Neil_B

As I explained in the tour thread, I fell and fractured a rib outside Cumberland, MD about five days ago. The doctor who treated me at Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC, said I should avoid "lifting and strenuous exercise" for six weeks. I specifically asked if that included cycling, and was told "yes". The discharge material I received from the hospital describes the recovery period as 3-8 weeks.

My questions for the accumulated wisdom of the Clyde Forum are:

1. How long should I expect to remain off the bike?

2. How soon should I begin to ride again?

3. How much of my conditioning, such as it was, will I lose over time? I think I kicked butt on tour. I know know that if I want to cross the country, I can do it, since I rode seven days back to back over 253 miles, and 90 of them with a broken rib. Aside from the rib and the bug bites from my repeated failure to use Off!, I felt great on tour. I don't want to lose that.

4. What can I do to minimize my loss? I plan on using my gym's recumbent exercise bikes and taking walks of a couple of miles. Unfortunately, anything that will produce heavy breathing will give me chest pain, and my knees prevent me from taking long hikes. Any other suggestions?

neilfein

We'll need to see the x-ray, of course...

Neil_B

Sorry buddy, it's in a propriatory format that I can't get images from. And even if we could, who could read them? It's a fracture, not snapped in two.

neilfein

Send it here, I'll see what I can do.

bab2000

Since it is fractured and not broken, the concern would be activity that could cause the repeated event that lead to the original visit.

Since it now weaker, if you repeat mishap or like exposure, the fracture will result in a break, and could puncture something vital.

Avoid anything strenuous, and if it hurts, then stop.

Leg excerise should be ok, but if pain from the rib area stop. Cardio as well, same rules.

What ever you may loose from brief timeout, you will regain quickly, as your heart (mindset), knows your limits.

My wife had surgery, result is lost of riding partner for 6 or weeks, your time out is not as long, just do not allow it to become re injured.

All the best and take care.

Breathing and balance excerises may also be of aid, low impact type.

ruiner

The amount of conditioning you will lose is nothing compared to the amount of pain you will inflict upon yourself if you risk too much, too soon. Your heart is more resilient than you think and you may only lose a week or two of your progress, if any.

If he said 6 weeks, he meant 6 weeks. You can call to see what type of light activity you may do up to 6 weeks if you're that worried about it.

Richard_Rides

I would try riding the bike immediately and if it did not cause pain to the rib area, I would continue riding with the rib injury. A broken rib is not a big deal.

bdinger

Regarding conditioning, I think you'll be fine. I worried about the same thing this fall/winter, as a new job sapped all of my time and I had basically no time to ride. My fall/winter was spent trying to get 30 minutes every other day on a spin bike at the gym, and often failing to even get that in. I found that when I got back on the bike in the late winter/early fall after probably 4 months of nothing it wasn't bad. Sure, my first 100 mile week was pretty tough and painful, but it wasn't bad. Within a month (or so) of being back I did my first metric century with little issues. I rebounded VERY fast and am now back to the best shape I've been in.

Summary, a month or so off the bike shouldn't do too much to you. Ease back into it, and I agree that conditioning loss will be minor compared to the risk of damaging yourself further.

Neil_B

It did cause discomfort, which is why I didn't finish riding the tour. I'm trying to determine how to proceed from here.

BigUgly

At our age (40+) things don't heal as quickly as they did in our 20s. I would recommend letting yourself heal properly instead of pushing it. Re-injuring the fracture will just make it take longer to heal and you will be off the bike even longer. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

You should have talked Niel F into pulling you along in a trailer

Here is another rail trail in PA for you guys to conquer, although not as long as the GAP & C&O;

https://www.visittiogapa.com/railtrail.html

ban guzzi

go with what the Doc told you. If you can deal with it, do that recumbent at the gym but don't push so hard but push longer. I guess that depends on how busy your gym gets...

Heal quickly...

st0ut

Copy cat

Tom Stormcrowe

Agreed on the recumbent trainer.......IF, and I mean IF your Dr approves, go gentle. As to the bike, if you have a crash with the injured rib, you are seriously risking a complete break. Take it easy and heal properly....

shog

I cracked a couple of ribs about three years ago. Mine were painful enough to make breathing without pain difficult. I was off the bike for a good two months, after about a month I was hitting the trainer, it was over three months until the ribs stopped aching. My advice would be to take it easy let your body heal and recover. Listen to your doctor and your body.

Shig

bautieri

If you can get the picture to open up on your computer screen hold ctrl and hit print screen. This will take a screen shot, paste it into paint, crop the photo, then save it as a bmp or jpg. As you said us seeing it probably wont help anything but it's a helpful tip.

Pinyon

If it hurts when you ride now, then I would really pamper it for a week, and then get on a stationary bike to see how it feels as you gradually spin up. The rib will let you know when you should ride outside again, so you may have to come back in 10-14 days after the first week, to check again if it still hurts. You may be making friends with the machines at the gym. Hope you feel better really fast. Take care.

Neil_B

Thanks. I already feel better. I took off work today and stayed home. Aside from meeting someone on Saturday for a riding lesson - I'm helping an adult beginner learn to ride - I'll not have anything to do with bikes for a week.

c_m_shooter

I was off the road bike for a month the last time I broke a rib. Two months before I could get out on the mountain bike trails again.

Neil_B

It's a nice trail, but the logistics are a little awkward. It would require a rental car both ways, and getting a one way rental to and from Jersey Shore seems difficult. One reason we could work the GAP/Towpath tour was that we could get a lift back from Neil's inlaws in DC.

Wogster

If the doctor said 6 weeks, then 6 weeks it is, although you may want to check with your GP, say in about 4 weeks, maybe get another x-ray at that time, and see how it's coming. Your GP may then say your OK, or may hold to the original doctors 6 weeks. Yeah it's a drag to lose 6 weeks in prime riding weather, but I would rather lose 6 weeks, and be done with it, then to risk doing a more serious injury, and not being able to ride for 6 months, or longer, like permanently. I had 3 months off with my broken arm last fall, which left me unable to ride, until I was into winter hiatus, so it ended up being 6 months. Got back on, and I really hadn't lost that much. Within a couple of weeks, I was back in decent form.

Generally a broken bone takes about 6 weeks to get to reasonable repair, although complete healing can take as long as 18 months. A cracked bone, probably takes less, a doctor would rather estimate too long then too short, they do take your current state of health and condition into account. ff your reasonably healthy and in good condition, that is part of it, age is another, the older you are, the longer it takes.

Indyv8a

I agree with Bdinger. I, due to a lot of issues, basically stopped riding last fall. When I got back on the bike in January, I quickly returned to my previous form, whatever that was. I am now certainly ahead of where I was last year, partly because I am more prepared psychologically, partly because I am riding more, although still not enough.

If you can stand it, do some light spinning on the gym bike or a stationary trainer. Again, listen to your body, don't push too much. Just remember, easy, easy, easy.

P.S. You and NeilF need to stop crashing/destroying and falling off your bikes.

Neil_B

My doctor borders on the "bikes are evil" crowd. I'm changing doctors. I refuse to live in a glass case.

Neil_B

Agreed on the PS.

I don't think I realized how much fun I had on a bike until now, when I face the prospect of not being able to ride. That may be harder to deal with than any injury.

Tom Stormcrowe

I can definitely understand that.....

A "Bikes are Evil" Dr is a blithering idiot, and likely jealous because he didn't get a bike for his birthday.

epcolt

I would also find a bike friendly doctor.