Two broken elbows

Jamey

Apologies for being AWOL since the middle of June but I fell off my bike on the London to Brighton and broke both of my arms at the elbow.

I'm now back at work but I think recovery will be a long road as I've got fractures in the joints themselves, as well at the break to both forearms. Wish I could hop back on the bike but my arms just aren't up to it and I don't know when they will be.

heavymental

Ouch, how'd you manage that?

Clever Pun

Oh my... you're not the guy who crashed into the hay bails going down a hill were you?

glad you're on the mend

cee

oooh that must have smarted a tad!

glad you are on the mend.....

vermooten

I did similar 2 years ago, heals quickly. Make sure you get physio - you need to tell them you ned it, it doesn't just appear. Or at least not in north Manchester.

hisoka

OHHHHH that sounds so bad there. Where were you when it happened, well if it is not too rude to ask of course?

Jamey

I was about twenty miles into the ride, just up the hill from The Dog & Duck pub when I hit some sort of bump (my ride buddy thinks it was a Cat's Eye) while I was going downhill. I was looking to the side as I hit it, lost control and went over the handlebars, landing on my arms, sliding along on a knee and shoulder and my helmet strap sliced into my jaw (flap of skin, lots of blood, six stitches) for good measure. Plus the usual bruises and grazes.

I didn't hit any haybails though, that must have been another unfortunate so-and-so.

As for physio, I'm paying for private sessions at a sports injury clinic on top of the NHS stuff (which hasn't come through yet anyway).

The worst part was that everyone just concentrated on my chin because it looked a lot worse than it actually was (flaps of skin blowing in the breeze seem to alarm medics more than an inability to move one's arms) so it was ages before I got plastered up. I had to lie there having stitches with the arms painfully broken and the local anaesthetic didn't even work so I felt every stitch.

Main worry now is straightening them. basically I can't and there's a chance I won't be able to again, at least not fully but I'm trying not to think about that too much right now.

Nuggs

Jamey wrote:

Main worry now is straightening them. basically I can't and there's a chance I won't be able to again, at least not fully but I'm trying not to think about that too much right now.

I dislocated and broke my right elbow a few years ago. It took a few months before I could fully-straighten the arm but it came good in the end.

I was able to give myself a good chance of a full recovery by doing lots of physio-prescrived exercises to reduce the effects of scar tissue etc. Hopefully you'll be able to do the same soon.

Good luck chap.

nark3d

Sounds nasty! We think we may have seen you afterwards, did you end up an ambulance in Brighton by any chance?

I broke my right arm in a similar crash. 8 clean breaks, dislocation and multiple fractures around the joint. Several pins and bolts, two operations and lots of physio later I got 75% use back, about a year after that back to nearly 90% and back on the bike. I even play squash on it now.

Hang in there dude, you'll be back in no time! Do you think you'll do the L2B again?

Jamey

I want to do the L2B route (even if it's just on my own one weekend) as one of my first rides when I can cycle again.

Clever Pun

Good work... and good luck

your crash sounds exactly like the one I saw coming down a hill but no cats eyes though

hisoka

Well good luck on that route, I do think it is a great one for a nice day, if things go well of course.

boybiker

Owwwww thats gotta hurt I don't want to know about painful bikleing accidents I very nearly came off last night breaking hard going downhill to a roundabout and my back wheel locked up and started fishtailing on some road markings

il_principe

You poor sod. Hope you make a full and speedy recovery. I came off at this years Etape, luckily was only doing 25mph but still got some tasty bruising and tarmac rash - feel very lucky it wasn't worse having read your story. I managed to complete the Etape but could barely move the next day!

NWLondoner

Ouch :shock:

I hope you make a full recovery ASAP.

Hope you can make it to next years L2B and if you do i'll give you a WIDE berth

penugent

:shock:

I hope your recovery goes well mate.

Harveytile

Man that sounds painful :shock: . I hope all the bits stick back together as good as new. Work hard on the physio. A mate of mine snapped his tib and fib above the ankle playing rugby. It took NHS 3 months to work out their meddling was not working :roll: , he went to private and was walking about (with a cast) within another 3 weeks. He is still going to physio but the results are good. Holding thumbs yours comes out better.

So any pics then?
:evil: