rdf37

I had just finished up a wonderful gravel ride that was so very satisfying. I was running thoughts through my head about how wonderful it was to be back on bike with the attitude I had in my youth. No racing worries or competition...just simple fun riding and enjoying the outdoors. I wheeled my bike into the house and leashed the dogs up to take them outside. Waling out door I lost balance and fell off porch! My rib took the full impact of the concrete and now I am sitting here after x-rays with rib 4 through 8 broken and rib seven offset!!!!!!!!!!! Painful ad frustrating!!!! Here my wife was worried about me riding again and it was the trip out my door that did me in!!!!! I am flat out Frustrated over my mishap! Sheesh...I cant win for losing!
From this wonderful relaxing pic to disaster and locked up in house with no ability to ride at moment!!!!!
Has anyone had multiple broken ribs and how long before you were able to get back on bike?
rdf37

shelbyfv

That's a nice blue color.

BobbyG

Oh, man...that's terrible! Fourteen years ago I was off the bike for a year with a different injury (not broken bones or ribs), and it was tough, but it gave me extra motivation to get back in shape and ride...a motivation I still call on occasionally to get me out riding.

Hoping for the best, and wishing you a speedy (and faster) recovery.

randallr

I’ve broken multiple ribs, they take a few weeks to heal but for mine there was no medical intervention and just “if that hurts, don’t do that.” But I don’t think mine were displaced much at all. I was off the bike a month, but also had broken clavicle and associated surgery.

delbiker1 

Nice bike. No specific ideas, but replacements to occupy the time are needed. I’ve been laid up numerous times for months. I found any kind of light exercise that is doable is worth doing. Once I would get mobile enough, I would start doing any bike maintenance that I could do without harm to self.
I still missed the rides, but in a way that I did not lament it, but realizing and pondering how much I would enjoy it upon returning. With the right attitude, being off the bikes has plusses, along with the downside.

staehpj1

I've broken ribs and cracked a sternum racing motorcycles, playing football, and so on. Both usually heal on their own if not displaced much. Mine did. I still rode a bike, but laid off of contact sports with mine, but I was young and reckless. These days at age 73, I might stay off of my mtb with the same injuries, but might still ride on a mup or smooth road.

I figured that it was best to remain at least somewhat active. Not all rib fractures are the same though. Also some folks are more cautious than others. Also yours sound like more ribs involved. Also not sure what you mean by offset. That sounds more serious than just cracked. I assume it is displaced.

Edit to add: Listen to your doctor, but if possible have doctors with some idea of what you do. I try to have doctors who are knowledgeable on the sports I participate in or better yet are also participants themselves. Not always possible but it avoids some naive advice that some docs give when that have no idea about your sport.

WaveyGravey

So sorry! Nothing is more painful than broken ribs.

Polaris OBark

Did the dogs participate? My only broken bones were from getting rushed and knocked over by the puppy in my avatar and its sibling.

Fredo76

Ouch!!

Hopefully you will heal up quickly.

I suspect my own demise will be caused by a trip and fall. Not being morbid, that just seems more probable.

Be careful!!

mstateglfr 

Broke 3 ribs and dislocated my clavicle June '21 while riding.
I took a few days off, but ride 40mi 5 days later. It was slower than normal, but doable with an otc pain med.

I rode every 3 to 4 days for the following weeks too. Again, not fast.

t2p

ughhhh

mrs t2p had cracked / broken ribs - full recovery took a number of weeks … couple of months … ?

79pmooney

Likewise several times but no surgery (other than a hole drilled so my lung could re-inflate). I was basically told every time that pain would be my road block, not re-injuring the ribs. (Plus a very minor crash would be a full 10 on the pain scale. Those who have not broken ribs or given birth probably don't know what a 10 looks like. And no, not all broken ribs are 10s.) Displacement of ribs is new to me so maybe I've just been lucky. (Well, maybe not. That first one, with it's collapsed lung and wrecked shoulder - I saw full 9s through massive amounts of opiates. And when the ambulance crew picked me up by the shoulders to put me on the hard board - well, TG I was still in post crash shock.)

