Crashing and getting back in the saddle

[Shu]

This past saturday I shuttled SJT w/ a few friends...it was wet....the plants we covered w/ dew and as everyone knows it's over grown....our arms and gloves were SOAKED...once we got to Cocktail Rock I actually made a fist and tons of water poured oput of my gloves....this also had a effect on my grips...they became loose(not lock-ons)...anyway the trail was sticky and we were really flowing good on the back side (last section before the switchbacks) when my left grip slide off and caused me to go OTB at a high rate of speed...when my head hit the ground and my neck started to bend I was thinking OMG MY NECK is going to BREAK...then landed on my back(DaKine pack)....my feet were clipped in so as I was flipping over it launched my bike 15' down the trail in the air to where it hit one of my friends who couldn't get out of it's way and knocked him over the side into the bushes...I got right up and everything was ok...well no numbness or tingling or broken bones....I checked out my bike and continued the rest of the way down the switchbacks(VERY SLOW) on the way down I was reflecting on what had just happened and what could have happened...this crash was a mechanical failure and not a case of riding over my head as my speed wasn't anything more than I ever ride on this familair trail...so we get to the bottom and I'm now starting to stiffen up real good and decide to head to the ER for some precautionary xrays...just to make sure...they thank god were negitive...I am still very sore and going to my chiropractor every day this week b/c he says my back and neck are pretty unstable....

Basically I am a little nervous/concerned about riding...how long will this take to get over(not the health part but the mental part)...I know some of you have had some serious crashes and are back on your bikes riding the same or a little different than pre-injury...my crash wasn't serious b/c I didn't suffer any major type of injury but it has made me aware of what can happen VERY EASILY on a mtn bike...

1st pic is in ER w/ neck brace
2nd pic is hip bruise
3rd pic is elbow and forearm bruise despite wearing pads from elbow to wrist

[tkblazer]

i dunno about everyone else, but its taken me a month or so sometimes to get back up to speed with my riding confidence. These days though, i tend to take it easy and i try to get the basics of riding down rather than just being fast down a trail.

[Evel Knievel]

Good luck and healing vibes to ya.

[FyrFytrRyn]

each person reacts to pain and emotional stress in different ways. mostly because these are a perception. a while back i fell real good on my mx bike, broke my arm and bruised various other parts. i raced with the cast on. depends on how into it you are, i guess. some people fall once and call it quits. some (like me and some others) absolutely refuse to let injury stop them. ill probably end up dead by 2 or 4 wheels, shouldn't stop you from riding though. you'll be back in the game before you thought.

[Shu]

I don't want to quit riding all together...just wondering how long it has taken some of you to get back to not riding too cautious...If I was your age Ryan I would be back on my bike hittin DH already but my 40yo body and head are saying different...btw this has been my 1st real hard crash on a mtn bike...but I have crashed hard doing absolutely everything you can crash hard on...I'm no rookie when it comes to getting hurt...guess this is where my age is starting to get the better of me...

[Waldo]

Nice bruise!

I'm not a big fan of chiropractic, but if it works for you, that's cool. But...if you're not feeling physically right, don't hesitate to go back and get checked by someone else. I could tell a pretty scary story of injuries they missed during one of my visits to the ER. Listen to your body.

When you feel physically well, just go ride. Cruise around the streets a little. Ride some super-mellow XC trails (take a beginner and spend time teaching!). Or just find a grassy spot and practice balance drills. Pretty soon it'll all feel right and you'll get back up to speed. The trick is to learn from the crashes, balance your karma checkbook, and move on.

Good luck and feel well soon.

[ride hard]

the mental part goes away after you go do it again without problems or you get over it... something like that happened to me on a jump i crash and was knocked out. the week after i went up there again and did it a lot and nothing happened ^_^

[PacMan]

I had a gnarly crash awhile back on an 12" wide bridge riding over a creek. The bridge was wet and I hit it to fast and my tires just kind of washed out. I rode most of it out but then went off the bridge a few feet shy of the other side--a 3 foot drop down into the water and a bad OTB into the rocky bank of the creek.

My shoulder was pretty jacked up for a few weeks. To this day, I can't get over the mental hurdle and allow myself to ride that particular section again--or any bridge for that matter.

