The structure of the chest is represented by tendons and 2 main muscle groups. Most often, it is not the ligamentous elements that are subject to sprains, but the muscle tissue. In the chest, they are responsible for breathing, bringing the arms to the body, spreading them, and rotating the arms.
The areas of highest risk are the major and minor muscle supports of the chest.
- The large muscle is located closer to the skin; it is “attached” by strong tendons to the ribs and collarbone. Its stretching often occurs when lowering heavy loads (including a barbell) or performing bench presses. In 10% of cases, the chest suffers due to a blow to its area (stretching of the muscle due to the applied load).
- The small muscle corset is located closer to the bone, attached to the shoulder blade and ribs. Its stretching can occur when lifting your own body weight on your arms.
Causes of pectoral muscle strains
There are a number of factors that cause muscle fiber ruptures: somatic, sports and household. Quite often, such injuries occur during strength training.
Against cough
Coughing is a fairly common cause of pectoral muscle strain. It refers to a periodically occurring reflex reaction of the body aimed at removing foreign particles or liquid from the respiratory tract. The coughing process occurs as follows:
- inhale;
- forced sharp exhalation (while the glottis is in a closed state);
- pushing air out of the lungs.
All these movements contribute to severe muscle tension, and a strong and prolonged cough often leads to rupture of muscle fibers. This causes a feeling of tightness in the chest, accompanied by pain.
Important!
Although painful, a chest strain caused by coughing is not a serious injury and usually goes away in one or two days.
From the left side
Injury to the chest muscles can occur on one or both sides. The cause of left sprain is:
- facet joint dislocation;
- damage on the side where the ligaments of the costovertebral joints are located.
In this case, the pain that appears requires immediate consultation with a doctor and a diagnostic study, regardless of the factor that caused it. Timely identification of the problem will prevent possible serious complications that pose a threat to human life.
On the right side
A sprained pectoral muscle on the right is usually caused by a cough, damage to the ligaments in this area, as well as a bruise or injury. For mild sprains, pain and heaviness in the chest can be relieved by a temporary state of rest, as well as the following manipulations:
- applying a cold compress to the injured area;
- squeezing the sore spot and lifting it up.
After smoothing out all symptoms, it is necessary to conduct a medical examination as soon as possible. This is especially important if unpleasant and painful sensations do not go away within 1-2 days. Quite often, as a result of diagnosis, serious illnesses are discovered in the victim: thromboembolism, pulmonary hypertension or heart attack, requiring immediate treatment.
Pain and difficulty breathing
In some cases, damage and injury provoke spasm of the pectoral muscle and costovertebral joint, which makes breathing, sneezing and coughing difficult. The ligaments of the costovertebral joint are most often stretched when the spine is flexed or extended, as well as during a sharp turn.
The structure of the joint includes a flat section of the thoracic vertebra and the terminal portion of the rib. Any tension in its area increases the risk of damage to the cartilage or ligament, accompanied by pain when breathing.
Spasm
Often the cause of pain in the area of the intercostal muscles is muscle spasm, which occurs as a result of an uncomfortable position of the torso followed by sudden relaxation, as well as due to prolonged muscle tension. In addition, a spasm can be caused by an increase in tone in any part of the muscle fibers.
Attention!
This condition does not pose a serious danger, however, it can lead to irritation of the nerve fibers, which, in turn, causes the occurrence of intercostal neuralgia with severe pain.
Inflammation
In most cases, muscle strain entails an inflammatory process in the damaged tissues. Its occurrence is caused by the flow of leukocytes to the location of injured muscle fibers. The purpose of provoked inflammation is to improve blood circulation and accelerate recovery processes.
Inflammation can also be caused by hypothermia of any area and the development of a disease expressed by a sharp increase in temperature and decreased immunity.
Important!
As a rule, the presence of an inflammatory process is indicated by a dull pain that intensifies when touching the injury or during movement.
Subsequently, redness and swelling form at the site of inflammation.
Damage to the pectoral and back muscles
The pectoral muscles, together with the muscles located on the upper back, cover the upper torso: from the base of the neck to the abdominal cavity. They control important activities for humans: breathing, movement of the head and arms.
A significant part of the functions of the chest is controlled by the fan-shaped pectoralis major muscles. Quite often, several types of back and pectoral muscles are damaged from a sprain at the same time, the reason for this may be the following:
- A herniated disc in the thoracic spine, causing weakness and numbness in the back muscles. This pathology is expressed by frequent pain between the shoulder blades, especially noticeable after physical exertion.
- A spinal sprain in which the muscle tissue around the facet joints is torn. This type of injury is caused by overuse.
- Damage to the ligaments of the costovertebral joints caused by flexion, extension, or lying down for a long time.
A set of chest exercises
1) The incline dumbbell press will work the upper part of the large pectoral muscle, since dumbbells, unlike a barbell, allow you to stretch the pectoral muscles as much as possible in the lower position.
