Cycling with bruised/fractured ribs

TheEnglishman
TheEnglishman Posts: 587
edited August 2012 in Road general
Anyone with any experience of cycling after fracturing ribs?

I'm seeing the doctor on Monday as I think I may have done one falling (no, I wasn't pissed) and I'm just wondering how others have got on riding/training wise

Comments

  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Think I may have done mine last weekend in the Peak District. Went riding at Swinley today and it hurt over some of the bumps. It actually hurt more yesterday on my road bike commuting as I felt the potholes more severely with skinny tyres and no suspension.

    I think you will be advised to rest for a few weeks - nothing they can do. Whether we should take that advice, I am not sure - I have been waiting for the rain to stop so that I can get out on my bike, cant bear the thought of staying in for a month while the weather is good...
  • dork_knight
    dork_knight Posts: 405
    I had an off at about 30Mph earlier this year and cracked a few ribs, bloody painful and I must say, rather horrific trying to get to sleep.

    Anyway, after two weeks I didn't feel too bad, took out a new road bike and pulled the ribs on a climb, took me back to pretty much square one.

    About six weeks later (so two months in total) my ribs were pretty good and back to normal, I still get pain in a finger and arm (which is getting better) after that off and it was about 4 months ago now ~ So it really can take a while for the body to heal.

    So see the Doctor, take it easy and I wouldn't advise jumping back into the swing of things too fast just in case you set yourself back a couple of weeks, just build back up slowly I suppose.
    The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the devil's own satanic herd.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    I bruised/cracked a rib back at the beginning of April (football with my daughter), recovered now, bloody painful, especially the first week after. I didn't cycle for about a month after, but then started to. The only problem (for me) was in bed ie lying down and sleeping, awful but the more I cycled, the better it became.

    Helps recovery imo, but gentle on the cycling.
  • andi1363
    andi1363 Posts: 350
    Broken ribs twice and its quite painful. First time, I was off the bike about a week and sneezing and taking a dump were challenging. Ride a soon as you can but don't expect to be able to "honk". Use your favorite pain killers, I recommend Ibuprofen and try to breath normally as shallow breathing can lead to secondary lung infection I am told.
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    badly bruised or cracked mine 5 months ago karting, couldn't sleep on it for 4 weeks, but found riding the bike fine after 2 or 3 days, did expect it to hurt on the bike but just didn't, get on your bike see how you feel if ok carry on!
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • Yukirin
    Yukirin Posts: 231
    fractured a rib in December meeting a wing mirror of a car cutting me up.
    took a week off the bike before getting back on and then by 10 miles it hurt. about two weeks after that it hurt only if I was breathing hard. By 6th week cycling didnt bother it at all, just any time I caught it on something, sneezed or coughed up until about 12 weeks after and was slightly sore to pressure up until about May
  • pete.whelan
    pete.whelan Posts: 788
    agree, cracked ribs hurt when breathing hard, coughing/sneezing and having a dump (depends which ribs). Cracked one last weekend, but still riding, just got to take it into the pain threshold. Found it difficult to race on Saturday.
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  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Yukirin wrote:
    fractured a rib in December meeting a wing mirror of a car cutting me up.
    took a week off the bike before getting back on and then by 10 miles it hurt. about two weeks after that it hurt only if I was breathing hard. By 6th week cycling didnt bother it at all, just any time I caught it on something, sneezed or coughed up until about 12 weeks after and was slightly sore to pressure up until about May

    After a week, mine seemed to be about where you were after week 2. A few days later and its better still. So perhaps mine isnt broken, just bruised, or perhaps not such a severe fracture.

    Its actually not too bad in the day now, even on the bike. I have to be careful how I get up that I dont strain that part of me, and it is slightly sore to pressure but it is hurting less when I inhale deeply or breathe hard. It does still hurt a fair bit if I cough, and really hurts when I lie down - I cant lie on that side and if I lie on my other side then the weight of my arm on it hurts - so I have to sleep on my back which i NEVER do, havent for decades anyway...
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    I would suggest you stick to ibroprufen and paracetemol.

    Avoid codiene, whilst great pain relief it makes you constipated and squeezing one out with cracked ribs is not fun.
  • I seem to be in the same place as you apreading - and navring - stop making me laugh. - it hurts!
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Typical - despite this, I set a personal best time on one of my local 20 mile loops last night - by 3 1/2 minutes!!!

    A little bit of discomfort from the ribs over bumps and couldnt breathe as deeply as I would normally when pushing hard. But doesnt appear to have made things worse...

    Still painful when lying down in bed particularly - perhaps I shouldnt be pusing so hard on the bike right now and should take it a bit easier for a few weeks? Dont seem to be able to do that easily though...
  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 950
    I have bruised ribs now. Ive just been on the turbo trainer. Have not been out yet. Hopefullt ill get out soon
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  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Found I couldn't honk out of the saddle for a number of weeks. Took 6 weeks to settle down then gradual improvement over a number of months. Sleeping was impossible for the first few days, couldn't lie down at all.

    Did mine chasing my kids round a swimming pool with a watergun on holiday, whoop, banged down on my back. That stung a bit.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    badly bruised or cracked mine 5 months ago karting

    Snap!! (sorry!) - did the same. Dangerous business. I was grateful that the 100 mile drive home was up the A1 so I didn't need to turn the steering wheel much!

    At least it only hurt when I breathed. :lol:

    There was a lump where the two bits of rib fused for ages (couple of years at least).
    Faster than a tent.......