This past Friday I slipped and fell on the sidewalk in front of a resturant. Since i was carrying my granddaughter I twisted so she would not be injured. The end result is I hit my bad knee and twisted my side. The doctor at urgent care said I did not brak anythin and suggested I stay off of the knee for a while (week) Should I return to bike riding on Monday? That is how I get to work. It is ten miles round trip. I have rested as much as I can and I am taking the pills as perscribed. At my age , 55 yrs. one can not stay off the bike for long periods of time.

I'd give it at least a few days, then get on and try a short ride. Take it from there. Listen to what your body tells you.

Or, ask your PCP if a physical therapy visit is warranted, and see what they say after evaluating you.

definitely take a short ride at first. one thing I have learned is not to be too ambitious with these things. I normally ride to work but had an ACL reconstruction 8 weeks ago. Been using my stationary bike about 10 mins a day for a few weeks now

I crashed once and bashed my knee, right under the kneecap. I decided I could still ride and rode another 3 miles home. It swelled up and hurt so bad I couldn't walk normally for about 3 weeks. I think if I had called my wife, had her pick me up, and put ice on it immediately, it would have healed much quicker. But what do I know? Not only am I not a doctor, I don't even play one on TV.

I say don't ride until you're feeling mostly normal.

Only if you can you ride without using your knee.

It's only a week - take a break.

Time for a reality check? You went to the doctor, got his or her advice--and then, because you didn't like what you heard, you're asking a bunch of people on a bike forum to contradict it? Even if we'd examined the knee, we couldn't tell you what to do.
Having said that, though--a tip I got from an ortho surgeon years ago has served me pretty well: If it gets worse when you exercise, give it a rest. If it warms up and feels better, you're probably OK. Take it easy, as others have recommended, and it's better to spin in a low gear than mash in a higher one (that's also from the orthopod).
The reality check part? You're 55. That's about the age when I had to admit that I couldn't always do everything I used to or everything I wanted to. sometimes you HAVE to take time off, or risk aggravating an injury which will cost you a lot more time. I'm 65 now, and while i still do as much as i can, there's no shame in an off day, an easy day, or doing some other kind of exercise until you heal. It works out better in the long run.

Take the week off, rest the knee, then take an easy ride holding the distance to something sane like 2-3 miles no hills, if it's okay, then take a few easy rides and see how it goes, you should be fine in 2-3 weeks. If it still bothers you after the week, you need to see an orthopaedic specialist, you could have done something worse to it then the emergency doctor was able to tell.

I'd error on the side of caution. It's better to be dafe than sorry, I agree with Road Fan; try a short ride first and see how that goes.

Rest for a couple of days, take a recovery ride toward the latter part of the week, and listen to your body--as opposed to your mind or will. Challenge your body a bit next weekend and see what it says. Listen closely and it will tell you what to do and when to push it. You have this moment and your whole life ahead of you. Seek balance and push on.

Does your knee hurt to walk up or down stairs? Can you walk down a flight of stairs (or steep slope) carrying some extra weight and it not hurt? I would think that would be a good indication of where you stand so far as how the knee is fairing.