Best way to recover from a serious crash?

[MeepMeep]

Three weeks ago I crashed in a local amateur race. I was unfortunate enough to hit a road side tree. I was later told that we were going about 55 km/t when I crashed.

I was fairly lucky, considering what could have happened, since i 'only' broke a shoulder blade, two ribs, and three 'spikes' (do not know the correct English term) off three vertebrae. Doctors tell me there will be no permanent damage.

I am now recovering, and I feel much better already. (Week one was the worst pain I've experience, and I have been through major surgery before), but I am of course nowhere near ready to get on the bike again, since a shoulder blade takes up to 8 weeks to heal up properly.

But I would like to hear from anyone who has suffered similar injuries. At what point during your recovery did you start excercising again, and were there any particular methods that you found rewarding?

Also, I am a little scared I might be too scared to race again - training with my club should be okay, but I do not know about racing... So, if you have any tips on how to straighten out your thoughts, or just links to good reads about cyclists who recovered and returned from crashes, I would love to hear them. I have plenty of time to read now.

Don't know if this is the right forum to post this in, if not please move it.

 

[nightfend]

I broke my femur, clavicle and pelvis in a stage race last year. It took three months before I could ride my indoor trainer. Another month after that before I started riding outside.

The time it takes before you can start riding again various too much to give you a timeline. Your doctor will be a better gauge of this as they can do x-rays during your recovery to see how the bones are healing.

I guarantee you'll feel stiff and uncertain when you first start riding again outside. You'll descend slower, take corners more carefully, etc. But, given time, the fear goes away, and you can get back to riding and racing.

 

[Race Radio]

I have always found this to be a great recovery aid

 

[velostein]

Bouncing Back

Sorry to hear about your accident -- sounds nasty. On 16 November 2008 I broke my right scapula (shoulder blade) and three ribs in a crash. The emergency room physician told me I had "shattered" my scapula. Fortunately, he was incorrect and the orthopedist indicated it was a clean break and the bone was separated into two sections. I was very fortunate -- no ligament damage and no surgery required to repair the fracture. The orthopedist let me ride a stationary bike within two weeks of the injury. Less than six weeks after the injury (30 December 2008), I was back on the bike outdoors. At first, the shoulder hurt after about 30 minutes of riding but it was certainly tolerable. By 1 February 2009 I was doing 50 mile rides without too much discomfort. On 18 February 2009 I began physical therapy aimed at improving the range of motion and strength in my right shoulder. Six weeks of this at twice per week made a big difference. Other than making some funny sounds and being a little bit stiff at times, my shoulder feels pretty darn good. As for the mental part, well, you just have to remember that you are the same experienced rider you were before your crash... don't doubt your abilities. It will take some time for the confidence to return and you will discover that you are ultra-focused and more cautious as you are riding, but that is not such a bad thing. 2009 turned out to be one of my best cycling seasons. I wish you a speedy recovery and hopefully 2010 will be one of YOUR best seasons!

 

[usedtobefast]

get on the trainer as soon as you can. a nice stable one. the blood flow will help your recovery. i could tell you about my crashes, but no. just get back on the bike,as soon as you are able.

 

[MeepMeep]

Thanks for the 'cheer up' lines. I am prone to feelings of self pity, when I read the threads on my clubs message board, and notice that life on the bike for the rest of them, goes on just smoothly without me

I'll be back of course, but winter is coming and so it wont be until next year. I still really wish there was something I could do to speed this process up. I will get in touch with a physio therapist very soon, though.

 

[MeepMeep]

@velostein

You say you started physio therapy about 3 months after your crash? Was the timing something you decided was right, or did your doctor advise you to this?

 

[usedtobefast]

i was in intensive care after a race crash. long story short. i was on the trainer
in a week. was i motivated? yes. so i say, go with your feeling about it.

 

[velostein]

@velostein

You say you started physio therapy about 3 months after your crash? Was the timing something you decided was right, or did your doctor advise you to this?

The doctor wanted me to wait until the fracture was well on its way to healing before I started all of the range of motion and strengthening exercises. I wanted to start sooner but he counseled waiting. I have no regrets about waiting.

