I have a friend who biked right into her last week (mounting and dismounting got funny and graceless). Cycling, per se, doesn't carry any risks really. It's falling or being hit that carry the risks, and they're the same risks as you take every other day. So as long as you ride within your skills and don't get too heroic with the traffic, you ought to be just fine for as long as it's comfortable.

Medics will always advise on the cautious side. They don't want to get sued.