[quote]JLederach wrote:
Hey everyone I was just wondering if there was anyone out there who has had a complete pec tear that needed surgical reattachment. I tore severely 2 weeks ago today, and had surgery 9 days ago. I’m in the sling phase right now. Just kind of wanted to know how everyone’s recovery process went, how long it took, the different stages (ex. when you can start doing push ups, pull ups, etc.), how much muscle lost, etc.
I weighed 252 the day it happened and I’ve cleaned up my diet significantly. If I eat like a 250lb powerlifter while i cant lift for 6 months i couldnt even imagine how fat id get…so it looks like i have to get skinny. It’s really hard watching all of the work i’ve toiled to accomplish deteriorating more each day. Definitely hard to deal with. Anyone else go through the same thing?[/quote]
I completely ruptured my left Pec tendon on Oct 23, and had surgery to reattach it Nov 5. When you say Pec tear, did you tear the muscle belly, or was it a tendon rupture? According to my surgeon, I’m not supposed to even attempt a push-up or bench press until May, but I’ve already disregarded that. I’m not doing anything stupid like going heavy, more like 10 sets of 10 with 95 pounds. I feel like I could do more, but really don’t want to push it. Honestly I get super nervous just being under the bar, and quit the workout if I feel any sort of tightness or inflammation.
I was in a sling for just a week. The thing drove me crazy and I couldn’t sleep (unless I was bombed on percocet) so I ditched it, but was very careful. My injury may have been singular, because I didn’t rupture the tendon so much as rip the tendon off of the bone. I tore none of the muscle belly so your specifics may be different. The same week I dropped the sling I started working on my mobility in the shower by facing the wall and touching a shower tile with my good right hand, and then attempting to touch the same tile with my injured left side. By three weeks post surgery I could raise my arm above my head. Of course the tendon attachment was still super weak, and “gooey” as my surgeon called it so I would put the sling on if I left the house as a reminder not to do anything dumb.
One bonus I had is that my company was super supportive. I got to work from home for ~6 weeks and didn’t have to push it physically. Do you work a physically demanding job?
I’m now 5 months post surgery and I feel pretty decent overall, but I notice some things are really different. If I do a pullup, my left elbow flares out weirdly. I’m hoping that fixes itself as I do more and more of them. I haven’t attempted a dip and don’t think I will for a long time. Given my progress with benching 95 pounds, I think I will try to get my working sets up to 135 in a few months. The thing keeping me from pushing it is the fact that the collagen fibers do not fully align and reach 100% strength for up to 18 months.
I was in a bulking cycle and having some great growth when the injury happened, so I feel you pain on the eating. I was 212 the day it happened, and then got a bit fatter. Eventually I said fuck it and decided to cut down to keep my depression levels at bay. I’m sitting at 192 right now.