Kid A's thread got me to thinking maybe I should go public with my story, hoping that others might also and that someone else might be helped through others' experiences. In my case, I broke my back in 3 places and herniated a disc during a motorcycle crash about 10 years ago. It was my second painful crash in as many years, after the first one split my kneecap. Prior to these injuries, I rode moto, did triathlons, surfed, and skied, so these were lifestyle-changing injuries. For years I was in daily pain and assumed I was done with sports like mountain biking. Luckily I happened to move in next door to a hard-core rider who coaxed me out onto the trails, which changed my life. Just before I started riding, I was resigned to the idea that I'd need surgery. I'd gotten a new MRI that showed the herniated disc had degenerated to nothing - bone on bone. I assumed I'd be at an increased risk for paralysis until two specialists told me otherwise. Each also disagreed about the appropriate surgery. So I waited...and started riding. My first day out, I nearly puked on the short hill along the West ridge at Aliso, climbing up to the bench where Mathis meets the road. On my second ride, I took a trip over the bars and was pleasantly shocked when I wasn't hurt. That lit the fuse. Almost two years later now I'm onto my third bike (built #2 & 3 from scratch) and I ride 2-4 times per week. I've added muscle while dropping about 12 lbs and hope to lose another 15-20, but more importantly I feel a million times better. I still have a bit of pain, but it's worse when I'm inactive than when I ride a lot. I'm stronger (a relative term, since I'd been a couch potato), sleep better, feel more confident, and generally have a better quality of life. Most important, I'm having fun after years of frustration. And as a bonus, through exercise I've been able to postpone surgery. I may still have it someday, but as a last resort and after the technology and procedures have continued to improve. Some lessons I've learned: Keep trying - don't assume you can't do something until it's been proven absolutely. Consultation with an expert can be the best money you'll ever spend, but no one person has all the answers. Mountain biking is fun, even - and sometimes especially - when you're suffering!
Well said (wrote). After many years of abusing my body in one form or another I stumbled on to mountain biking and all things considered I've had less injuries in this hobby/sport/kickass-good time-fun then any others I was ever involved in. Motorcycles, although I loved them were going to get me killed and anything else with a motor just wasn't working for me, the penalties are just to severe.
I've always been pretty flexible for my size, and have had ballance better than most would have figgured. After I broke my ankle I became a skittish wreck. It was a very bad break, but thats been covered in other threads. Anyhow, even simple things like uneven ground, steping over large obstacles, and hoping down from anything higher than 2.5-3 feet was almost terrifying after the surgery 1. because I didn't want to reinjure myself, 2. It usually hurt a little (further reinforcing number 1), and 3. reminded me of the fact that not only was I now grossly out of shape, but I didn't even have my inheirent sense of ballance to fall back on. When I started biking again, I tended to sit a looooot more than I used to. Part of it was because my ankle would get sore when I got out of the saddle, part of it was again related to various fears. Even after tons of PT, I was still skittish and didn't really walk 100% normally, let alone carry on day to day like I did before the injury. Mechanically I was 100%, but my brain had lost track of it's file on what to do with sensations from my right foot. Anyhow, fast forward to Superdave taking us on our first Oaks ride, and asside from still being grossly out of shape (then and now ) That ride showed me more about myself and helped my brain reconnect with my foot more than any amount of previous PT. It wasn't the ride so much as the 3 or so bails I took that night. I can't remember if it was on chutes or waterfall, but one of my brake cables got messed up and rendered the brake useless. The first time I went OTB, it was relatively hard, but as I was loosing control, everything slowed down in my head, and I conciously chose to bail and roll away from the bike. It was weird because it was one of those slow motion moments; right up until I decided to roll, then everything resumed "real time" speed. I got up dusted myself off, and wasn't hurt at all. That first bail of the night set the stage for a few more, but by the end of the night, I had unknowingly triggered something in my subconcious that really progressed the communication between my brain and foot, and since then things have only gotten better. I don't fear falling and reinjuring my ankle on stupid little things, I'm tons more stable over uneven terain, and ballance much more comfortably on narrow/elevated sufaces. It sounds kinda lame, but if I didn't get back into bikes, I wouldn't have gotten back into anything, and that would have been baaaaad news. I think the joy, self confidence, and sense of identiti that riding bikes my entire childhood and well into my 20s provided, gave me something safe to return to after what was a seemingly life altering injury. Chris
bikes cost less than getting cut open,paying someone to leave somehting inside you,or worse it still comes back.bikes have always been therapy for me.heel up peeps!
