pectoralis major...muscle rip/tear???HELP!!

[andy1488]

hi everyone,,,and hope sombody out there can help???????.

I had an accident 16months ago....i slipped on oil and went face first towards the ground, my left arm went out to correct my balance but due to the oil,it also slipped away,wrenching my left arm to the side and up..
i had severe pain around my left breast for months afterwards and it is still tender 16 months after the accident..there were no bruising etc to any area that i could see,,it was just extremely sore.

if i stretch my arm up, there is a tearing sensation under my breast,followed by pain.
my old doctor just told me to take standard pain killers and rest...
i can lift my arm up slowly to a point of where it starts to feel tight to my left breast /under arm area..i have not got full lift of this arm

i have now changed doctors and he has said that i innitially ""ripped" my major pec,,and the tearing sensation i have if i stretch is due to scar tissue ripping that formed on the original tear..
he has mentioned an MRI scan and the possibility of surgery to remove the scare tissue,along with physio.....

my left arm now feels "weaker" than my right.

I know this is not a sports injury as such,,but i am sure somebody can help me with the symptoms i have described....

any info on this would be greatly appreciated....

thanks to you all in advance,,,,,andy.

[keth123]

Hi , rather than a pec major tear, from what you describe it probably maybe a rotator cuff injury possibly the subscapsularis or a labral injury. I would be asking for a referal to an upper limb orthopaedic specialist. Does your shoulder click or make a snapping sensation ?

[Heidi]

Hi
Whatever muscle(s) you have injured, given the length of time that function of the arm and shoulder has been disrupted you will definately need a thorough rehabilitation programme. The area around the shoulder is very complex and injury to one muscle there affects the way the entire joint functions, causing further problems such as muscle imbalances.
Definately push for an MRI and further treatment as Keth123 suggested.

[andy1488]

Hi and thanks to keth123 and hiedi....

just as an update,,,i have had my MRI scan which was done privatley through my solicitor...
the results have come back as ""several scars"" on my major pec..
i am now at my doctors first thing in the morning to view the results, and to see what is my next course of action..
i have not been told as of yet how many scars/rips there are, or what the overall damage is. and due to legal proceedings, no body can actualy tell me untill i see my doc in the morning.

i am unsure as of yet where the damage is,,but due to the scar tissue showing on my mri scan,,,does anybody know if i will have to have surgery to remove these, and if so what will the out come be???
will i lose muscle tissue/will it grow back?
will i be weaker on one side due to this?
will i be able to go back into construction which i have been in for over 20 years or will i have to look for "other work".
will this left side now be my weaker side and be prone to more problems in the future and due to my age (40) how will this affect me in the future?????

lots and lots of questions again from sombody who is panicking and not quite sure what the future holds now.....

again,,,,thanks in advance for any questions answerd.....andy1488.

[Heidi]

Hi
Surgery would be unusual to remove scar tissue. This can usually be achieved through soft tissue therapy and electrotherapy.
Any loss in muscle mass can be regained through rehabilitation.
Initially yes you will be weaker as you are now on one side, but again this can be corrected.
You should be able to go back to construction work, although it may take some time before you are ready for full duties.
As long as the treatment you get is appropriate and thorough it shouldn't cause you future problems.

[andy1488]

Hi and thanks again Hiedi for your reply.
As promised I now have the reults of my mri scan, but I do not understand them, and my normal GP could not go to great detail either.

the report states
""the T1 weighted sequencies show ill-defined high signal intensity in the anterior fibres of the pectoralis major muscle close to its insertion anteriorly. T he muscle however is not enlarged and otherwise shows normal appearances.
The appearance are suggestive of interstitial tears of some of the fibres of the left pectoralis major muscle anteriorly. No discreet haematoma.""

I have absolutly no idea what any of this means...
my gp has now said that surgery is not an option as they would make it worse. he has now forwarded me for physio, and the possibility of a shoulder specialist.

Any translation of the above scan results would again be appreciated ..
thank you all again, and thanks again for your time regarding this.

[Sophie Hart]

@Heidi: can you suggest any rehabilitation center in Kansas City?

[Heidi]

Ok, so I think your MRI scan is basically saying that there are small tears in the pec major, close to the insertion (nearer the shoulder than breast bone). It may also be saying increased muscle tension with the high signal bit.
I agree that surgery is not the way forward.
Give the PT a chance and a shoulder specialist would be excellent.

[Heidi]

Sorry sophie, I'm in the UK so no idea of therapists in your area.