My third time, I kept my mouth shut re: the ribs. Had my shoulder X-rayed and went to an orthopedic surgeon. After the follow-up two weeks later, I was walking out when the surgeon mentioned my broken ribs. Uh? I asked him how he knew. "Well, you told the nurse it hurt to breath." I told him your line of "they take a few weeks to heal but ... there was no medical intervention and just 'if that hurts, don’t do that'." Surgeon, "Yup!" And laughed. He was a sports medicine guy. Totally got it.

cyclezen

Bummer !
still, looked like a great ride! put the trainer out in the yard and keep the legs in motion...
last time I broke ribs, I was about 62 ish ? 3 ribs, one slightly displaced...
I waited about 15 days before riding again... hard part was finding something resembling smooth roads here in Santa Barbara County... had frequent 'ouch' tinges during rides... for another 3 weeks or so...
I would recommend staying off bumpy gravel and on-road - now that I think of it, I should have used my Full-Sus mtb for the 1st few weeks of riding....
put the trainer out in the yard and keep the legs in motion...
Hope you heal quickly and well.
Ride On
Yuri

rosefarts

Dogs are dangerous. This last weekend I watched a dog rip a lady off her barstool. Lots of blood, backboarded right off the patio of the brewery.

A friend of mine’s wife broke her humerus when her dog saw something exciting.

So far, mine has only caused me to crash my MTB a time or two.

For the injury, take your time and do what you can. My cracked rib didn’t slow me down, just gave me something to complain about. It was progressively less sore and was fine in about 4 months.

I think yours is worse than mine. You’ll probably need enough time off the bike to get over the initial pain and then start back really slow and on pretty chill rides. Gravel actually sounds perfect for that.

terrymorse 

Personally speaking, comparing ribs, clavicle, and hip (4 pieces), I'd give hip the title of most painful.

Ribs: 4-6 weeks until riding is comfortable.

Troul 

big bummer indeed!

the less you aggravate the broken ribs the better. Ya dont want to poke a lung. As for healing time, that will vary depending on age, nutrition, & how active you tend to be.
have you had a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry [D.E.X.A.] scan done? Some may refer to it as a bone mass measurement.

georges1

Get well soon. I have had one broken knee many years ago. Also i had fallen following back in january in the snow and on road which was not treated with salt in icy conditions .Luckily, I have not broken nothing wrong bug but nowadays I am being extremely careful . I am always checking the weather before riding the weather, I have banned riding in winter conditions and especially in snow and in ice condition

jaxgtr

Yikes, ribs are the worse. You realize every muscle in the body links back to it. I broke 5 ribs once it took me about 9 weeks to feel somewhat normal, the soft tissue bruising on top of the rib was absolutely miserable. The ribs themselves eventually, maybe 3 or 4 weeks, felt ok enough to where I could actually sleep in a bed. Up until then I was sleeping in a recliner, and I would not really call it sleeping, it was more like cat naps. I got a back brace that kept my body from moving or bending so that helped a lot to eliminate causing pain, and I do not like taking pain meds, but I had to on this for about a week until the swelling subsided and relieved pressure off my upper chest area.

rsbob 

Sorry to hear about the accident. Heal quickly and get back to the good times.

Jughed

I'm guessing that not all rib injuries are equal.

For me broken ribs - along with a broken collar bone and shoulder - I was back on the bike in a couple of weeks. On the trainer even sooner.

Compared to my back pain, cracked facet joint with a root nerve pinched in the crack - vomiting, sweating, crying, laying on the floor trying not to die - that was a 10, the ribs in comparison were a solid 4.

Dogs - my lab got excited and drug me out of our camper - I landed on the corner of the metal folding steps ribs first - that was an ouchie.

rdf37

I do appreciate all the words of encouragement. Going to do what I can to keep moving and have some smalls goal set while I recover.
1. clean dirty bike
2. Get wife’s bike back to “new” condition
3. Map outt some new routes
4. Get area of garage to be bike repair specific
5. Get some new bike apparel
All of course only when I am physically capable
rdf37

pambam

Oh poor you! Sorry to hear it. Glad you have some goals. Add doing your physical therapy to the list.