All I know is--get back on the bike as soon as you can and the rest should fall back into place as time goes.

Healing vibes out to you and keep us updated.

[Shu]

I wasn't a fan of chiropractors til I met this Dr....he fixed the lack of curve in my neck...He took xrays of my neck and back too before he did any kind of adjusting and also reaffirmed what the ER doc said....

I did learn something from this crash....LOCK ON Grips!!!!

[Keith B]

I went OTB at low speed on Ramona at the weekend and have either cracked or broken a rib or two (Going to the doc tomorrow ) I got straight back on and rode at pretty much the same speed then did 2 more rides later in the day but as the pain set in I went slower.
Without doubt you dont heal as fast as you get old but I think personally once I'm healed I'll be back to full speed straight away. Its hitting an already damaged body part thats the real concern for me.

Originally Posted by Shu

I'm no rookie when it comes to getting hurt...guess this is where my age is starting to get the better of me...

[Shu]

I think I'm mostly freaked out b/c it is/was my neck...

[26'er Zen Master]

Confidence is something that comes and goes and I feel its meant to be that way. Once you start to get overconfident or cocky you get smacked down. Its your minds way of saying you think you know it all well heres one you havent seen yet. Riding is a delicate balance and you need to push yourself to improve but with constant pushing eventually you push too far and you cross the line. Luckily thru improvment the line gets farther and farther away.

[andy aka rut]

I've gone OTB a few times I've even been knocked out a few times. Hell I can even say I've flown over the hood of a sheriff's car now. I have to agree with the others. It's all a matter of the individual. Take your time healing mentally and physically. I still haven't ridden my bike to work since my last accident (3 weeks ago.) My rib is still sore and my hip bothers me too. I'm taking my time and letting my mind heal before I get back out there in the predawn, freezing cold, too tired to yawn hours... Besides my car has heated seats!

Good luck and learn to enjoy the ride again.

[Schecky]

Just shake it off!



J/K - Take your time and baby your neck for a while. You'll know when you are ready.

[SAR_boats]

I still can't move my left arm very well from my last crash but I can't wait to get back on a bike.
Hope you heal up ok and don't have any lasting effects from the crash.
And go easy on the chiropractic stuff, over stressing your neck could do a lot of damage

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

I still can't move my left arm very well from my last crash but I can't wait to get back on a bike.
Hope you heal up ok and don't have any lasting effects from the crash.
And go easy on the chiropractic stuff, over stressing your neck could do a lot of damage

Oh please...your crash was just a little scratch

Just kidding bro.

Did your doc(s) give you an ETA for when you can probably ride again?

[Mudd]

Ya, but......Is the bike ok?

[dstepper]

The worst I have been injured is bruised ribs and a seperated shoulder. I don't know what else I have done to my self because I don't do to the doctor. Whenever I hit the ground farely hard I have major chest pains when I breath and have to sleep sitting up...it takes about a month to go away. My body-surfing partner, who is a or Orthopedic Surgeon, thinks I tore the cartilage between my lungs and ribs. Now it takes less of an impact to come back.

Cuts and scrapes from over the bars, too many to count. My pattern is to do more tech until I get hurt then months slowly getting back to the point I was at before the crash.

Being off the bikes for a couple of weeks/months is something I am not willing to risk.

Dean

[Edog]

Feel better!

[~ Pakiha ~]

Shu,

I don't know if you are aware of what happend to me, but I had a similar crash. Mentally I couldn't wait to get back in the saddle, but at the same time I didn't go back to where I crashed for almost a year. I wish I had gone back sooner. You're luckier than I was, you remember what went wrong, and can fix the issue (grips) and try again. take your time on the ride and let you brain relive it. You can ask Sprockethead and slowspokes, when I went back to Turnbull after my crash I guess my brain felt I could handle what it was hiding and would let me remember it, I kept saying, "HEY! I remember this." Going back down the actual trail I crashed was kinda freaky, admitably I wasn't holding back and took it at about the same speed I'd taken it the year before (this time on the full squish) and it was freeing to beat it. Gotta warn you though, my neck is still jacked. I tried to find the post of my after math to link, but i think Gonz chucked it on account of the speedo