Recovery from Accident
07-30-18, 07:43 PM
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Recovery from Accident
I had a major mishap while riding to work on December 1, 2016, when I was 54. I displace fractured my right foot (tib-fib), broke my foot, blew out my right knee, broken ribs etc. I got back on the bike after 5 months, then overdid it and found out I also damaged four lumbar discs and had pinched nerves. Now, after over a year and a half, I'm slowly getting my road mojo back, but it's been a very tough climb. For anyone else out there coming back from serious injuries, keep the faith and keep focused on physio.
07-30-18, 08:42 PM
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Glad to see you are back on the bike.
07-30-18, 10:04 PM
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Sorry to hear about your accident and truly respect your getting back at it. Take it at your own pace and be safe.
Frank.
Frank.
07-31-18, 08:09 AM
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Did you crash the V-twin or was that what you rode when you couldn't ride the bike? 
Anyway ... I know you are glad to finally be back. Congratulations.
Anyway ... I know you are glad to finally be back. Congratulations.
07-31-18, 01:00 PM
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At 70 just falling over and putting a hand out to catch myself,
took a long time to recover from the cracked bone in wrist.
took a long time to recover from the cracked bone in wrist.
07-31-18, 01:19 PM
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I used to race sportbikes on road courses and had a pretty scary high-side in July of 2014 at age 49. I ended up with a fractured hip @ the sacrum, pulls in my left MCL (major), ACL (minor) and meniscus (minor) and tore my left shoulder.
I went through 3 months of not being able to exercise at all, but the healing process allowed me not to gain weight. After three months, I was cleared to walk on my treadmill when I started PT on my knee and shoulder. After another month, I was cleared to start cycling and inline skating again.
Since I decided to retire from road racing, I needed another focus, so I took up my old hobby of inline speed skating and have been doing it ever since. I competed in my first ever nationals and even placed in one of my three distances.
It took quite a while to rehab the shoulder, but the knee healed pretty fast. The cycling and skating played a major part in that. Just take recovery easy and don't push yourself so hard that you re-injure yourself.
I went through 3 months of not being able to exercise at all, but the healing process allowed me not to gain weight. After three months, I was cleared to walk on my treadmill when I started PT on my knee and shoulder. After another month, I was cleared to start cycling and inline skating again.
Since I decided to retire from road racing, I needed another focus, so I took up my old hobby of inline speed skating and have been doing it ever since. I competed in my first ever nationals and even placed in one of my three distances.
It took quite a while to rehab the shoulder, but the knee healed pretty fast. The cycling and skating played a major part in that. Just take recovery easy and don't push yourself so hard that you re-injure yourself.
07-31-18, 04:57 PM
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Congratulations on your recovery. I was off the bike for a year at 49 due to a very painful non-bike related neck issue. I love cycling even more now at 56 and realize how fortunate we all are are to be cycling (and in many cases just alive).
08-01-18, 11:48 AM
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Good on you for getting back in the saddle...I hope you are up to speed soon! 
08-01-18, 11:57 AM
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Very impressive that you have the will and determination to work through it and get back to where you are now. Keep at it, great work.
08-01-18, 01:39 PM
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Good work, Vince. Keep at it. I know where you're coming from. I took a fall riding home from work almost two years ago and got a nice concussion for my trouble. Had to work from home for 3 months and various other fun stuff, but finally feel like I'm back to being able to ride like I did. Now it's just a matter of getting the fitness back.
SP
OC, OR
SP
OC, OR
08-01-18, 05:34 PM
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FOOSH fracture (fall on out stretched hand). Happened to me 4 years ago. Off the bike for a few months and took me 6 months more before I felt comfortable.
08-02-18, 05:36 PM
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I highly respect your commitment and focus. Keep up the good work. Hope and pray you continue to heal!
08-03-18, 06:51 AM
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Are there safety accessories designed with more “seasoned” riders in mind to prevent some of these injuries? Padding? Joint supports? Air bags?! JK on that last one. Seriously asking about others.
08-03-18, 07:43 AM
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08-03-18, 10:41 AM
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Thanks for all the kind words. Everyone assumes I binned it on the motorbike, but it was just a slow speed incident on my work commuter bicycle, unfortunately the physics were bad and the right chainstay became a ram which offset my right foot, since I was still cleated at the time. The good news was that while I was stuck on the sofa for weeks I could look out the living room window at my road bike sitting on it's work stand, which gave me extra motivation to get back in the saddle. The surgeon told me I should have had this accident thirty years ago, a helpful comment.
08-03-18, 09:15 PM
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Best wishes. I'm recovering from being hit by a car in May. It's much slower to heal than I remember from my youth. Back then it seems like I bounced, usually with little more than scrapes and bruises. Stuff breaks more easily now and takes longer to heal.