I'm in the Ti club. I shattered my femur in '98. I've got the Ti rod in my leg and 2 surgical stainless screws in my hip. I had a third screw just above my knee, but that one was taken out. I did this skiing Blackcomb, and I thought I was f'd for a good long time. Turned out I was only f'd for a moderately long time, but I learned a lot about rehab. Rehab was slow, but steady. I would concede that this was it; this was the best I was going to get re limp and pain, but a month or two later I would see that I was indeed better than then. So don't give up on the rehab. It takes time and effort, and in time you will see results. The only thing I refuse to do now is run, unless I'm being chased. Everything else is actually better than before my injury. [-o-] GGG
Another lesson learned... The better shape you are in, the less chance of injuries. Also, SEX is much better when you are in shape! :bang: Hey, I'd ride for that reason alone! OMR... (smiling as I enter the bedroom at night)
Back in the early 90's I had a motorcycle accident. Car hit me after running a light as I was crossing the street to go left. All I saw was a white hood and heard what I thought was a girl scream. I did one front flip, spun two complete times and bounced twice on the pavement. I had time during the spins to evaluate what happened and I think in the time I was in the air I thought about not wanting to hit the sign in the median and being split in two... a thought that "this is gonna hurt" went through it as well. I knew I was going to live but wow... that shit hurts. I SCREAMED so loud they thought I was a girl. The cop that was going to pull the guy over for running a light (with 3 girls in the car) was a woman. At the time all I recall was it was a male cop. long story short.. Shattered left ankle (the ball your ankle pivots on) from being crushed between bike and car bumper (still hurts to this day, every day, some days worse than others) and a couple broken ribs. I have learned to live with the pain, althought biking and skateing do have their days when it's not fun. Motorcycle destroyed from the 40-45mph impact, never saw it again after i went over the bars that night. Yesterday: I didn't feel anything and had almost no limp Today: hurting and I have a noticable limp I'm hoping for the best for satudays ride. It's allllllll good! Gave me a new appreciation for life and I don't rush around to places like I used to and take time to enjoy life.
Same boat here! After many years of abusing my body and finding I was quite lucky to live through it as well. I got married for the second time in 1991 my wife thought it was odd that the bed moved while I lay there. She strongly suggested I go see a cardiologist. Within a week I had heart surgery. I had an atrial septal defect, which in short is a hole between the walls of the heart. The Dr. was amazed I was still walking when I told him of my past drug abuse. After the drugs I started cycling on the road and then mountain biking. I would get to the point when climbing that I would pass out or sometimes hallucinate. I have also had back injuries and other broken bones. That pain I can get through without much problem. After the surgery within a year I went from 165 to almost 250. I attribute that from my metabolism changing over night from the surgery. Now I ride between two to five times a week and weigh 185. I'm not fast but not slow either. And on top of that I turn 50 in December. One last thing. If OMR doesn't stop talking about sex I'm going to have to be careful around him. He does have nice hair... :wave: :beer:
I had a spinal cord injury 4 years ago and if I listened to everything my doctors told me, I'd now be in a wheelchair and be wearing depends. Don't ever underestimate your will power and your strength. Yes, certain things are beyond your control but you can clear a lot of hurdles if you put your mind to it. The body has a funny way of reacting when you sensibly push your body in a healthy direction. I had nerve damage and I was told recovery should stop after 2 years. Well, here I am 4 years later and I still see improvement. I now ride again but am much more cautious and I don't take any unnecessary risks. Sure I will never be 100% but at least I'm walking and riding again. To quote my neurosurgeon, "Well, I guess you can ride again, just don't fall!" I should engrave that on my bars. Good for you. Don't take your new found freedom for granted and do reckless things. Such acts will bring you right back to ground zero, if you know what I mean. Good luck and keep having fun!
