle of fish - best to get it checked out before lifting again to prevent futher damage (best time is about 2-3 days post injury)
Good luck man.

Well, I am not seeing any bruising. The doctor at the ER told me it's just partial because I still had some ROM. I tried the palm test you mentioned and didn't see too many big differences. If everything is just partial, how long do you think it will be before I am good to lift again. I know it's hard to tell from not actually seeing it, but generally.

Good question - it hard to put an accurate time on it, but a line in the sand would be something like. 1) Partial grade 1 tear 2-3 weeks (not super serious, but enough to knock you out for a couple of weeks) 2) Grade 2 tear, larger tear, more pain during rest with time off extending up to 6 weeks. If you have a significant tear, and pushing reasonable weight ie. >80% of your total body weight, then you will be out for longer as your chance of re-injury goes up siginifcantly. You have to ease back into it and find someone that can guide your rehab. You can still train other areas of your body, but while your shoulder is compromised - an early return to lifiting is only going to extend your time off 100% effort. The other concern is the state of your shoulder stabilisers, without those the risk of injury goes up some more.

I will have to get it evaluated, I will see when I can get that done then. As for the weight I weight about 225 and was pushing 255 the time of the incident. I'm going to see what the physiotherapist says when I go in. I've done some superspinatus rehab on my other shoulder so I know what that's like. For now I was thinking of sticking to just cardio and some lower body with abs.

Thanks for all the help

Stein102, whether a partial or complete rupture of the pec major both need to be investigated and potentially repaired. Most Orthopaedic Surgeons would recommend this considering you desire to continue lifting. Those tears whether partial or complete that are located closer to the musculotendinous junction or humeral attachment are more likely to be successful if repair is achieved earlier rather than later.

I would encourage you to advice regarding an MRI to ascertain the extent and location of the tear before returning to lifting or forceful adducting activities.

I have seen partial tears that haven't bruised up and were difficult to observe even when stress testing.

I also agree with physiointhesand regarding the cuff.

Good Luck!

Luke
The Shoulder Guy

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