Hafthor Bjornsson is optimistic about his recovery after sustaining a graphic pec tear due to a disastrous bench press. In a YouTube video published on September 18, 2023, Bjornsson discussed his rehabilitation and filmed his PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and stem cell treatment injections.
“Today is the day, I’m about to do my PRP injection and stem cells… super excited for the outcome. Obviously, it’s going to help me a lot with my recovery, so yeah, let’s fuc**ng do it,” said Hafthor Bjornsson.
It’s been a trying few months for Bjornsson, who recently devoted himself to a powerlifting return. Looking for a challenge, Bjornsson decided to test himself at his gym where he organized a contest. He attempted a bench press of 556.7 pounds — a number the strongman legend had never put up before as a personal record.
Tragedy struck when Bjornsson lowered the bar to his chest as fans around him could hear the sound of his pec muscle ripping off the bone. In May, Bjornsson underwent successful reparative surgery for his chest, stressing that “everything went absolutely perfect.”
Bjornsson and many other athletes have begun using stem cell therapy as a means of recovery. Aside from “The Mountain,” former eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and former six-time titleholder Dorian Yates have both received the treatment and praised its efficacy. In time, Bjornsson hopes to do the same.
Hafthor Bjornsson Opens Up on Pec Tear Road to Recovery: “I’m Very Optimistic”
Bjornsson felt hopeful about his recovery given that his pec muscle’s full range of motion had almost been restored.
“Movement is good. You know, I’m almost at I’d say a full range of motion when I’m here [reaching high] I can feel a stretch [in the pec] obviously. But it feels great, I’m very optimistic,” said Bjornsson. “I’m 14 weeks [before] surgery.”
“My knees have been bothering me since I’ve been getting back into lifting weights, they ache a lot even just sitting on the toilet, you know, in the night, and getting up, they are stiff and it’s just hard, you know. It has been improving though as I’ve been going to the gym. But they ache. Especially when I’m sitting on a plane or I’m somewhere where I can’t do this [stretch], they ache a lot.”
Next, the doctor examined Bjornsson’s damaged pec with an ultrasound machine and explained the reason for the stem cell procedure coupled with the PRP injection:
“You can see where the surgical site is, this is where your arm muscle is, your humeral head so you can rotate your shoulder, you can see your shoulder bone right there, this is your pectoralis muscle coming across, your pec major, pec minor, and you can see where that rupture was,” the doctor explained.
“When you surgically operate on something and your body repairs to that, your body tends to form Type 3 collagen, which is not very elastic scar tissue-type collagen. What we’re going to do today is take that bone marrow and that platelet-rich plasma, mix it together, a stem cell procedure with PRP, and it’s going to help your body make Type 1 and Type 2 collagen which are much more elastic and flexible and strong, and normal collagen tissues.”
Bjornsson received the PRP injection in his lumbar and described the pain of the procedure as a “five or six” on the 1-10 pain scale.
“A little bit of pressure for a short period of time, nothing to whine about. We’re happy, we’re pleased. Definitely worth it you know. How long till I’ll see like a difference, you would think?”
The doctor said Bjornsson could see clear benefits from the injections in one or two months.
“Nothing for a about a month,” the doctor shared. “About a month that collagen production really ramps up and between the second and third month, you’ll notice whole benefits and between the third and six months, you’ll notice continued benefits but at a slower rate. About a whole six months is the whole time frame with the most rapid improvements occurring in the second and third month.”
On the final leg of his recovery tour, Hafthor visited the Transcend HRT clinic and enjoyed the hyperbaric chamber, the infrared sauna, cryotherapy, and a compression suit.
“Today I’m going to be doing the hyperbaric chamber, as you guys know I love that and I do it when I can. We’re going to do the infrared sauna, we’re going to do cryotherapy and we might do something else, we’ll see what they have available for me today. I might do red light therapy as well if it’s open, if not, that’s okay.”
Finally, Bjornsson received an IV of B12 and glutamine and B complex, which aid in muscle recovery and energy.
“I feel good. I feel rejuvenated after my treatments with Restore, I did infrared sauna for 50 minutes, it took forever, fucking warm. Hyperbaric chamber for a one-hour treatment, after that I did the IV treatment, got some good minerals in my body as well as some compression on my legs.”
Staking his claim as a world-renowned strongman, Bjornsson’s work ethic matched his monstrous size, which saw him become the 2018 World’s Strongest Man. He remains the only competitor in the history of the sport to win the WSM, Europe’s Strongest Man, and Arnold Strongman Classic titles in the same calendar year.
As Hafthor Bjornsson prioritizes rest and recovery, fans eagerly await his next move. In the meantime, he plans to continue testing his strength at the gym and learning new techniques from those around him.
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Watch the full video from Hafthor Bjornsson’s YouTube channel below:
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