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Hi folks,
Apologies if this is a bit of a scream into the void...
On the 2nd December, I had an almighty crash on the road - coming down a hill at around 50kph, I had a catastrophic front tyre failure and ended up trying and failing to control my bike on just its front rim. I hit the ground hard on my right side, and slid/scraped/bounced my way into a parked car on the other side of the road; there I remained, in the worst pain I've known, for 40 minutes. Finally, the Wellington Free Ambulance picked me up, fed me some top-notch ketamine and whisked me to hospital. After a day of pain and good drugs, a surgeon inserted a plate, a DHS and an anti-rotation screw into my right hip.
5 days later I made it home, but I have to avoid weight bearing on my right leg until Friday 15th January, when I have my next checkup. The drugs are mostly controlling the pain now, but I'm pretty helpless - I can get around on crutches but my mobility is pretty limited - my world has basically shrunk to three rooms. I've had lot of lectures about not pushing this one too hard (as is my tendency) so I'm actually being careful. If this procedure works the way they hope, it will be a lifelong fix, and I'd like to avoid having to go back into surgery in a year's time to have a full hip-replacement.
My right leg is already surprisingly atrophied - my vastus lateralis looks like it's evaporated! I have only very limited use of my quadriceps and I can't flex my knee beyond about 60° without a lot of pain. It is getting better every day, but I'm keenly aware that I'm only halfway through my inactivity and the mountain to climb back to fitness is getting bigger every day. It's also wrecked our Christmas plans - my wife has gone from a much-anticipated holiday to being my nurse - although I'm also keenly aware that the freedoms that we've lost as a result of this are not available to our friends and family in the UK (or virtually anywhere else).
OK, that feels better - thanks for listening/reading! If you get to go out for a ride over the Xmas break, treasure it!
Sorry to read this. But I do understand as I was in your position in 2013.
Have they spoken to you about avascular necrosis?
Please do as you are told and take it easy, do not overdo things. You will get better and be back on the bike. However as with any break it takes the 6 weeks to mend and lots of physio after.
I'm not a medical person but my advice is to get the best physiotherapist that you can afford and do exactly what they tell you and when.
Good luck with your recovery and be patient.
Having lost too much riding time in the last 18 months due to much more minor injuries, you have my sympathies.
But trust me, don't worry about bike fitness. Concentrate on healing, being able to go to the toilet or having a shower unaided and in less pain. Don't try and rush it. Do what the docs and physios say you can do - but talk to them early to get advice.
Like you said, get it right now and you won't miss further riding time needing more operations.
Really sorry to hear about your accident, Adam. I came off my bike about 3 years ago, skidding on a patch of ice, and broke my hip. The advice was always to keep the weight off which was really hard to stick to, especially once I got over the initial surgery. However, it took a long time for the fracture to properly heal and I wonder now whether my eagerness to get back walking contributed.
As Bunnyhop says, get yourself a good physio. I used https://habit.health/ and ACC paid for most of it (I live in Lower Hutt).
All the best for your recovery. It's easy to say be patient but you will get back on your bike - my hip is most comfortable now when I'm riding!
Good luck for the recovery. I've been struggling with minor injuries for years and have finally got myself back into a semi-fit state but I know it's always one bad movement away from hurting myself again. Save up for a nice present for your missus????
Best wishes.
Mate, very sorry to hear about your accident.
I fell, (ironically, I’ve been playing hockey and hanging around ice rinks for 40 odd years)
On ice at work on 30/12/2017, broke my ankle, fibula snapped, tib and tallus both chipped. i was 6 weeks non weight bearing, lost a hilarious amount of muscle mass in the affected leg. I have a 5” metal plate in my ankle with pins and screws to stabilise it.
I was off work for 22 weeks.
It did take a while to get back to my previous (not very) fitness level, but I have managed it.
I watched a lot of amazon prime, built a shit ton of lego, this was good as it exercised my brain and i thoroughly enjoyed being chauffeured around for a while (i drive coaches for a living)
You may experience times when it feels like you’re not making progress, i did, but i made it through.
Healing vibes.
You will get the muscle back. I had an ACL reconstruction and after 3 months it’s all about muscle rebuilding due to the atrophy. Took 6 months working hard with a physio and PT, but I’m now in better shape than before. Please take it easy now - the muscles are switching off as the nerves are sore. Try and just clench them a bit when you can, but for now focus on rest and healing. The rest will come back in due course. Find a good physio that focuses on hips.
Thanks all for the responses.
@Bunnyhop - avascular necrosis is the biggest risk at the moment: the fracture was very close to interrupting the blood supply. I'm being very good about observing my non-weight-bearing status and my guess is that the 6 weeks off the leg was all about minimising that risk.
I think the recovery is going well - even since writing this yesterday I'm up to around 80° of flexion in my knee, and the physio came today and got me climbing and descending stairs for the first time. I even made it out into that rarest of things - Wellington sunshine without a gale - for my first significant walk (well, hobble on crutches) outside. Unfortunately, this being Wellington, every route out from my front door involves a steep hill...!
Thanks again for all the sympathetic comments!
In 2014, I fractured my shoulder and the break was complex - going clavicle and scapula - including the joint socket.
As a result, I had to completely immobilise my left arm for 10 weeks - and I lost a huge amount of muscle mass in my shoulder and left arm. However, through targeted exercise I was able to get it back - and it is now as strong as ever. Be patient and focus on getting well - because being healthy is the first step to getting your fitness back.
All the best,
Jay