l crashed on May 28th of last year. I guess I could call it a therapeutic crash as I have been going to physical therapy for most of the last 10 months. The infamous "it could have been a lot worse" is true, but, 3 fractured cervical vertebrae, 2 broken ribs, and a separated ac joint along with a full tear of the rotator cuff of the right shoulder was certainly serious. I had my last pt session for rehabbing the shoulder last week.
The ribs healed pretty quickly, the neck fractures healed quite slowly, the shoulder is still pretty screwed up, with this being the second time it has been surgically repaired. A lot of scar tissue, weakened ligaments, and the ac joint separation has widened a couple of millimeters. I have an appointment coming in mid June, and will further discuss options at that time.
I am riding, albeit with limited miles and time in the saddle, using riser stem and handlebar, and no aggressive riding. The shoulder is ok with the arm at any position less than 90 degrees in relation to the body. It actually usually feels loosened up after a ride. I am also doing workouts with various light weight dumbbells to keep strong what I can. Ibuprofen and ice packs help ease swelling and pain, especially the ice packs. I do those numerous times most days.
I have a history of being a fast healer with good results. My 72 year old body has definitely slowed down.
As an afterthought, 67 years of riding bicycles before having a crash that resulted in needing professional medical help is a fairly long stretch of time. However many miles and hours I have left to do on a bike, I'd like to do them crash free. The last year has been quite challenging.