Tearing of the muscles

[LeiYunFat]

Well, I was wondering if I should stretch/massage my pectoral muscle, which is torn pretty bad.

I was doing suspended dips and I went too low and tore my right pec muscle. I had been resting since early November from pushups and benching, but when I went to the school in Vegas, we were doing pushups and I tore it again. This proved to me that I had to rest it more, and until this week, I was not working it out at all. I got back on the bench on Monday and Tuesday, just to see how far I had dropped in the strength zone.

But today, while doing those god damned dips, I was feeling my muscle begin to tear. I asked my weights teacher what I should do and he just told me to stay off it and rest. The question I forgot to ask was if I should be stretching it and massaging it as much as possible. If so or not, what should I be doing to ensure I don't go and tear it somemore, which I assume would make my muscles crap out forever.

Thanks for all the input.

[shaolinstylee]

1.) Did you go to a Doctor?

2.) Are you sure you TORE it?

3.) Whenever I injure a muscle, I get the best response from a litteral few months of rest (which sucks attrophy wise) and then lightly get back at it.

[daodejing]

First things first, how torn is it? Are we talking about a minor tear, or a fullblown 85% of your pec is ripped in half undertaker from the WWF kind of tear?

This has been going on for long enough that you should go see a physical therapist.

As for massage, try it. If it hurts alot when you massage the area, don't massage it. If it hurts a little but overall feels good, keep massaging it, because that's helping. Listen to your body.

And for the love of god, when you start working the muscle again, don't do heavy weights, and don't do rediculously strenuous things like dips. Start with slow pushups, no more than 10 per day at first. If that's too much, begin by doing a dumbell bench press with 5 or 10 lb. wieghts.

But mostly, see a physical therapist. An MD is just going to tell you to rest and not aggravate it, and maybe give you painkillers. A PT will actually help you rehabilitate your pec.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

I think you've just got to bite the bullet and let it heal. Massage sounds good if you can handle it, but if you're really anxious to get back into training, I'd probably explore something promotiong growth hormone for tissue repair, like maybe take up with some msm or something. really gentle on the stretches and you'll know the difference between a good pull and a painful one. Take it easy and don't rush yourself or you'll just be down for longer. Maybe to test it , occassionally put your body weight on it gradually until you can comfortabley take it all. It's a b*tch but superman today and pay tommorow.

BL

[LeiYunFat]

Thanks a lot, guys. I really appreciate it.

As for the extent...I'd say the tear goes from my armpit through the middle and about half-way through the muscle. I am pretty sure it's a tear because I have never been THAT sore for that long and when I did little things like 20 clap pushups, I never got sore from something that minor.

Do you think milk has enough growth hormone? Hahahhaha...but anyways, I forgot to mention that today's tear was really just immense stress on my muscle. I could feel it start to tear again, but it was nothing as bad as the first time. It feels good enough to massage and stuff, but when I get back in the wieght room in January, I'll see if it's healed enough to start the rehab workouts. Thanks again.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Well that doesn't sound like much fun at all, and I can nearly feel your pain as you describe it. What a sh*tty place to have it!!! You might also want to consider a sling for a bit to minimise movement or if you don't want to do that, just try to keep it straight by your side as much as poss, keeping up with the rub downs and some light stretches as is comfortable. The more you swing it about though the more it's going to get irritated and if it is a tear, the more likely it is to get worse. What about isos some ( light contractions) ,through that area, to encourage the repair fluids and process but without the stress on the muscle?? DOC?? ) Just take the load off it for a bit and no doubt you'll come good when you're ready. Spaz injury, but happy healing anyway.



BL

[doc]

Rest. Rest. And more rest. And, while you're resting, some mild to moderate exercise just to keep things moving. Continued stress on a muscle that is torn can lead to delayed healing. Exercise will not necessarily increase healing, nor will milk (milk is not exactly good for you). And, keep in mind, that it can be more than just a muscle tear, depending upon where the pain and tenderness really is. Partially torn tendons that completely tear usually have to be repaired surgically. And those take a very long time to really heal well.

So, take it easy. Do what you can do. Let nature take its course.

[zachsan]

the physical therapist idea also sounds like a good one, but physical therapists expect to get paid. if your insurance doesn't cover it or if the copay is too much, or, for that matter, if you don't have health insurance, it seems to me that you may as well just stick to resting.

[daodejing]

Good point zach. But seriously, i can't stress this enough, if your health insurance covers it, see a PT. If you have a regular MD, ask them if they reccomend any physical therapists in the area. Also, your MD can sometimes help "convince" the insurance company to pay for the PT, by explaining how expensive this tear will get if untreated.

[LeiYunFat]

Aw...shit...

I think it happened again. I just got along fine with it up till now, just coping with it, hittin the weights like usual...I worked out today and everything was going fine till I got home and about 20 min ago was hittin the bag. It felt like I was putting too much stress on an already stressed and tired muscle, so I left. Just now, I opened a stubborn window and felt a pop in my pec. Literally, like something jumped, and it was in the area where the injury was. There's been a depression in my muscle since then [the initial injury], and I did have some strength inequalities, so I know where it is. I've built mass over it since then, I don;t know if that will make a difference.

Let me describe the sensation a bit more. There was no pain. It was in the area of my injury. It was like there was a little bubble in my muscle tissue that just popped...it wasn't violent or anything.

I stretched back a little and could feel tension, but that could be from my workout today.

[doc]

Where exactly is this "pop in your pec"? Is it in the middle of your chest, the middle of the muscle, or, in the shoulder area?

[LeiYunFat]

It was near the middle of my pec but was also close to my armpit in the upper right hand corner.

Through the miracles of technology, we can get doctor's advice through Microsoft Paint.

[doc]

Modern technology. Impressive.

Well, my diagnosis is this. Your nipple is too far to the right. Glad you're not a girl.

[onesp1ng]

this seems like a very annoying problem. Hope you feel better soon, lei. Anyhow, just go see someone, be kind to yourself, and perhaps massage the area as much as possible considering, as you said, there isn't much pain involved when you do so.

..........

g

[doc]

Popping or snapping sounds or sensations usually arise when tendons move over bony prominences, or, when ligaments interact with bony joint surfaces.

More than likely, your problem has less to do with your pectoralis muscles, and more to do with the complex interaction of muscles and ligaments in the shoulder region. A torn rotator cuff, impinged ligaments, torn cartilage, etc, can give you this "popping" or "snapping" sensation where you describe. It is common with people who lift weights. It is difficult to diagnose sometimes, whether this is a rotator cuff injury, impingement of ligaments, or inflamed bursae, but, the treatment of all of them, leans towards rest and eventual and gradual strengthening of the surrounding muscular tissues.

Look at the Shoulder Injuries thread in this forum; I've never finished it, but I have pictures in there. One of these days I'll get to it. But in the meantime, enclosed is a picture of the various chest muscles. Not as good as yours, but, it gives you a good idea where these various muscles lie.