A couple of weeks ago on a fairly innocuous reasonably smooth not too steep slope covered in leaves I failed to notice exposed roots spreading across the trail from a tree like spokes from a hub and was completely surprised by my front wheel skittering sideways out from underneath me. I was astonished at how quickly the ground came up to meet me, and even more so by how hard it felt. Then as I tried to get up I heard a loud wookie like shout which it took me a moment to realise was me reacting to the sudden pain a broken shoulder inflicts when you try to use it. Viewer discretion is advised, see if you can spot the hidden roots beforehand
As I had not invited problems by braking or changing direction I seem to have just been unlucky. It was lucky for me though that I had company and I was very glad of Noel's assistance to get me, bike and bag to the road and then to lift the bike onto the car's bike rack. Lucky too that it was an easy downhill tarmac freewheel less than a mile away.
Perhaps in a week or so when I feel less fragile I will venture into the garage to see how the bike fared. A cursory glance reveals that the cheap bracket between the far more expensive brake and gearchange mech needs replacing, and I will be looking into how to reattach the frame mounted rubber bump stop to prevent 360 degree fork rotation.
On the plus side we got a little further than we did on the previous outing, shortest ride ever, foiled by my freehub's sudden demise before we even left the car park. So third time lucky perhaps.
Meanwhile I await an ultrasound scan to reveal the extent of soft tissue damage along side the bit cracked off the shoulder blade. Meanwhile a sling and painkillers. Both feet too swollen to wear socks and some extremely colourful bruising on the limbs. I have binge watched Dr Who, The Peaky Blinders and Our Flag Means Death which was awkward as bruised ribs means it hurts to laugh and for the same reason two weeks sleeping in a chair. The doc said no riding my bike for three months, and even then gently does it, so looking forward to beginners rides in May
Jeez, thats not good Pete. Get well soon matey. Amazing how quickly things can go wrong! Blasted leaves!!
I had an off in Cann a few weeks back, broad-sided a tree which winded be pretty badly. Glad I was wearing my full body armour (as I always do) otherwise it could have been a serious shoulder injury for sure!
Maybe Im just too casual around wounded riders .........
Pete was conscious, breathing, talking rationally and in some pain.
Its when theres none of the above and the human is obviously broken that I pay close attention.
In those first couple of minutes, I had to wait for Pete to decide if it was just an untidy fall or a more serious problem and assessing the bike damage was potentially part of any decision regarding continuing the ride / rolling back to the start point or working out a recovery plan for broken rider and bike.
He knew fairly quickly that something was broken around upper left arm / shoulder and once I got his shoe back onto his foot, we knew at the very least he had to make it to the road so he could get into a vehicle.
So after around 15 minutes of quietly resting and assessing potentials, we got Pete stood up and walking slowly to the road while I rolled his bike then went back and got mine. At this point Pete had to decide if I would leave him at the roadside and come back with a vehicle to recover him and his bike or for him to sit on his bike ( now sorted regarding steering ) and slowly roll the 0.5 miles down the B road to Steps Bridge car park. He seemed to manage the bike ride ok but amusingly stopped for a red light on a short bit of lane closure due to road edge failure, rather than follow me through (-:
Yes he was pretty knocked about, possible cracked ribs and a clear arm/shoulder injury but once he was in his driving seat he seemed to be able to do what was required to drive, albeit with minimal gearchanges.
There were options to get us both and our bikes back to our homes without Pete driving but we both knew this would take quite some time and that 'golden hour' was ticking away.
So there I was suddenly alone in the car park at Steps Bridge with an almost full battery, nice weather and time to ride ......... what to do ?
Nope, I wasnt going to be happy riding, as I needed to know Pete was ok and if he got into difficulties, I needed to be able to respond immediately.
So I went home and waited for his call to say he was home or in a queue at A&E.
As to what happened, we are still somewhat mystified. I was leading and going quite slowly and rolled through the rooted section using the bottom edge of the path with no mishap. Perhaps this caused Pete to think there was no hazard and to ride the high line on the right that took him over the leaf covered roots ?
Now, worst case, this should have caused his front wheel to slide to the left and to dump uncerimoniously on the higher ground on the right but somehow he and the bike ended up on rhe lower side, which was a much greater distance to fall .......
Yes, get well soon Pete and lets see what happens when we next meet and ride from Steps Bridge.
Hi Pete, sorry to hear about your off on the trail.I have been there, one of the most painful injuries I have had.Sleeping in the chair very uncomfortable.
I echo Trevor`s comment if you need anything give a ring.Cheers John.
Get well soon and rest the injury. I broke my shoulder a while back and it took a long time plus the pain was bad enough to have to get injections to ease it so I can understand the discomfort. Key is to let it heal properly . You will soon be back riding
I am greatly heartened by all the messages and support
Update;
x-ray showed a small chip off the scapula or shoulder blade below the joint which the docs say needs no intervention, no pain there unless I poke it
ultrasound shows a slight tear to a shoulder tendon, also that the bicep tendon is dislocated. Ow.
I have an appointment on 31st of this month at the fracture clinic to see a shoulder specialist, three weeks feels like a very long time away
Pain rules my life with brief periods of relief from painkillers ending all too soon and too frequently
I weaned myself off codeine three days ago as the side effects were more unpleasant than the shoulder after 33 days non stop
Paracetamol is sufficient if I stay immobile but ibuprofen helps when I need to do stuff
After watching a video of a chiropractor on realigning dislocated bicep tendons I discovered the exercise did not work for me but hurt like hell, my doctor advises against seeking help from a chiropractor and said to wait for the fracture clinic
After five weeks sleeping in a chair I can now use the bed again but am longing for more than four hours sleep uninterrupted by need for painkillers
I have been taking myself for a walk each day to try to alleviate the stiffness in my limbs but I tire very fast
I do feel better day by day but it is a frustratingly slow process although I can feel measurable progress as I get a little further each day before needing to rest
Every day tasks feel like marathon epic adventures, haven't felt well enough to go in the garage yet
Bit bored, binge watching tv, reading comics and sharing my music collection with my neighbours
Sounds pretty painful, mate. The most innocuous of tumbles can have a devastating effect.
No doubt you'll be going down endless YouTube video rabbit holes - I've lost so much time on there
Hope it heals OK with no lasting damage
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Caution - the poster may well have been drinking........
