Extract
Pectoralis major tendon ruptures are relatively rare lesions that often are
caused by injuries sustained in sports, weight-lifting, or the
workplace1-21.
Ruptures of the pectoralis major occur primarily at the tendon attachment to
the humerus or at the musculotendinous junction just proximal to the
insertion15,22-25.
For active individuals or those who require optimum strength of the shoulder,
operative repair of the pectoralis tendon tear is the recommended
treatment.Tears of the proximal origin of the pectoralis muscle are rare, and we are
aware of only one case reported in the English
literature25. That
patient was managed nonoperatively and had mild cosmetic deformity of the
chest, and no functional loss was noted in the use of the upper extremity at
one year after the
injury25. We
present the case of a patient with a tear of the pectoralis major muscle from
its sternal origin, which remained symptomatic with nonoperative treatment,
and we describe an operative repair that led to the successful recovery of the
patient. Our patient was informed that data from the case would be submitted
for publication.