Broken Pelvis Recovery

Tedwoodding

Hi there, I'm totally new to forums but thought I would register as i am so bored with just browsing the net and watching TV. Back in November I was riding in a reliability trial in Sussex and was hit head on by a vehicle and trailer traveling on the wrong side of the road. To cut the long story short, I ended up with a broken pelvis with a detatched SI joint on my right side and disrupted SI on my left, my right sit bone was fractured and my pubic symphysis was left wide open. I was left in the road for about 60 minutes while I waiting for the emergency services. I got taken to the ER and went strait into surgery to repair the damage. I came round with an SI fixation bolt on the right and a titanium plate holding my pubic symphysis together. I also sustained a broken AC ligament in my shoulder, but that im still waiting on surgery for. I'm currently touch weight bare only on my right side and will be until about 25th Feb. I was just wondering if anyone here has recovered from a broken pelvis and if I will be able to return to cycling with a SI fixation without too much pain.

chigman

Hi mate

I was involved in a roofing accident at work back in 1992 and suffered a disruption of the pubic symphysis and a traumatic dislocation to the left shoulder at the same time. To cut a long story short, I was in hospital for three months with an 'A' frame fixation, three six inch pins left and three right. I was out of work for a few years but now I manage just fine save from some discomfort in my left hip, arthritis I think, and my pelvis is now permanently lop sided, IE one side is lower than the other. Cycling is fine by the way.

Good luck in your recovery-it could be a long one.

Steve

nawty

Tedwoodding wrote:

Hi there, I'm totally new to forums but thought I would register as i am so bored with just browsing the net and watching TV. Back in November I was riding in a reliability trial in Sussex and was hit head on by a vehicle and trailer traveling on the wrong side of the road. To cut the long story short, I ended up with a broken pelvis with a detatched SI joint on my right side and disrupted SI on my left, my right sit bone was fractured and my pubic symphysis was left wide open. I was left in the road for about 60 minutes while I waiting for the emergency services. I got taken to the ER and went strait into surgery to repair the damage. I came round with an SI fixation bolt on the right and a titanium plate holding my pubic symphysis together. I also sustained a broken AC ligament in my shoulder, but that im still waiting on surgery for. I'm currently touch weight bare only on my right side and will be until about 25th Feb. I was just wondering if anyone here has recovered from a broken pelvis and if I will be able to return to cycling with a SI fixation without too much pain.

I can't offer any advice but several of the words you use make my danglies head north

So, good luck with the recovery!

ShutUpLegs

Good luck with recovering, sounds horrendous.

Tedwoodding

chigman wrote:

Hi mate

I was involved in a roofing accident at work back in 1992 and suffered a disruption of the pubic symphysis and a traumatic dislocation to the left shoulder at the same time. To cut a long story short, I was in hospital for three months with an 'A' frame fixation, three six inch pins left and three right. I was out of work for a few years but now I manage just fine save from some discomfort in my left hip, arthritis I think, and my pelvis is now permanently lop sided, IE one side is lower than the other. Cycling is fine by the way.

Good luck in your recovery-it could be a long one.

Steve

Thanks Steve, I feel really good when I'm on the stationary bike but am worried that my right fixation is working loose, I'm feeling knocking when i shift my weight from side to side, even when just sitting. Going to give my consultant a call tomorrow. I forgot to say my left hip socket was fractured too I'm just managing to hang onto my job working from home, but I'm not sure how long they will put up with it, as I'm just a contractor.

I'm having real difficulty keeping my spirits up, its tough with a young family when you cant do anything or go anywhere.

chigman

How long was you hospitalized for? They wouldn't let me out with apparatus sticking out of me at that time. I couldn't go home until they had 'sprung' (term) my pelvis to check that they were satisfied before they took the fixation off. It took a while (a few hours)to walk properly again after such along lie down There is no way I would be even trying to ride a bike if I still had plates and pins attached-no way. Let the healing process do it's thing, then start off slowly on the bike. You could actually end up near to where you started otherwise.

