114: Pectoralis Major Tendon Tears w/ Dr. Mora

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Mora to discuss Pectoralis Major Tendon Tears — a serious but increasingly common injury in muscular males aged 20-40, especially those who bench press or use anabolic steroids.

Dr. Mora is a native of Orange County. He graduated from Anaheim High School in Orange County CA, and went on to complete his training at UC Irvine where he earned top of his class honors with his induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society honors. From there, he completed his Orthopedic Surgery training at USC, followed by the completion of a Sports Medicine, Cartilage, Shoulder, and Knee Fellowship at Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Medical Group. 

He is currently practicing Orthopedic Surgery in Orange County, California.  Dr. Mora’s practice focuses on sports related trauma, knee ligament and cartilage repair, shoulder rotator cuff and instability, hip arthroscopy and partial knee replacement and ACL reconstruction. He sees athletes of all levels including professional soccer and UFC/MMA. He is team doctor for the Anaheim Bolts pro indoor soccer team and Foothill High School. Some of the procedures he performs include Cartilage transplantation (Genzyme), partial custom knee replacement, OATS, tibial osteotomies, meniscus transplant, knee ligament reconstruction, shoulder reconstruction, elbow arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy, platelet rich plasma and adult stem cell injections. Dr. Mora’s family heritage is Peruvian. He speaks fluent Spanish.

Goal of episode: To develop a baseline knowledge of pectoralis major tendon tears.

In this episode, we cover:

• Common patient populations & injury mechanisms

• Detailed pec anatomy breakdown

• What to look for during H&P (yes, that loss of pec contour!)

• Imaging essentials—why MRI is your best friend

• When non-op treatment makes sense (and when it really doesn’t)

• Surgical tips for acute vs. chronic tears + allograft considerations

• Post-op protocol that gets your patients back to function safely

This episode is sponsored by Arthrex:

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