 

[Offtheback]

total hip replacement

I'm 61 and just had a total hip replacement, left leg only. It;s been 8 days and just starting to phase off the pain killers. I can shuffle about with no crutches, but generally use one. (Two are a nuisance as you can't carry anything)

Anyone else had a THR and how long before you were back on the bike. Any other advice on rehab?

I am also wondering if my good (right) leg will feel less agile compared to my new titanium enhanced one, once it heals up?

 

[sagard]

Good luck in your recovery. I'm five weeks into recovering from a crash that left me with a fractured left ankle and an open fracture on my right ankle. I'm no racer, but I feel the same fear of riding that you are probably going through. I'm able to walk now, but I still have an ankle brace on my left and a wound vac applied to my right.

Hoping to ride a trainer when I finish regrowing the skin on my right ankle. Then I'm hoping the sheer boredom of riding the trainer will get me over my fears of the road.

Again good luck!

 

[Oldman]

I have always found this to be a great recovery aid

This and the obligatory "travel pack" that includes some serious pain killers or herbal remedy. Remember, you must relax to recover. That and the boredom of sitting still, not picking at scabs, having to wash the sheets again because the wife/girlfriend is disqusted and trying to quiet the voices/ringing in your head. All taken with a physician's counsel, of course.

 

[rutherdbrown]

Sorry to hear about your accident. I also had a severe accident some time ago and i had to do complete bed-rest for 5 months. But my suggestion is that after you completely recover from your injury you should consult a physiotherapist for exercise. Due to the plasters the muscles become stiff and it is difficult to move suddenly. So small exercises will help to recover you faster.

 

[ibooij]

I crashed 3 weeks ago, fractured my left tibia and filbula. It needed a pin through my tibia to be able to heal. Now I'm just sitting/lying on the sofa waiting for it to get better. I still have quite a lot of pain, but it seems that that's normal.

I have had a few fractures before. 4 years ago I broke my left clavicula, elbow and two bones in my left hand. The elbow needed surgery. The crash happened on November 13th, 2005 and I was back on the bike January 14th. Still with quite some pain, but quite happy. 1 1/2 years later it (May 2007) also took me about two months after a bad clavicula fracture (also needed surgery).

This time, I'm hoping to be on my indoor trainer about half November, back on the bike half December.. I'm guessing a leg injury might be a bit harder to recover from than an upper body injury.

I'm also hoping for some good fortune. The crash in 2007 was completely my own fault, but the ones in 2005 and three weeks ago were mainly caused by someone else. In 2005 a car pulled out of a driveway onto the cycle path I was on, just in front of me. I almost got round the back of the car, but just clipped it with my left hand and left part of the handlebars and took a dive (I was going 30km/h, 20mph). Three weeks ago I was on a cycle path when someone coming from the other side fell over, just before we would've passed eachother. He fell onto "my" side of the path. I guess I hit his bike with my left leg. I could've steered to the right, I had had time for that, but then I would've hit a barbed wire fence at 35km/h. I don't know I that would've been better.

Anyways, from experience I can tell you that the first few times that you're back on the bike are a bit scary, but after a while things get back to normal.

cheers,
Ilja

 

[MeepMeep]

Lots of good replies here.

I had new x-rays taken yesterday, and it appears my shoulder blade is healing up decently. So, now trying to get used to not wearing the sling around my neck, and to get the arm and shoulder to move again.

I hope to be able to get back on the bike - or a trainer at least - in a month or so. All form will probably be gone, but thats okay - spring is a long way away now.

Good luck to all you out there, also recovering.

 

[runninboy]

get on the trainer as soon as you can. a nice stable one. the blood flow will help your recovery. i could tell you about my crashes, but no. just get back on the bike,as soon as you are able.

+1
the increased blood flow really speeds healing, one reason pro riders get on the trainer asap. check with your dr. but i did the trainer thing while i had one leg immobilized 2 days after surgery, i had to take off one crank arm and rig up a walker to be able to mount mytrainer but at my first post op the doctor was totally shocked as my bone was healing at a much faster rate than expected.
bottom line i am 8 weeks ahead of schedule and the doctor has me doing my own therapy

 

[peterdelves]

Recovering psychologically

Sorry to hear about your crash.

