Pectoralis Major Rupture: A Case Report

Pectoralis major (PM) ruptures are relatively rare injuries occurring mostly in men 20 to 40 years of age. Weightlifting or bench pressing is the most common mechanism of injury. Although an uncommon injury, a high degree of clinical suspicion should be maintained since early surgical treatment has been shown to be beneficial. We present a case of a 51-year-old male with no known past medical history, who presented to the emergency department with sudden onset right chest pain after bench pressing (approximately 180kg). Physical examination revealed PM rupture with ecchymosis and loss of shoulder contour, as well as bulking over the right chest. He was otherwise neurovascularly intact. The right shoulder x-ray showed no fracture, dislocation or other bony abnormality. The diagnosis was confirmed by an urgent MRI scan which revealed a complete rupture of the sternal head of the PM, and the patient underwent right PM tendon repair nine days after the injury.