Recovery from Injuries: How did you get out and how did you bounce back?

[Roland Sturm]

Injuries on the trail may not be terribly common, but after an annoyingly injury-plagued year I wonder what the most likely issues are, how you got yourself of the trail, and the follow-up sequel. Acute injuries, rather than aches and pains and mental burnout.

At this point, I would guess that clavicle fractures are the most common problem (maybe because I have broken them on both sides and Sean Allen just posted a picture that looks to me like new plate and screws). But maybe not? So what did you encounter? How did you get out of it? How long before you were back on the trail?

My 2012 trail injuries include broken ribs and a punctured lung (on the Colorado Trail) and a broken collarbone plus shoulder separation (on my home loop). Details here:
http://rolandsturm.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-year-with-too-many-injuries.html

So far, I've always gotten myself off the trail (I believe if you get yourself into trouble, your responsibility to get yourself out of it if at all possible). Maybe I was just lucky to not have anything worse happening (broken femur anybody?). What did you do? Getting myself out of the pickle never was fun and sometimes took a while. In Colorado, it took me most of a day to get off the Colorado trail. Both of my collarbones blew up near the top and had a long descent off the mountain.

Regarding clavicle fractures, how did you deal with those? The last one was surgery 3 months ago, then second surgery for hardware removal 2 weeks ago. While I've been riding a bit most of the time (4 hours yesterday), I am extremely hesitant at this moment. I've been a solo rider, but at the moment feel ambivalent about it.

[bartspedden]

I broke my clavicle in 2 places (compound fracture) and didn't have insurance, so no surgery for me, just a butterfly harness. It took 6 weeks for the floating bone fragment to heal into place and another 8-10 weeks before I was 100%.  Now I have fancy bump on my clavicle that pack straps rub on.  Thankfully over the years the point has rubbed down and basically doesn't bother me much anymore.

Good for you for getting yourself out of your own challenges, muy responsable mi amigo!  You can read about my OTB experience on the ctr here http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,2502.0.html. There's no shame in listening to your body and letting it heal.  Just make sure it's your body talking and not your brain.

[kdinger]

Roland,

We crossed paths a few times on the first day of last year's Stagecoach.  Really sorry to read about all your injuries last year.  Impressive job getting yourself out with a punctured lung!   I see you're on the startlist for Stagecoach again in a few weeks - have you recovered enough to make it? 

I've had two MTB injuries that required medical attention.  20+ years ago I broke a kneecap.  Was with 2 others, one of them went to our original trailhead to fetch the vehicle while I and the other walked out to the nearest road access (a couple of miles).  No surgery but leg needed to be immobilized for 6 weeks.  The contrast between the quads at the end of that was comical - uninjured one was larger than at time of accident (from riding around one-legged) while the injured one had atrophied away to almost nothing.  Took awhile to get back the muscle and range of motion, but no complications.

In late-Jan this year, I went over the bars on my way into work and I knew immediately I had fractured a clavicle.  Called my wife to meet me at the nearest trailhead and walked out (~1 mile).  Surgery (plate and screws) after one week of debilitating pain, then 5 more days of severe pain, gradually improving after that.  Wind trainer about 2 weeks post-surgery.  First road ride about 6 weeks after surgery.  First MTB ride 9 weeks post-surgery.  Second MTB ride was VQ last weekend (10 weeks after surgery).  Still hoping to do Stagecoach.  Ortho would prefer to leave the hardware in but I'm dubious about being able to carry a pack with it still in there.

-Keith

[mathieu]

So far, I've always gotten myself off the trail (I believe if you get yourself into trouble, your responsibility to get yourself out of it if at all possible).

Roland,
I still feel sorry that I didn't join you on the TD2011. You are a tough guy, but I doubt the wisdom behind this ethic to get yourself out of the mess if possible. Are you sure that the puncture occurred at the accident itself or could it have been caused while you were struggling on your way out?
Long time ago I had an accident on Everest, a slab avalanche swiping me and my climbing partner down over an ice cliff where we landed on a snow plateau. It turned out that I got bruised ribs but my companion was less lucky. He gradually lost conscienceness. A fractured rib had punctured his lung and at the altitude of 6800 meter (22,000 ft) that is like suffocating. It took the whole team several days to carry him down to basecamp and on a lorry to a hospital. I could descent on my own power. I guess that if my companion hadn't lost conscienceness we would also have tried to descent by ourselves, but later I was told that when you suspect fractured ribs it is much better to wait for immobilized transport on a stretcher. The same advice probably holds for leg fractures.

On a bike I only expienced a couple of minor accidents, resulting in a clavicle fracture, a fractured wrist, bruised ribs. It wasn't my fault and I was glad to accept car transport. A couple of days later I was riding the bike again, although not at full speed.