feethanddooth

want to get back to riding again after i crashed on friday (click for story and pics) but dont know if i should do timeon the trainer first or what. first time i have had a major accident. my right leg is very sore and the quads are tight like i got hit there with a baseball bat, or a car! all i know is i want to get back on the bike asap.

any suggestions?

Machka 

Is anything broken? If not, go for a ride now ... just go ride around the block or in a quiet park or something.

I have crashed several times, and have had some relatively serious injuries in a few of the crashes, but I have always gotten up and kept riding immediately after the crash, and then again as soon as I've had my injuries looked at. If I don't do that, I'm afraid I will have a lot of mental/emotional difficulty getting back on the bicycle again.

Sixty Fiver

Riding right after a crash is probably not the best of ideas (even though I have done this)... I ruptured the bursa in my knee last year and rode the 20 km home (then spent nearly a month off the bike), have finished rides with a few yards of bandages around my leg and never stopped riding after that... rode with cracked ribs dislocated fingers, shoulder seperation...

Even if you are relatively okay, you have to make sure that are aren't going to be riding in a state of shock which could lead to further accidents.

I'd check with your physician to make sure there isn't anything happening that could be made worse by riding.

Machka 

I agree with checking with the Dr., but so far I haven't had any negative effects of riding again after my crashes.

I have ruptured a bursa in my left knee too, crashing on ice, and my Drs reaction was, "It'll regrow" and he gave me the thumbs up to keep riding.

I finished the last 100 kms of a 200K brevet, a year ago, with a separated shoulder, torn up legs (mostly my left knee & area), and a concussion ... and then attempted a 400K brevet a few days later ... and that didn't delay my recovery too much.

I tore up my left knee badly on a crash on gravel during my 2004 Australian tour, and rode 100 kms the next day back to civilization again.

Now, all that said, although I did ride home after the crash where I cracked my ribs, I found I had to take a day off the next day. I tried to ride the next day, but the whole process of getting the bicycle down a flight of stairs was too much for me ... I ended up throwing up from the pain, so I thought it was best to rest for a day. That was probably partially a shock reaction.

But yes ... check with your Dr. to make sure you haven't done anything too serious.

Sixty Fiver

And people tell me I'm tough.

feethanddooth

i have stiches in my knee and the Dr's dont want me bending it so im in a brace. my quads on the same leg are terribly sore as well. and, i dont have a helmet(ordered a new one today).

i will wait the recommended time until i get the stitches out and see my Dr in the mean time. also have to see my neurologist as well. thanks for the tips

Machka 

It's not so much toughness with me as the knowledge that if I stay off my bicycle for any length of time after a crash, the fear will take over. It's like that old saying about if you fall off the horse, the best thing to do is get back on right away again.

Machka 

Well yes, if you're not supposed to bend your knee, then it would be best to give cycling a rest for now.

Your quads are likely sore because they are slightly pulled or bruised or something ... or possibly simply that you tensed up when you crashed. If you can, you might try hobbling around the block. Sometimes healing occurs faster if you can get extra blood-flow into the area. Also if your quads are sore because you tensed up, it's just like if you completed a fast hard ride early in the season, or did squats for the first time in a couple years .... basically DOMS. If that is the case, then getting a bit of exercise, (the equivalent to a recovery ride) can loosen things up.

I'd suggest a hot bath, but that's probably not good for the stitches.

You're in the US, right? Go to Walgreens, and get ahold of a tube of Walgreens brand Athletic Sports Cream (with 10% Trolamine Salicylate) and rub it on your quads ... give your self a massage with it. I used that cream for the first time after a rather embarrassing crash (trying to dismount from my bicycle) which occurred right before riding the Last Chance Randonnee. I was very pleasantly surprised with the way it eased the pain in my left hip and leg (where I landed).

Fixitman

Good lord .. Machka.
Your making me feel guilty for taking the day off after my crash yesterday. Actualy if I could have bent my knee I probably would have done some lite riding, but damn girl.

Fixitman

feethanddooth vbmenu_register("postmenu_6430216", true);

Arnica gell is a natural remedy for "pain, Swelling & stiffness" I used it last year after a fairley bad crash and it seemed to speed things up.