Fell off bike and got injured

mickimalbrough
mickimalbrough Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been exercising for a little over a week and I have been very happy with this new feeling of pride that I have. But last night I wrecked while riding my bike and hurt my elbow and bruised my thigh pretty bad. I can't ride and it hurts to walk. I'm scared I'll lose momentum while I'm injured. Any suggestions? Or do I have to just wait it out

Replies

  • abitofbliss
    abitofbliss Posts: 198 Member
    Sorry to hear about your wreck. probably going to have to wait it out to not risk further injury. I would be sure to put the extra focus into your nutrition which is more important than your exercise.
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    That's a choice you'll have to make. Some people can deal with pain. Some cannot. Personally I just keep riding. Heck two weeks ago I got thrown off my mountain bike on a single track and smacked a tree. I had no way to get back to the top of the hill other than to ride.
  • mreichard
    mreichard Posts: 235 Member
    For me, building the habit of exercise is key. If you can't ride or even walk, can you spend the time stretching? Also, the sooner you can start to walk and do some easy riding, the better. Believe it or not, moving will help with soreness and with recovery.

    My son plays basketball, and he hurt his back in a tournament last week. The PT has forbidden any training other than PT exercises this week. He's spending the time he would have spent training watching videos about ball handling and shooting form --- just to stay in the habit of making the time every day. I think that's really important.
  • jkm49
    jkm49 Posts: 27 Member
    Sorry to hear about the fall. My thinking also is to keep on the move, if no cycle then walk. Hope you recover back to full strength again.
  • socalrunner59
    socalrunner59 Posts: 149 Member
    I'm sorry to hear about your crash.

    I understand your worry. At the beginning of the year I came off a long hiatus. I had just upped my run mileage when I was kicked by a horse in the right thigh. I was out of commission for 6 weeks. I've only been exercising again for 44 days. During my rehab I keep reviewing and revising my workout schedule and routine. Doing that kept me focused on my goals.

    I also stretched as much as my leg pain allowed.

    I walked even if it was only 1/4 mile. Twice I made attempts to hike 3 miles, only to have my leg swell. But I think walking and stretching helped with healing. ER doc said it would be months for my leg to completely heal. But 2 months down the road now, and my gym work is back to normal. Running is slower, only doing very short runs and lite speed and endurance work. Still have a deep dent in the shape of a horse hoof in my thigh. Not likely to fill back in either.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Take the rest you need to heal. You prob won't lose much fitness. Get well soon.
  • tiggerlove
    tiggerlove Posts: 225 Member
    Sorry to hear about ur accident..try resting for a few days as ur body need to heal then try some stretching and take it from there. Listen to ur body. Feel better soon.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
    Yes but that depends on your fitness base and age. The less fit and older one gets, the long it takes to get back to the same level. (At 47, it takes me around two weeks to recover after idling a week. Normal for me around summer is around 200 miles a week, 10-12 hours moving time). But, it could take longer if you keep the injury fresh. Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory (passive or pills, take your pick) is better than prolonged inflammation. Get well soon.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    Ice your elbow and wait until you can exercise without pain. You'll recovery quickly and get back into it.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    jkm49 wrote: »
    Sorry to hear about the fall. My thinking also is to keep on the move, if no cycle then walk. Hope you recover back to full strength again.

    This ... unless there's a break or a joint injury or something serious.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    CincyNeid wrote: »
    That's a choice you'll have to make. Some people can deal with pain. Some cannot. Personally I just keep riding. Heck two weeks ago I got thrown off my mountain bike on a single track and smacked a tree. I had no way to get back to the top of the hill other than to ride.

    Yeah ... I crashed and cracked my ribs back in 1997. I couldn't ride the next day ... I tried but almost threw up from the pain. However, the day after I was OK.

    And I crashed at the 100 km point of a 200 km randonnee in 2007. Concussion, separated shoulder, sprained hand/wrist, and massive bruising and scraping. Got up and finished the 200K. Then tried to ride a 400K 3 days later, but had to pull out at about 250 km because I couldn't control the bicycle with my left arm and didn't know what the matter was. It was a couple weeks later before I found out I had a separated shoulder. The clue that finally sent me to the Dr to get it checked was the fact that I suddenly had incredibly flexibility in that shoulder. My arm could go places it had never gone before!

    But yes ... a bit of rest is good, otherwise keep moving as you can. :)
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
    This reminds me of a time I injured my leg in the middle of my weight loss journey. It was so stupid, too. I was outside with my husband, who was making a garden, and I stepped backward, tripped over a block, and the back of my thigh (hamstring) hit the block and bruised it bad. It stayed bruised for a few months. You know what, though? I believe I gave it a day or 2 of rest, and I went back to exercising, despite the pain. I was just very determined to lose the weight. If you are, you won't let anything get in your way. If it hurts too much to bike, you will find another way to burn those calories. Best of luck! Hope you heal quickly.

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