Technique for performing the exercise: take dumbbells, sit on an inclined bench, bend your elbows and pull them down as far as possible. Smoothly press the dumbbells up, straightening your arms and connecting the dumbbells in one line perpendicular to your body. Thus, you will achieve maximum amplitude in the work of the pectoral muscle.
By changing the inclination of the bench, you will change the emphasis in the load on different parts of the pectoral muscles. In the “head up” position, the main load is directed to the upper chest and the anterior bundle of the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. The pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles work in the same way. The triceps in this case is minimally loaded.
It is best to do this: bench at an angle of 30-45 degrees, do 15-20 repetitions in 3-4 approaches, with a rest interval sufficient to restore breathing. Typically 1-2 minutes.
2) Push-ups with wide arms engage the middle section of the pectoral muscle the most. Triceps and deltoids will also be involved in the work.
Progress: lying on the floor, palms should be wider than shoulders. Slowly lower yourself down until your chest touches the floor and return to the starting position. Keep your body and head straight, do not bend your lower back, and do not raise your hips.
In this exercise, the required load is obtained using the weight of your own body.
If at the initial stage it is too difficult, focus on your knees. The exercise technique remains the same as with straight legs: the back is not arched, the buttocks do not protrude, the head does not rise, we do 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
With push-ups, you can also change the degree of load on different areas of the pectoral muscles. For example, you need to shift the emphasis from the middle part of the bust to the upper part, then place your feet on a bench so that your head is lower than your body. If, on the contrary, you want to pump up the lower chest, place a bench under your arms.
In this exercise, the main load falls on the outer part of the muscles. If you need an internal one, then use a narrow hand position. However, then the triceps will work much more.
And the most trained girls can do push-ups on uneven bars.
Try to perform 2-3 sets of maximum repetitions. Rest between approaches for 1-2 minutes, focus on how you feel, since the exercise is very difficult.
3) Incline dumbbell flyes will effectively open the chest and increase its volume.
Procedure: lie on a bench, hold dumbbells in almost straight hands, a slight bend in the elbows should be maintained throughout the entire exercise to avoid injury to the joints. Extend your arms to the sides until you stretch your pectoral muscles to maximum tension. As you exhale, bring your hands together at the top. Hold for a short time, while additionally straining your pectoral muscles to work out their inner part. Perform 3-4 sets of 15-20 times, rest for about 1-2 minutes.
4) Pullover
Again, sit on a horizontal bench and take one dumbbell with both hands and hold it with straight, outstretched arms in front of you. Slowly, while taking a deep breath, lift your hands from the dumbbells back behind your head. As you exhale, return to the starting position in front of you. When lowering the dumbbell behind your head, slightly bend your elbows.
The stated order of exercises contains a sequence from basic to isolating movements, from complex to easy, formative work
This is important, but you can sometimes vary the order of exercises
All exercises fully engage the pectoral muscles, but each emphasizes a specific area. For example, an incline bench press develops the upper part of the bust, while dips on the uneven bars develop the lower part.
Secondly, it is not necessary to do all these 4 exercises at once. Especially for beginners! Your start should be gradual, for example, start only with dumbbell presses on an incline bench, relying on your feeling, after some time add another dumbbell fly on an incline bench, then these are already two exercises combined: basic + isolating. Perform each of them in 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. And so gradually build up to all 4 exercises in a row with 3-4 sets of 10-20 repetitions.
If you do this complex 1-2 times a week, you will not only train your pectoral muscles, but also significantly improve the shape of your upper body. The back will straighten, the chest will expand and become more voluminous and attractive.
Good luck with your training!
Symptoms and signs
Depending on the cause, the symptoms of a pectoral muscle strain may vary. The most severe ones block movement, making it difficult to carry out daily activities.
Most often, such injury is expressed in the following:
- stiffness and severe pain in the chest, especially if the cause of the sprain is a severe cough;
- sharp pain in the damaged area that occurs when sneezing and coughing;
- difficulty moving;
- pain when trying to turn or bend, which occurs if the abdominal and back muscles are damaged simultaneously with the pectoral muscles;
- labored breathing;
- formation of subcutaneous swelling and hematoma in the damaged area;
- sensation of pain when touching the area of injury.
Note!
When the pectoral muscle is stretched, an inflammatory process almost always appears, accompanied by redness of the skin and an increase in temperature.
How to pump up a man's chest
Before starting training, many men are interested in how to properly pump up their chest. The question is relevant and important, because if you practice without preparation and knowledge, you can not only get an asymmetrical chest, but also pull or even tear muscles.
