Here’s how to treat a tear in your chest muscle. It may require surgery

Q. I was working out at the gym doing a bench press with heavy weights when I felt a pop in the front of my right shoulder. In addition to acute pain, I noticed a deformity of my chest muscle near the shoulder.

I went to the emergency room and X-rays revealed no fracture. The doctor gave me a sling, referred me to an orthopedic surgeon, and said he thought I injured my pectoralis major muscle. Can this injury heal without surgery? Should I give the injury time to get better or do I need to see an orthopedic surgeon expeditiously?

A. Injuries to the chest muscle known as the Pectoralis Major, which allows you to reach strongly across your body, are quite common in weightlifters and football players.

The Pectoralis Major muscles converge to form a thick tendon that attaches to the bone just below the shoulder. An injury to this muscle can occur in the muscle belly itself, at the point where the muscle converges to form the tendon, or most commonly where the tendon attaches to the bone.

If the tear occurs in the muscle belly, this is usually not fixable surgically and can result in permanent weakness or deformity. In most active patients, if the tear occurs within a part of the tendon, then this is best treated with surgery to regain as normal function and strength as possible.

The surgery is easier to perform if done within a couple of weeks post injury so I suggest you see the orthopedic surgeon promptly. After surgery, the athlete is usually in a sling four to six weeks followed by a rehab program. Most patients return to sports in about four months.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is team physician of the Miami Heat and director of Miami Sports Medicine Fellowship, Doctors Hospital. Send your questions to HarlanS@baptisthealth.net