A new study has found that serious chest muscle injuries are occurring with “alarming frequency” among deployed service members who lift weights. The injuries — tears of the pectoralis major tendon — occurred while doing bench press weight training. The injuries then required surgical repair and six months recovery.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dane Salazar, MD, a former Air Force orthopaedic surgeon, is lead author of the study. Deployed active duty personnel “likely represent a high-risk population for this injury,” Dr. Salazar and colleagues wrote. “Future studies designed to identify the true incidence, report long-term outcomes and investigate modifiable patient risk factors in this population are warranted.”
During a four month span, Drs. Salazar and Choate treated nine male patients (four Army, five Air Force) for pectoralis major tears. All were injured while doing bench press weight training. At the time of injury, the weight on the bench press bar ranged from 135 pounds to 415 pounds, with an average of 258 pounds. The servicemen ranged in age from 23 to 52, with an average age of 32.
The pectoralis major muscle has two distinct heads. One originates at the collar bone. The other extends from the chest bone to the upper arm bone via a tendon. The muscle-and-tendon unit often is referred to as “the Pec” or “pec muscle.”
The surgeons hypothesize that the pectoralis major tears “can be attributed to the increase in both intensity and frequency of physical training that occurs during deployments to the war zone.”
To reduce the risk of pectoralis injuries, the surgeons urged the military to ban maximum-weight bench press competitions. They also recommend weightlifters lift lighter weights with more repetitions.
Story Source: Loyola University Health System – sciencedaily.com
