TromboneAl

It's now been 17 days since my crash during the Chico Wildflower century.

Most of my cuts and bruises are now tolerable, but the thigh hematoma is healing very slowly. It's a funny thing, because it generally doesn't hurt much, but if I flex or extend my leg after a period of having it still, I get this bad ache builds up over 30 seconds and lasts a minute or two. Anyone seen that?

My range of motion has improved significantly, but this ache thing is only getting slightly better each day. If it's still bad after 3 weeks, I'll go see the doctor.

I think the lesson here is that I shouldn't have been the tough guy and ridden the additional 25 miles after the crash. Next time, I'll stop riding and ice it immediately.

stapfam

The 25 miles probably did one of two things-Caused more damage to the incident- or helped the muscle get moving instead of seizing up.
Can't tell which but 4 weks ago I Twisted a muscle in my forearm. Hurt like hell till I got the analgaesic gel on it. Still get a bit of pain now but not as bad as it was.

But Give it a few more days and try some Gentle exercise/ Heat/ Ice on it. Still aproblem in a few days then get to the docs.

NOS88

Well, you've got some deep muscle bruising, that will take time to heal. I've had similar experiences with deep bruising around my hip area. Hope the healing process continues quickly, but as they say patience is a virtue.

ModeratedUser150120149

Just how long did it take for the deep muscle bruising to heal? It has been quite awhile for me and I'd like to get a sense of "normal".

NOS88

I think it's different for each person. For me, two years ago at age 56, it took about 7 weeks before I stopped thinking about it, because I continued to feel it.

ModeratedUser150120149

Consdering age difference guess I'm not so slow after all considering the bruising was severe enough to cause muscle spasms and pain down both legs. I'm doing the Ride of Silence this evening and will see how I feel after that. May start swimming tomorrow.

B. Carfree

Deep thigh bruises take a while to heal at any age. My last one was three years ago and it was a couple of months before I was riding pain-free. Not that that stopped me from riding. The nice thing about these sorts of injuries is that you are unlikely to do further damage by riding through them. Of course, that means riding in pain, but don't we do that regularly anyway?

Terex

A friend of mine had one that was easily visible (bulge on the side of his hip) for a year and a half after his accident. Caught a pedal on his fixie on a speed bump and went down. You will probably live.

LAriverRat

8 months for me, just now feeling almost normal. It did not bother me to much while riding, just after cool down and in the morning when getting up. It just takes awhile to get over those injuries. Just take it slow and don't crash again.

JohnJ80

Presuming you've seen a doc and he gave you guidance on how much and when you can use it - then it's a case of Vitamin I and following the recuperation plan. Did the doc tell you that movement helps heal it?

I'm sure that after you fell, your continued riding just helped pump more blood into the hematoma. Riding would raise your blood pressue and the action of your muscles also helps to pump blood. I would think that ice and direct pressure (pressure bandage) would have been the ticket.

J.

zonatandem

It has always been our policy that after a crash you get back on the bike if possible. Movement usually feels better than sitting still.
For hematoma and roadrash stuff, we liberally apply fresh aloe vera. We are fortunate living in in the southwest that we have lots of aloe growing here in the yard.

Cold/hot seems to help bruising and muscle issues.
Get well . . .

JohnJ80

A hematoma is a closed bleeding wound. Just like any wound, you need to get the bleeding stopped first unless I missed something.

J.

TromboneAl

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. Now 28 days, and 80% of the pain is gone. The hard bump is still there, and hasn't gotten much smaller.

I saw the doc after I had a big bloom of blood (that is, bruise) behind the knee a few days ago. He said that's just the blood gradually draining out via gravity. In the same vein (ha ha), my lower leg will turn yellow after a hot bath.

The doc recommended not "pushing it" for a while, but did agree that exercise is good. I am just going to do walking for now. Haven't even looked at the bike.

I also have a very sore back related to the crash, and it seems that the effects of the two injuries are greater than the sum of the parts.

JohnJ80

Good news that you are on the mend.

J.

pmcq

Al,
I fell during my first century in Feb. Like you, I didn't ice and kept going - for 80 miles. My hematoma was in my lower leg, which eventually turned purple from knee through ankle. The bigger problem was a severely strained groin muscle which led to walking with a cane for a month. Basically I was off my bike for almost 3 months seeing a physical therapist twice a week. My ability to exercise was limited to stretching, yoga and walking.

The good news is that I've been back on the bike for three weeks and am doing strength and aerobic training 3 times a week. I've done two 48-mile rides in 7 days and conquered a few hills. I'm slower than I was, but getting better each day. I just registered for another century this fall.

Al, you will be back on the bike and climbing those northern California hills soon. The important thing is to take the time to heal.

gcottay

Improvement is good even when much slower than you would like. If pain or swelling increases or your lower leg shows any changes you might want to get the next available appointment with your physician.

harleygirl

I got sideswiped by a car and crashed into a pole on my motorcycle. I suffered a sprained wrist (2 wks. ago) and a hematoma on my thigh. I have experienced that same weird quite painful ache that builds up over a few seconds and then finally fades away. Usually I get it in bed when I tense my leg or roll over. The wrist is finally starting to heal but it's worse than the fractured collarbone I once had...seems like it's taking forever to get full range of motion. As it is, I have to work very hard at squeezing the clutch. I saw Mountain bikers on TV the other night and am amazed at what they do. I figured THIS website was the place to learn about how others deal with hematomas. I got my answers. Thanks!

harleygirl

I ride a motorcycle, but saw a show on mountain biking and was amazed at what you guys/girls do! Wow. Anyhow, 2 wks ago I suffered an accident (side swiped by a speeding car, the driver didn't even stop as I crashed into a telephone pole!) and have a hematoma on my thigh and a sprained wrist. I thought this was just the site to get info on these injuries.

The sprained wrist is better. The swelling is down but it still hurts a lot. And I have very little strength. It takes ALL my strength to squeeze the clutch. I CAN do it but it's not so easy. Can anyone tell me if I can go ahead and squeeze that clutch now w/o more damage to it? Or do I have to wait until all the pain is gone? That could take another couple weeks and I miss riding!! Someone said I should do therapy with a rubber ball...wouldn't squeezing a clutch be basically the same thing?

The lump on my thigh is still there. At least the bruising is gone. Still painful but not so much that I couldn't ride. The only thing keeping me from riding is my wrist.

Oh, just heard on the news: Judge Judy makes 45 million per YEAR! Is that obscene or what? But I digress. Thanks for any tips you can give me on these injuries.