A routine gym session turned into a life-altering nightmare for Brazilian bodybuilder Ranieri Lopes Filho after he suffered an agonising injury while attempting to leg press 400kg.
What’s more, he captured the entire thing on camera.
The 31-year-old, who has been training for around ten years, was filming his workout for social media as part of his preparations for an upcoming bodybuilding competition scheduled for May. The incident happened at a gym in Piaui, in Brazil’s north-east, where Lopes Filho was pushing through an intense leg session, The Sun reports.
Footage shows him lowering himself into the leg press machine and attempting a second repetition with the weight set at 400kg. Almost instantly, things go wrong.
As he begins the movement, his right knee buckles under the load, and the sound of the rupture can be clearly heard on the video.
What follows is deeply distressing. Lopes Filho can be seen clutching his knee, screaming in agony, his head rolling back as the pain takes hold. Gym staff and other members rush to his aid, urgently pulling the weights off the ends of the bar and lifting the machine away from his legs as he remains trapped in the seat.
Emergency services were quickly contacted, and Lopes Filho was taken to hospital, where doctors confirmed he had ruptured his quadriceps tendon — a rare but serious injury.
The video can be seen below – but, this is your warning, it is an unpleasant watch:
According to medical information cited by OthoInfo, a quadriceps tendon rupture can be a disabling injury when severe. Even smaller tears can cause significant pain and difficulty walking. In most cases, surgery is required, followed by extensive physical therapy to restore knee function. And this is sadly what the bodybuilder has had to endure.
Lopes Filho underwent surgery the day after the accident. Medics have since told him he must keep his leg completely extended for three weeks and is unable to bend his knee during that time. His recovery plan also includes physiotherapy and electric stimulation therapy to help rebuild strength and aid healing, The Sun reports.
Doctors have warned that it could be several months before he is able to walk properly again. Even light training is unlikely before the end of the year, assuming his recovery progresses well.
Orthopaedic surgeon Anisio Castelo Branco, who treated Lopes Filho, explained that the injury was caused by an eccentric contraction — when a muscle lengthens while under tension. Dr. Branco added that it will be at least three weeks before he is able to walk again, but with the assistance of a brace.
In about six-to-eight weeks, the brace will be removed and Lopes Filho will be able to start walking unaided and start regaining muscle.
Despite the severity of the injury, Lopes Filho chose to share the video on Instagram, alongside two photos taken from his hospital bed — one showing his heavily bandaged knee.
In the caption, he reflected on the moment and the consequences it has had on his plans, writing:
“Although each experience is unique, it’s the decisions we make that guide the meaning of our existence.
“Thus, life presents numerous challenges whose consequences reveal both the weight of decisions and the false alternatives that offer us only the illusion of freedom.”
He later added: “It was an indescribable pain, but along with it came the frustration of knowing that all the planning to compete in May had gone down the drain.
“The post-surgery pain was even worse than that of the accident.”
The video prompted an outpouring of support from followers online, with many wishing him a smooth and speedy recovery.
While his competitive plans are now on hold, Lopes Filho faces a long and challenging road back. We wish him the very best on his recovery journey.
Featured image credit: Instagram/@ranierilf (screenshots)