One of the issues you were concerned about was how you would think/feel when ridng again, and in particular racing. If you sense you with be nervous or anxious then I would recommend a technique called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). I have been using it for years with my clients and teaching it too. It really does work. It involves thinking about the issue that concerns you and tapping on acupuncture points to disperse the 'emotional tag'.

It would be ideal to see a practitioner but you can do it yourself and there is even a freee downloadable manual at the main EFT site at http://www.emofree.com. I also have some information on my site.

I wish you well with your recovery, and would also suggest that you use the time off the bike to do things that you would not have had the opportunity to do otherwise.

 

[Cookie Crumbler]

I'm 61 and just had a total hip replacement, left leg only. It;s been 8 days and just starting to phase off the pain killers. I can shuffle about with no crutches, but generally use one. (Two are a nuisance as you can't carry anything)

Anyone else had a THR and how long before you were back on the bike. Any other advice on rehab?

I am also wondering if my good (right) leg will feel less agile compared to my new titanium enhanced one, once it heals up?

Wow, only 8 days and already reducing the pain killers. If I remember correctly the pills stayed with me for at least 3 weeks and were badly needed especially in the early stages of rehab.

I am 35 and had a THR 5 yeas ago after a motorbike crash in which the neck of femur of my right leg had been shattered.

After the operation I spent 5 weeks in rehab in a sports medicine clinic. Before the THP I had no idea how much muscle mass one can lose in only a couple of days of immobility. Building up muscles and mobilising the joints was top priority from day 1 in rehab. The whole therapy was quite intensive and geared towards a speedy recovery. It worked well for me.

As to which kind of rehab is recommendable I can not really advise on as I am not a doctor, but what worked wonders for me was aquatic physiotherapy quite early on after the operation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19406293
Exercising in warm water helped a lot to get rid of the general stiffness, the back and shoulder ache from walking on crutches, and regaining muscle mass without risking a fall. Aquarobics are not half as cumbersome as exercising in a gym and more effective IMHO. However I was not allowed to swim properly as that could have caused a dislocation of the hip joint. But generally I find swimming a good means of recovery to build up muscles and regain flexibility after a crash or an injury.

I was not allowed to ride a bike - and do any other sports that might cause a fall for that matter - until 6 moths post op. I was told that the hip would not be steady enough until after that time. After about 4 weeks I was given the thumbs-up to exercise - with straight upper body mind you - on a stationary bike. The titanium enhanced leg felt wobbly, the other just plain weak. The hip was fine, only my right leg felt funny, somewhat "out of control". The wobbly feeling, which did not emerge from the hip and extended over the whole leg, stayed until after about a year or so. My doctor told me that this was due to nerves which had been damaged in the crash and would need quite a long time to recover. Mine did eventually and today I do not feel any difference in strength or otherwise, except that the "bionic" leg is still visibly thinner.

As a layperson I would recommend to address any leg length discrepancies as early as possible. I was told that this is quite common in people with THR. My operated leg is now 1.5 centimetres longer than the other one. Pre op it was the other way round. As a result I had a serious back ache, pain in both knees, and quite a funny gait before I got insoles to correct the imbalance.

To get back on the bike was the hardest part, as I felt uneasy and anxious; I shunned group rides for at least a year.

To cut a long story short, getting functional in the sense that I could get back to work took me 5 weeks, but full recovery in the sense that everything felt like before took over 2 years. But eventually I feel exactly like before and this is the most important thing and way more than I expected when I first heard that I would need a THR.

By the way, I was badly scolded by the doctors every time I used only one crutch. The clinic had a strict 2-crutch policy. We were supposed to transport our stuff in hip bags and bag packs.

Get well soon! I wish you a speedy recovery and yet a bit of patience. It's worth it IMO.

 

[evaadrain]

Hey all,

I have read whole thread as well as all replies which are shared from all people,
I would like to thanks all for sharing such a nice information.

 

[daviel]

Bump for a THR question

Offtheback- I may have to have both hips replaced. I see the surgeon 2-15-2010. The xrays show both hips degenerating (necrosis). How's your rehab coming along? What can I expect?