Doctors outline possible recovery times for T.J. Watt after reportedly tearing pec
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Steelers fans are anxiously waiting to learn the fate of the defensive superstar T.J. Watt.
He reportedly tore his pectoral muscle in the win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
A partial tear is just some muscle ripping from another muscle, but doctors said a full tear is muscle rupturing and pulling from a tendon or pulling off the bone.
"It doesn't look good, and I don't know how he's going to be replaced," Tim Piett with Yinzer's in the Burgh said.
Steelers fans are hoping for the best when it comes to Watt's health.
"I don't know how anyone can replace him," Debbie Pintar of Irwin said.
"The reason we won (Sunday) was him, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and an amazing showing from the defense," Morgan Harris of Pittsburgh said.
So why such a difference in the recovery? Doctors said a partial tear only needs some rest to hear. It can take 4-6 weeks. What's tricky is rehab. There has to be a fine balance between too much and not enough work.
"It's an art form. The therapists who are working with him are the best of the best and they will do the right thing in regard to that injury," Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine Director Dr. Paul Saluan said.
A full tear of the pectoral muscle will take 4-6 months to heal and surgery would be needed to repair the damage. The healing from that can take 8-12 weeks in addition to starting rehab.
"The spectrum of injuries is really variable. Depending on partial versus complete and location of where that injury is in muscle, tendon or bone," Saluan said.
That's why getting multiple doctors' opinions on what to do next is going to play such a big role in this timeline.
"That imaging is going to give them the ability to see if it's a partial tear or a full tear," said Dr. Jason Scibek, chairman of Duquesne University's Rangos School of Health Sciences.
There is good news. Scibek said there is data that shows athletes of Watt's caliber can recover and come back just as strong.
"Individuals that do have surgery of those ruptured muscles, they are able to make a recovery," Dr. Scibek said Monday.