Corben

Yesterday morning we went shopping and and I tweaked my lower back picking up my feather light grandson to put him in the basket. I only pulled a muscle and a couple day rest should make it feel better I'm hoping. but it spoiled my plan for a afternoon ride and I think it it would be wise if drive to work tomorrow instead of riding my bike as I had planned.
But you folks who choose not own a car, how do you handle the aches and pain that life throw at you? Surly thier are few of you who live with chronic pain everyday like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or lupus just to name a few, and still choose to live car free and ride daily.

RatMudd

I have wondered this also.

For those lucky enough to have taxi, train, bus, carpooling, etc, it would be very easy. But what about those that live in a suburb or smaller town away from the larger city or workplace that has none of these? Hats off to those few folks that are pretty much stuck with a bike without the luxuries of "modern" transportation methods.

B. Carfree

When I had damage to discs in my lower back, riding a bike was one of the few activities that relieved the pain, as long as I stayed away from steep hills. I also had a cartilage issue in a knee that, if I stopped riding, would prevent me from being able to walk without a crutch. The more I rode, the less of an issue it was. It recurs every few years now and I deal with it by riding more until it is gone.

I have to admit, when I blew my lower right leg up and had to have it bolted back together, I didn't ride for over two months. However, I was back riding before I was able to walk without a crutch. I thought of my bike as a fast wheelchair.

Admittedly, my pains have been trivial compared to much of what I have seen. When I had a 25 mile each way commute, I would not ride in one day per week. I always felt like a bit of a weakling for that because I knew the fellow with only one leg and his crutch strapped to his top tube would be out there that day (On W. Capital in W. Sac., for the OP). However, it strikes me that some people like to have an excuse to not ride and other people just find a way because they enjoy it so much.

gerv 

I broke some ribs a few years ago. So I was 6 weeks off the bike.

During that time I rode to work by bus. I walked home with groceries. Walking didn't seem to hurt much. Actually my biggest problem wasn't transportation, but sleeping. I slept every night sitting in an armchair because it was too painful to lie down on my bed.

Machka 

During the time I was carfree, I burned my left foot to the bone ... couldn't walk for 5 weeks, couldn't leave my apartment for 5 weeks.

My supervisor brought work to me on CDs ... now I'd be hooked up through Citrix or something.
I found a grocery delivery service ... I emailed my grocery list ... they delivered right to my kitchen.
I found a homecare nurse who checked up on me every day and changed my dressing.


When I could start walking again, I was fortunate enough that my physiotherapist had an office just about right next door so I was able to work with him to learn to walk again.
And I either took the bus to work, or carpooled with coworkers.


Going carfree involves choices ... we select a particular place to live based on certain factors including things like ease of cycling and public transportation. There's a thread going about making those choices: https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...lace-live.html.
If our circumstances change ... perhaps because of long-term medical issues or the need to change locations ... we might choose to get a motor vehicle for certain things. We might opt to be "car light" for a while. I think most people in this forum have chosen to be "car light".

Zedoo

I had injuries that were extended by riding when I wasn't completely healed. Some became permanent and may shorten my life, if something else doesn't get me first. A cannabis habit could have kept me mellow enough to stay home and heal, but that possibility is long past.

JoeyBike

L-U-C-K

In my case, I have never been hurt so bad that I could not bike. I have had surgeries that made me take a day or two off lying around the house, but never a body part that affected cycling. At least not since 1989 when I went car-free for good. In 1987 I got tendonitis in my Achilles tendon so bad I could not even push in the clutch of my truck. I was forced to ride my motorcycle every day for about two weeks until that cleared up. If something like that happened now I would just rent a car or buy one (depending on the healing time frame) until things healed up. My VISA covers the rental car for any damages for up to 2 weeks. I have my own liability insurance. Any more than two weeks to heal and I guess I would be buying something. Most likely a scooter or something if my condition permitted that.

Artkansas 

I have found that in general, I can ride when I can't even walk. As a teen, I fractured my ankle. I rode to school every day with a cast on and carried the crutches in my Wald rear baskets. In college, I mashed my knee running into a tree that had fallen across the street on a dark night. The bike wasn't injured, but it took two quarters for my knee to get back to normal. But I had no problem riding. I did ride a little slower to put less stress on the leg in both cases, but had no problem. I think the pedaling helped the healing.

One time it was too bad to ride. I started off for work, feeling bad. I could barely make it down the slight grade my street was on. Then when I turned the corner onto a level street, it was excruciating and I turned back at the end of the block and returned home. I was too sick to go to work that day. I would have been too sick to be at work as well.

Dahon.Steve

I've said this before and it's worth repeating. Being carfree does not mean being bicycle dependant.

At this point, I'm bus dependant and intend to stay that way. There's no way I could ride a bicycle to work each day because of the condition of my elbow after my accident. I still ride today but it's for enjoyment only.

All those who take public transit today would find your question out of the ordinary and quite stange since the prospect of having no choice but to ride a bicycle for transportaton while in pain is absurd. The good news is there are multiple transportation alternatives for those who are aging. If the only alternative you have other than bicycling is to drive, you have my condolences.

ro-monster

A badly broken shoulder that required two surgeries kept me off the bike for nearly a year; I was simply unable to use my right arm much. I walked most places. My commute (once I recovered enough to go back to work) was walk 2 km > train > walk another 1 km. Even if I had access to a car, I would not have been able to drive with just my left hand.

Corben

Thank for your input. I'm healing but still a little tender.

gregjones

The one thing that I don't do is take asprin or ibuprofen before riding. I think that the pain is a sign to take it easy and it limits damage that happens when trying to do something that you shouldn't be doing with that injury.

Roody

There's days when I can barely get out of bed without taking ibuprofen!

Machka 

You might want to get that checked. Seek medical attention.

Roody

Ah, more unsolicited advice.

Machka 

Or helpful suggestions.

Roody

gregjones

I tried the doctor route.....doc said take ibuprofen, receptionist said "That'll be sixty-two dollars."

keyven

When I was in hospital for a month to change out a shunt, I was burning - BURNING - to get back on the bike. And I'm no hardcore cyclist at all, but I do enjoy it.

And then the doctors told me I had to stay off the bike for 3 months, so I listened - for approximately a week.

Now, 3 months later, I've done about 300km on it.

Sixty Fiver

I graduated beyond Ibuprofen a long time ago... but I know the pain won't kill me and I just keep moving.

Sometimes that is on foot, more often by bike, and when things get really nasty we drive.

Zedoo

The pain of waiting at a bus stop is worse than pain on a bike.

Roody

I take the ibuprofen (prescribed by my doctor) more as an anti-inflammatory rather than as a painkiller. If I let the arthritis in my knees flare up, I will be crippled for two weeks. I can't afford to take that much time off work.

Roody

Yes, a million times worse! The only thing colder than waiting for a bus is ice fishing.

Dahon.Steve

Awww Come now! :-)

If you time the bus like I do, it shouldn't be more than a 10 minute wait. I suspect that 90% or more of those who are carfree do not use a bicycle for transportation. The future of this movement is going to depend on cities improving their public transportation especially with regards to lightrail.

I was thinking there were a number of times that I could not bicycle for transportation. When I broke my arm from bicycling, I thought my days on two wheels were over. I happen to think bicycling invites injury because almost everyone is going to fall. Quite often, you cannot determine the outcome of the accident. It could be a minor scrape or (in my case) a life changing incident.

Lone

updog yoga stretch. don't sit upright on your bicycle without a very suspended seat and on smooth pavement, or you will compress your spine.