Therefore, before starting training, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules of training:
- before performing the main block of exercises, you need to do a warm-up to warm up the muscles;
- after the main workout, it is recommended to use sets with numerous repetitions;
- it is necessary to strictly follow the technique of performing exercises so that the muscles develop evenly;
- exercises should be varied, targeting different muscle groups, otherwise there will be no effect from them;
- You shouldn’t immediately take on a lot of weight; first you need to hone your technique with a comfortable weight.
Having studied the basics, you can begin the exercises. If you don’t want or have the opportunity to go to the gym, you should find out how to pump up your chest with push-ups. Push-ups are considered one of the best chest exercises.
To begin with, you should do push-ups on books: place about 4-5 books on both sides so that they are on the same level. Hands rest on books, feet on the floor. You need to go down slowly and rise up slowly. Repeat 15 times in 4 sets. These push-ups pump up the middle part of the chest well.
It is also useful to do push-ups with stops, i.e. you need to lower yourself to the middle, hold for 2-3 seconds, lower to the floor, hold again for a couple of seconds and slowly rise. Repeat 10 times in four approaches.
There are also special push-ups for those who want to know how to pump up their upper chest. It is necessary to place your legs on a hill so that they are higher than your body and perform regular push-ups from this position. It is recommended to perform 15-20 exercises in 4 sets.
To pump up the lower chest, you need to do push-ups on the uneven bars 15-20 times in 4 sets.
Pull-ups are also beneficial for the pectoral muscles. With their help, the muscles of the back, shoulders, and torso are also worked out. You need to pull yourself up on the horizontal bar slowly and smoothly. In this case, you need to monitor your breathing. To work out all muscle groups well, you need to change your girth: first spread your arms wide, then narrower and narrower until they are close together.
In addition, you need to change the position of your hands: with your palms facing you and away from you. If you do pull-ups regularly, then there will be no question: how to pump up your chest on the horizontal bar.
How to pump up your chest in the gym?
Traditionally, the best exercises for the pectoral muscles are the incline barbell press, the flat bench press, and the dumbbell fly.
To pump up your upper chest, you need to perform the bench press at an angle with your head facing up. To work the muscles more deeply, you need to change the position of your hands: to pump the outer areas of the chest, the barbell should be held wide; to pump up the inner areas, the arms should be brought closer to each other. If you put your head down and do a bench press, the lower part will swing.
Another exercise on how to pump up your upper chest is dumbbell flyes. You need to lie on an inclined bench, pick up dumbbells and spread them apart, then bring them towards each other. Thanks to this exercise, a beautiful breast shape is formed.
It is important that for the upper part of the chest you need to perform the exercise with your head raised, and to pump up the lower part - with your head down. When training in the gym, you must correctly take the starting position and do the exercises strictly according to the instructions.
At first, you can ask for help from an instructor or experienced visitors
When training in the gym, you must correctly take the starting position and do the exercises strictly according to the instructions. At first, you can ask for help from an instructor or experienced visitors.
In addition, it is very important to follow a special diet during exercise, stop eating unhealthy foods and adhere to a healthy lifestyle. By following these simple recommendations, you will soon know how to pump up your lower and upper chest, and after a couple of months you will get a sculpted, beautiful torso
The main thing is not to give up and practice regularly!
By following these simple recommendations, you will soon know how to pump up your lower and upper chest, and after a couple of months you will get a sculpted, beautiful torso. The main thing is not to give up and practice regularly!
Providing first aid
If a pectoral muscle strain occurs, you must immediately apply a cold compress to the damaged area and ensure complete rest for the injured part of the body.
Cold causes small capillaries to narrow, which in turn reduces blood supply and prevents the growth of hematoma. For cooling, it is best to use an ice cube wrapped in a cloth or a heating pad with cold water.
To reduce pain, use a tight bandage. In this case, the amplitude of respiratory movements is reduced, which prevents further damage to the muscle.
Important!
The chest bandage should be done so that nothing interferes with the victim’s breathing.
In case of severe pain, it is recommended to use an anesthetic drug, adhering to the dosage indicated in the instructions.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you have a muscle injury, you should make an appointment with a surgeon or traumatologist. If the damage has led to impaired blood circulation in muscle tissue, then you will need to consult a neurologist and a vascular surgeon.
What to drink from sports nutrition
Let's say right away: before taking additional supplements, you should correctly create a diet. The ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in an athlete’s diet is described in the section “What is needed for chest muscle growth.” Let’s just add that they eat 4-5 times, that is, snacks are required for the 2nd breakfast and afternoon snack. Complex carbohydrates are found in cereals and legumes.
Watch the amount of confectionery you eat - they are too high in calories and can be deposited in the form of cellulite rather than mass. For other information on proper nutrition, please look in the relevant articles.
As for sports nutrition: they are designed to supplement the gaps in the main diet if your nutrition is not complete. It is recommended to take it after consultation with a specialist if regular exercise does not bring results. Below are general guidelines for taking supplements.
