No Tear is Too Old

Pectoralis Major tendon tears of the chest wall are relatively common in weight lifters. Once the pec major tendon is torn the arm push off strength is significantly decreased and the chest wall becomes deformed.

Older tears are technically challenging to repair. Over time the pectoralis muscle atrophies and loses elasticity so it cannot be pulled back up. Repairing a tear greater than 6 months old is challenging but it is possible. If you’ve been told that your pec major tear is too old to repair or you’ve been told that you have a tear at the myotendinous junction that is not repairable, reach out to me. I’ve been perfecting my Pec tear repair technique, the PecFlexFix, for 20 years. I have successfully repaired tears that were over 10 years old.

A good result requires attention to numerous detail. The reconstruction requires much more surgical time than a simple pec tear repair. It also requires allograft tissue and careful muscle mobilization. A sling is used for 6 weeks.

The good news is that it is possible to improve your chest deformity and regain your strength.

Surgical goals:

  1. Restore strength by effectively reattaching the torn tendon/muscle back to bone with or without an allograft.
  2. Recreate the symmetry of the lateral chest wall by mobilizing the shrunken muscle and reconstructing the pec tendon using allograft tissue.
  3. Produce an aesthetic result by hiding the scar within natural skin creases and avoiding subcutaneous adhesions by using amniotic membrane.

We hope you found this information helpful.  Please let us know if we can be of service.

About Dr. Mora

Dr. Mora is a Board Certified and Fellowship trained Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon as well as a founding partner of the state-of-the-art Restore Orthopedics and Spine Center in Orange County, CA.

His areas of expertise include the latest innovations in surgical and non surgical techniques with a focus on joint saving procedures rather than replacement, when possible.  Specific areas of interest are Sports Trauma; Knee, Elbow, and Shoulder, Arthritis; and Regenerative Medicine.

Dr. Mora’s team can help coordinate out of town and international patients coming in for surgery.

He specializes in:

  • Sports Injury Treatment
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction of the Knee
  • Rotator Cuff Tear Repair of the Shoulder
  • Arthroscopy of the Elbow
  • Arthritis of the Knee
  • Chronic PecTear Reconstruction (The PecFlexFix Surgeon)
  • Regenerative Medicine: Bone Marrow Cells and PRP Therapy

Dr. Mora’s family heritage is Peruvian and speaks fluent Spanish.

For a consult please call (714) 598-1745

Follow Dr. Mora on Instagram and YouTube

Restore Orthopedics and Spine Center
1120 W. La Veta, #300
Orange CA 92868
Office: 714.598.1745