I just got back from the Orthopedic Surgeon ( Dr Robert McAurther ) I had 2 surgeries since my downhill accident on 04/30 . Looks like im back in the boot due to a post hardware removal infection . Dr. advises the boot until the end of the month , I thought I was done with that thing .. You gotta listen to the Doc , I find stubborn people with injuries just doing there own thing all the time . It just prolongs your recovery , I look forword to riding and competing again , its been almost 4 months and im dying to ride , take care of your injuries my brothers , see you on the trail soon
Been there... done that... got the back injury! As you might suspect, after riding mountain bikes for the last 25 years, I've had my share of accidents... you all know the old truism: It's not a matter of IF, it's only a matter of WHEN.... and we've all had our Whens! Yeah, I've been helicoptered off of Strawberry Peak after taking a 70 ft header off a cliff (should be dead by all accounts. 2 broken ribs, 2 broken fingers, 2 sprained ankles & 155 stiches on the face later, I call my wife from the ER. (Wife not happy!)... Yeah, I came down on my neck after doing an unintentional flip off a jump on Mc Gill Trail north of Valencia, woke up and couldn't feel my arms or legs... Your life does flash before your eyes...took a year for the numbness to go away. (again, wife not happy) I have trouble convincing her that I ride bikes because I love it and it's good for me... The point of all this is I survived to ride another day & while I was healing, all I could think about was when I could get back on the bike and do what I love to do. Sometimes it seems foreverto last... and as bad as it seems, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will ride again. I've always remembered a phrase that John Carter (fictional adventure book character) use to say as his evil nemesis did some dasterly deed to him: "This too shall pass!" and it always does! Here's to that next ride... OMR
Damn, biking is great:bang: :lol::lol::lol: pretty much told the same. no mtb nor boarding for the rest of my life. f -that. Already back on the bike and the freshies await:bang:
speaking of injuries. Last night a pack of 5 riders coming down the extra credit by Lynx bomb down that short shoot and head over to go down Lynx. Two guys on the trail end wearing normal short and rugby shirts pass by and proceed to head down Lynx sans FRICKEN HELMETS!!! My wife and I looked at each other and thought...is that really a wise thing to do? I just dont get it.
I saw 2 organ doners on San Juan last sat and I know fo sho that one works at a bike shop Way to set an example:bang:
You asked for it: Here is a partial list (I don't have my medical record in front of me right now) 4 Broken bones in left foot (friendly game of football) Broken Nose (Water Polo) Broken Left arm (Inline Skating) 2 Broken Knuckles in right hand (don't ask) Broken Nose (again, Water Polo) 2 broken knuckles right hand, again (another don't ask) 6 broken small bones and 4 metatarsals in right foot Titanium screws and pins inserted(Search and Rescue op gone bad) Broken & Dislocated Left shoulder(MTB) Broken A/C joint (MTB) Numerous occasions of broken (not counting cracked) ribs Broken Scapula (MTB) 1 Pneumo-Thorax aka punctured lung (diving) 1 Hemo-Pneumo-Thorax (MTB) 1 severed tendon right hand (Gardening) severed axillary artery and veinous-arterial transplant (MTB) nerve damage right thumb nerve damage right pinky finger nerve damage left arm There are a few more but I am too lazy to dig out the records to refresh my memory. Ride On!
Chris - WTF Gardening???? hope it was at least the MJ found in A/W.. and getting hit in the face with a ball in a pool in Cancun while drunk is not water polo:lol: Hmm, your post also reminds me of a joke; Q: what's the hardest part of in-line skating A: Telling your family you're ghey :lol: j/k no hater here...but do think the joke is funny
Gardening with a machete. No, not the MJ, I'm high on life (plus I have a steady supply of opiates) 3 years varsity goalie. (but I played for 5 in high school... j/k) but it is funny you should mention that, I did play a drunken game of waterpolo in Bahrain At the time hitting the tricks and jumps and railslides was cool, but then it became popular and shortly thereafter it became ghey.
Whoa! Chris, You definitely win! Beer's on me.... if I could just remember where the heck I put my money! OMR
crazy, crazy, crazy stories here....i dont have any broken bones, thank god, but i will for sure start wearing my helmet every time from now on!