For the first 6 months, beginners must strictly adhere to their diet and sleep regime. From sports nutrition you can consume fast and slow proteins, which supplement the missing amount of protein for fiber growth. Supplements are useful if they are rationally structured into a daily schedule, the exercises are performed technically correctly, and the body gets quality rest during sleep.
Gainers are diluted only with drinking water; protein can also be diluted with juice, low-fat milk or kefir.
Amino acids
They are produced in the form of capsules and tablets. Take according to the manufacturer's recommendations, with food (unless otherwise indicated). You should not drink on an empty stomach; it may cause stomach upset. Take 3-10 tablets morning and evening. Read: amino acids and their role in the body.
There is a complex product of amino acids called BCAA, which includes valine, leucine, isoleucine. It is consumed with food during endurance training to reduce body fat.
Protein
It is always produced in powders, divided into fast-acting and long-lasting products. The first is drunk before breakfast every day to quickly replenish energy and protein reserves for the formation of new cells during the recovery period, after exercise - if fat burning is necessary.
The second is for the night, since it replenishes substances for a long time, for 6-8 hours. Take one and a half hours after dinner. Details: Protein: how to take.
Gainer
Powdered combination preparation with a composition of carbohydrates and proteins. It has a quick recovery effect after strength training, increases the rate of fiber growth, and reduces the degree of fatigue. Taken half an hour before training, it provides energy to all cells. You can’t drink during the first two days: fat will build up on your sides. All about it: How to choose a gainer?
L-carnitine
It is useful for the cardiovascular system, which receives additional climatic and/or physical stress, for example, summer heat, developing the body's endurance, burning subcutaneous fat. Both powder and tablets and capsules are produced.
Diagnostic measures
After providing first aid for damaged chest muscles, you must see a specialist who, after an examination, will issue a referral for a diagnostic test.
Medical examination by a doctor
When muscle tissue is stretched, the doctor collects anamnesis and examines the patient using the palpation method. If internal swelling is detected, the victim is prescribed laboratory tests and hardware diagnostics to identify the presence of an inflammatory process and understand how seriously the muscles are damaged.
Radiation diagnostics
If a muscle strain occurs, the victim may be prescribed a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound. These types of research will help identify the following problems:
- intramuscular hematoma;
- tumor;
- rupture of one or more fibers, etc.
Attention!
To exclude a fracture, a chest x-ray is performed.
Differences between sprain and intercostal neuralgia
Therapy for damaged intercostal muscles of the chest will not bring positive results if the cause of the discomfort is neuralgia.
It is impossible to smooth out the symptoms by warming in the presence of this pathology. Neuralgia is easy to identify by a number of signs:
- severe pain when trying to take a deep breath;
- tingling on both sides of the ribs;
- pain in the hands, numbness.
Important!
If, along with the listed symptoms, the patient experiences abdominal pain, he is prescribed a comprehensive examination immediately at the time of the onset of pain.
Treatment
The method of treatment for chest muscle strain directly depends on its severity.
Conservative
The victim is prescribed bed rest, which implies complete rest, excluding any stress. If the sprain is caused by a severe cough, then a course of treatment with antitussive drugs is indicated. Additionally, the use of folk remedies that dilute mucus is recommended.
Note!
For stiffness and severe pain, the patient is prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Local
To treat damaged pectoral muscles, the patient is prescribed ointments:
- cooling (contain essential oils, menthol, anticoagulants, eucalyptus) – eliminate swelling, prevent the formation of hematomas;
- warming - used on the third day after injury to relieve inflammation and pain, as well as to increase vascular permeability;
- painkillers;
- with steroid hormones - used in case of complications, expressed in severe inflammation and swelling.
The most effective remedies for treating pectoral muscle strain are the following:
- Dolobene gel;
- ointments: Nicoflex, Finalgon;
- preparations made on the basis of menthol.
Non-drug
During the rehabilitation period, the patient is recommended to take several measures:
- physiotherapy – magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, ultrasound, etc.;
- massage;
- physical therapy (physical therapy).
On the third day from the moment of injury, physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed, including the following elements:
- UHF;
- electrophoresis;
- phonophoresis;
- paraffin applications.
Physiotherapy helps restore damaged tissue and improve local blood flow. Also, to speed up regenerative processes, a specialist may recommend ultrasound therapy. In case of severe sprain, surgery will be required.
During the recovery period, it is recommended to use folk remedies, for example:
- potato-based lotions - a pulp of crushed tubers is applied to the damaged area and evenly distributed over its surface (procedure duration - 30 minutes);
- clay compresses - clay diluted in water is placed on gauze and fixed at the site of injury for several hours;
- aloe applications – the leaf of the plant is finely crushed and applied to the chest.
Important!
The use of folk remedies is possible only with a mild degree of sprain and after preliminary consultation with a specialist.