chest injury

[RP33]

so i have NO IDEA what is wrong with me, but i have this pain in my chest, over my right pectoral when i do certain things.. i can no longer bench press cause it is just SO painful.. if i stretch and touch my toes it hurts.. and SOMETIMES when i breathe in it hurts, but not always, which makes me stray from the thought of some sort of lung inflammation or something..

this has been bothering me for about 2 and a half weeks and doesn't seem to be getting any better..

i have no idea how i did it, but i do play hockey and basketball weekly so it's possible it happened at any point..

does anyone have ANY idea of what it could be? sorry if the description isn't fantastic, ask me some questions if you want to know more.. thanks a lot..

[Serena]

Sounds like a strained/torn pectoral. Where exactly on the muscle, and do you remember any bruising when it first started?

[RP33]

Sounds like a strained/torn pectoral. Where exactly on the muscle, and do you remember any bruising when it first started?

no visible bruising..

and as far as location, it is close to the middle of my chest.. meaning if it was on my left side it would be right over my heart..

[Youngblood]

Sounds like a strained/torn pectoral. Where exactly on the muscle, and do you remember any bruising when it first started?

no visible bruising..

and as far as location, it is close to the middle of my chest.. meaning if it was on my left side it would be right over my heart..

It wouldn't hurt you to go get an ecg.

Seriously.

[RP33]

It wouldn't hurt you to go get an ecg.

Seriously.

it's on my right side though.. it's not near my heart.

seems more like a muscle/tissue type of injury considering it bothers me when i stretch, etc..

[Youngblood]

It wouldn't hurt you to go get an ecg.

Seriously.

it's on my right side though.. it's not near my heart.

seems more like a muscle/tissue type of injury considering it bothers me when i stretch, etc..

Yes, I understand. Just think it might be worth a trip to the doc. if it persists. And you very well may end up with a chest x-ray and an ecg.

You are likely correct, in that it is muscular. When it comes to chest pain tho, it is always good to be better safe then sorry.

[Chris Nagel]

The best advice I can give is to tell you to visit a physiotherapist as they are familiar with these sort of injuries and will be able to give a proper clinical diagnosis. If need be they'll put you through an MRI or an ultrasound to see the extent of the injury. Then if there's a possibility that you'll need surgery they'll refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon.

My guess is that if you play 'real' hockey or basketball you may have taken a hard hit on your right shoulder/upper-arm which caused too much abduction (your arm moving away from your body) and excessive external rotation (your arm turning outward). This could cause a partial rupture right where your pectoral muscle inserts into your shoulder.

If it's minor then it might be fully treated within a few months of sticking to a good physio's regimen and recommendations.

I'm not sure if I'm on point on this one, but if I were you I'd definately see a physiotherapist ASAP and listen to them well. I'd also hold off on any exercises including running where the injury may be an issue.

Take care, and good luck with that. By the way, you might also want to ask Scrap on what adjustments you can make to posture as that can also affect your recovery while preventing further injuries in the future.

[Andre]

Lung check and balance meridians.
This sounds bazzar but try holding your shoulder with your opposite hand fingers drapped over the top, palm down and place your thumb into the hollow that is in front of your shoulder (half way down the inside edge of the shoulder muscle) on the inside, just under the collar bone where the top rib goes under) there is a hollow there; relax shoulder and chest, put your thumb into it find the sore spot and breathe in and put pressure on that sore spot from the inside with air and from the out side with your thumb at the same time, for a few days.
May want to check the meaty bits in the palms of your hands too; , probe around and see if one them has an extra sore spot in it and rub that out and away with your other thumb while holding your own hand.
If thats sore then you'll find another sore spot under the meaty bit of your large toe, work that out as well , those spots are all connected to the lung.

[RP33]

thanks a lot for the replies guys.. rep has been dealt..

i'm gonna have to go to a specialist as mentioned earlier.. i feel like it's getting worse..

the thing that sucks most about this is that i'm in a great routine working out, and i want to be in good shape for the summer, so if i have to put working out to a halt then i'm gonna be real disappointed.. guess we'll see how it goes.. thanks again.

[Chris Nagel]

I doubt that you're going to have to make a full stop, but you're definately going to have to make some adjustments.

Let your physio draw the line, and later on we might be able to give you some exercises that you can ask your doctor about so you won't be devastated. It's not the end of the world-- yet...