[Traumatic total rupture of the musculus pectoralis major tendon]

Total or partial rupture of the major pectoral muscle is a rare lesion. Early treatment is recommended to regain full strength in the shoulder, but even without surgery 70 to 90% of original strength may be recovered within a year after trauma. We report a case in which a carpenter three months after total rupture of the major pectoral muscle tendon on the dominant side had spontaneously recovered sufficiently to perform his usual job. The diagnosis was visualized by MR imaging. The muscle strength was tested by use of a dynamometer.