[induction]

So I take nearly a year off from riding to move to Flag with a new job opportunity. I've been working a ton and trying to meet new people and get the kids all settled in. So, I'm feeling pretty good, been working out and running and even got a couple rides in. So, I call a buddy and say lets go riding Saturday. Sure enough he's all for it. We rode all day and hit everything we wanted to hit on elden and at about 3 mph as I was coming to a stop, I hit a rock, root or something and it knocked me over. Literally, I was coming to a stop to talk with a friend! Well, pictures can say more than words sometimes so here's one a week after surgery...





Tore my triceps tendon and muscle from my elbow and broke a piece of bone off my elbow!! Fully padded from head to toe! I didn't even bang a single body part on anything! It was just they way I caught myself! When it's your time, it's your time lol. This is all just for sympathy and pity lol. I'm feeling a little bummed haha.

 

[canyondave]

I don't understand,you were wearing elbow pads?did they push to the side? what brand were you wearing?
that's a bad scar for 3 miles per hour.good thing it didn't happen at faster speeds.

 

[induction]

That was the wound post surgery. I didn't have a scrape on me before that. It was all just internal. The tendon snapped from just catching myself. I had some tendonitis in that elbow which may have weakened it.

 

[Maadjurguer]

Walt had the same thing happen to him on BCT nearly 2 years ago...he might have some good rehab stories for you....heal up!

 

[induction]

I'd love to hear some rehab stories. Thanks for the well wishes.

 

[azdog]

Dang, heal up!!

 

[Old ROMPer]

Good Luck!

Those setbacks suck. Glad it was not worse

 

[m77ranger]

Wow! That's some bad luck. I hope you heal up quick.

 

[28/29 WIT]

With the scar you are going to have you need to make up a better story than that!

 

[metalaficionado]

That is terrible luck. I used to take judo in college. That is the best training for taking falls. It saved my ass multiple times when otb-ing.

 

[induction]

Thanks y'all for the well wishes! No doubt that's gonna be a legit scar. Maybe I'll start a new post for the best story idea! Lol.

 

[cmart]

• Same injury! Joined just to post mine.
• A month ago I was going uphill in a rock garden (The Spine at Sweetwater in NW Tucson), less than 5 MPH. Front wheel caught a dip and I went over the bars, landed on my elbow with all my weight. Lots of swelling but x-rays the same day showed no break. Was sent home with an ace bandage, not knowing that the elbow was stress fractured.
• A couple of weeks later, I was test-riding a recumbent bike so that I could ride something again. I had to catch my balance while stepping out of the bike. As I jerked my arm in the air, triceps contracted and ripped its tendon out of my elbow, taking a piece of the weakened bone with it.
• Sh***y luck here because I was training for the 24HOP. This all happened just a few weeks before the race. Next year!
• induction, how has yours healed up over time?

This was the second round of x-rays after the tendon detached, you can see the little pieces of bone pulled off near the elbow.

This is a week after getting surgery to re-attach the tendon.

 

[induction]

• Same injury! Joined just to post mine.
• A month ago I was going uphill in a rock garden (The Spine at Sweetwater in NW Tucson), less than 5 MPH. Front wheel caught a dip and I went over the bars, landed on my elbow with all my weight. Lots of swelling but x-rays the same day showed no break. Was sent home with an ace bandage, not knowing that the elbow was stress fractured.
• A couple of weeks later, I was test-riding a recumbent bike so that I could ride something again. I had to catch my balance while stepping out of the bike. As I jerked my arm in the air, triceps contracted and ripped its tendon out of my elbow, taking a piece of the weakened bone with it.
• Sh***y luck here because I was training for the 24HOP. This all happened just a few weeks before the race. Next year!
• induction, how has yours healed up over time?

This was the second round of x-rays after the tendon detached, you can see the little pieces of bone pulled off near the elbow.

This is a week after getting surgery to re-attach the tendon.

It's pretty great now. I lift heavy and still ride my mtn bike, bmx bike and dirt bike. Just be consistent and positive through rehab. Push through the "good" pain and keep working it and stretching it so you don't lose mobility. It took awhile for it to feel 100%, but it was worth it

 

[cmart]

Glad to hear you ended up OK! How long after the surgery until you started to ride again? I haven't even started physical therapy yet. Can't wait to get these staples out.

 

[matrix311]

wow crazy you both had the same exact injury! Hope I dont have a freak accident like that. Good luck on recovery.

 

[induction]

It was quite a while before I started physical therapy...AT LEAST two months. I did however work legs and the other side of my upper body. It translates into strength, endurance and improved motor skills for the non-worked, injured side too!

 

[cmart]

Rehab update for the curious. For a year I was very careful to avoid stressing the repaired tendon. The worst part by far was mental, waiting for it heal very slowly and afraid of hurting it further. I didn't ride an upright bicycle for a year, but I bought a Bacchetta Giro recumbent, did road rides all summer, and that scratched the itch.

T+1 year, sick of being slower than my friends on climbs (as recumbents don't let you stand on the pedals), I started riding an upright road bike again. My elbow got sore after riding an hour, but it was doable. Fearing the activity that broke me, I stayed away from MTB and sold the hardtail 29er. Daily life was mostly fine and I stopped thinking about the injury much.

T+4 years, I'm doing sets of push-ups and the elbow feels about 100%. I don't notice a difference in strength between my "good" and "repaired" triceps. This past fall I've been riding a rigid 26er on 1.5" slicks as a "town bike", exploring around Flagstaff, sometimes on dirt roads and trails. Just month ago, I saw a set of 26" knobbies on clearance at REI, could not resist. I got home, put them on, and tried out some local trail. It was delicious and in an hour, I became a mountain biker again. Wearing elbow pads and a full-face helmet, for confidence.

I took this rig on a half-dozen rides around Flagstaff, Sedona, and Tucson. Lots of fun, but said rigid 26er is a demanding mistress. She demands perfect lines through rocky sections, under threat of immediate rebuke. Good for building skills, but an hour on rough trail will beat you up, and techy steep stuff is a dab-fest.

Wanting to ride further in more comfort, last week I bought a new Specialized Epic Evo. 90 miles on it so far, feeling great. While the rigid 26er negotiates obstacles, this bike exploits features. Climbs and descends the chunky stuff with fewer dabs.

Long story short, I've come full circle back to MTB. Grateful for good health and hoping for a few more decades of good riding.

 

[one lung]

Broke my right radius 6/26/20 and had surgery to install 6 screws and a plate. I would recommend using a product called Mederma to help the scar heal.