james_v

Long story short, got knocked off a ladder from a height of about 8 feet doing some tree limb trimming and landed on back and rear end. Knocked the wind out of me for a bit and of course hurt like heck (still does after a week). Wife talked me into going to the emergency room that night. X rays and CAT scan confirmed no broken bones in the neck and back butt (pun intended)......my tail bone was broken.

So I'll be off of the bikes for at the very least two to three months while it heals. Had to buy a cushion with a coccyx cutout just to be able to sit down in a chair. Hmmmm, may be able to us this with the recumbent. Ya think?

BlazingPedals

Sorry to hear that! I'm not sure that a bent would work, even. The seatback might still push on you uncomfortably. Worth a try if you can find a test-ride, though.

edit: I see you already have the bent. The EZ seat might be upright enough to let you get away with it.

james_v

To keep peace with the wife unit, I'm not even going to try it out on the bent until March or April.

edit: - even then may have to move the seat a bit more forward to get a more upright position.

79pmooney

I've been riding with a busted TB for 25 years. Not a big issue for me, once I replaced all my seats with ones that had no turn up at the back; first the Specialized with the full length groove, then Terrys with the center depression at the back.

My doc did send me to PT to basically learn how to exist with the busted TB. It was that or have it fused. The Ortho I saw said he'd happily do it, that the operation was straight forward but like all operations, carried some risk but that for a healthy person, PT could work just fine. When all is right, riding serves as good PT.

Ben

Carbonfiberboy 

I had this happen from a leader fall while rock climbing. A cone-shaped rock went right up my butt. I walked up stairs backwards for a few weeks. I didn't realize how many muscles in my body were connected to my coccyx. Healed up fine, never a problem later.

02Giant 

james_v

Jeez. I am so glad that you told me about this! Glad I fell more or less flat!

My Marin has a split seat so I should be ok when I try to get back on it.

Jim from Boston

I had a slightly different situation, but maybe this will help. In 2012 I was struck from behind on the bike by a distracted driver, in hospital for six weeks, off work for three months, and off the bike for five months.

My worst injury from the accident was a fractured sacrum that still bothers me with prolonged sitting and even a short distance walking unassisted, but I’m riding pretty well on my road and mountain bikes. I think that's because when cycling most of my weight is on the sit bones (ischium).

eastbay71

I broke my tailbone by falling at the top of a very icy ski run and sliding downhill a few hunderd yards into a cat track. I've been injured several times snowboarding including needing to have my rotator cuff rebuilt after a very bad wreck but the tailbone was by for the most intrusive injury I've ever had. It took me over a year to be able to sit down without wincing and it changed the way I walked. It really made me feel like I was getting old for the first time.

Darth Lefty 

I broke and then several times re-bruised mine from snowboarding. Basically nothing for it. I wasn't really cycling much at the time so I don't remember any special problems from it. The problem was not sitting, it was getting up from the chair.

rumrunn6

now you're gonna be the butt of everyone's jokes

pat5319

Always get the docs OK to do anything

james_v

Big 10/4 on that.

ColaJacket

A recumbent may hurt more than a regular bike, as you actually have to sit in a recumbent.

You might need a saddle with a cutout if you don't already have one.

Talk to you physician, and if you need to, ask him to refer you to a sports physical therapist.

GH

rootboy 

Sounds smirky but, you're lucky your coccyx was all you broke...at your age. Or any age.
Praise be none of your vertebrae were damaged.
Definite hurt, but the coccyx will heal with very few long term impacts.
Hope it doesn't hurt for too long.

qcpmsame 

A fall from 10' was how I compressed my spine, lead to right leg paralysis for 14 years, the initial diagnosis was coccyxidinia (sp?), by the orthopedic physician I saw, on orders from the workman's compensation insurer. Still can have some pain from the coccyx if I have to remain seated for too long. Seems that the blood supply to the bone that makes up the tailbone is not real good, slows the healing process. One of the physicians I saw, trying to get some answers about the W/C carrier jerking me around, told me that sometimes they remain "bruised" for the remainder of your time. Dang thing can hurt like the dickens, too.

Best wishes on your recovery, hopefully it will be complete and not take too long. Those things are a PITA

Bill