It was actually my shoulder that took the longest to heal. Ulnar nerve damage which took 18 months re-generate.

Steve

Tedwoodding

Because I was internally repaired I was only in hospital for 10 days, at the 6 week mark my consultant suggested I used the pool and a stationary bike to start re-building my muscles. I didn't actually have the confidence to start this exercise until 12 weeks after the surgery. I will give him a call today and update on what happens. I had an x-ray locally on Friday and was assured by the orthopedic surgeon that all was well, but I would rather get the opinion of the guy that put the bolt in.

I cant imagine having and external fixation, that must have been an awful experience for you.

Eddy S

Tedwooding - you might find this thread about broken hip recovery good reading/useful.

johnboy183

Ohhhh that makes me wince just reading it. Have a healthy recovery and fingers crossed you'll be running around like a mad March hare in no time at all.

Tedwoodding

Strange conversation with the consultant surgeon today, he doesn't seem worried that i feel movement in my SI joint and has scheduled to see me on the 11th Feb, I'm still to only touch weight bare on the right side. I'm not sure where I go from here. I have an appointment tomorrow to have my AC ligament looked at, its a stage 5 complete separation, it sticks up like a finger

Hondated

Hi Isn't life strange at times having spoken to you last night I came home logged on here and realised this was your story. A story that would touch any cyclists or indeed persons heart as at the end of the day all you were doing was enjoying yourself out on your bike.
Since we first met which was actually several weeks ago before last night I have been wracking my brain on what I could say to give you some sort of positive encouragement and until now I have been at a lost to think what I can say.
But today having struggled on my trainer for 30 minutes I sat down with a cuppa and this weeks Cycling Weekly and delved into it.I am in fact in the middle of reading it but I have interrupted doing that because I think I may have read something that may make you feel a little better .
What I have ready is about Wouter Sybrandy recovery from his crash in The Tour of Britain.
Now by what I have read his injuries don't seem to me to be as bad as yours but its his advice on how to recover from them I feel worth passing on.

He says " that staying positive is essential... " I,ve never experienced anything like this and I didn't know how to react.But a good mood helps everything you could think of."

His other bit of advice to recover from an injury is to have some form of structure to achieve short term goals.It gives you something to aim for an outcome.
You need to go from goal to goal.

The only other thing I can say is that although a new club member as I am sure long standing members would also agree is if there is anything I can do to help your morale and recovery just shout.

If want this copy of The Comic just let me know I and I will bringing to the club meet next Monday.

Tedwoodding

How funny, you better pass on that Comic on Monday, that will give me a good clue as to who you are

I realized today that my recovery needs to change its focus, I keep wanting to rush and be back rolling about on the floor playing with my kids rather than this idle internet junky that sits in the corner looking for a wonder cure on google. Im going to make sure I give my wife & kids some quality time while I am about. All will change when I am back at work

I have a badly damaged left sacriliac joint (fixated but loose still), its going to take 3 months minimum to stabilize it, while that's sorting its self out they will repair my wonky shoulder using a SURGILIG (Google this) device to tie down my clavicle as all the ligaments snapped clean off. This will take 6 weeks to heal

Someone said to me last night "Ed you've just got to right this year off an look forward to 2014, its just a blip in your life" I thought about those words today and realize that even though I lost my fitness and my business and im getting fat, I still have my family and they still have me. That could have been so different!
Sobering times!

maxima

I hope you sue pants and knickers off that driver!

chigman

Tedwoodding wrote:

How funny, you better pass on that Comic on Monday, that will give me a good clue as to who you are

I realized today that my recovery needs to change its focus, I keep wanting to rush and be back rolling about on the floor playing with my kids rather than this idle internet junky that sits in the corner looking for a wonder cure on google. Im going to make sure I give my wife & kids some quality time while I am about. All will change when I am back at work

I have a badly damaged left sacriliac joint (fixated but loose still), its going to take 3 months minimum to stabilize it, while that's sorting its self out they will repair my wonky shoulder using a SURGILIG (Google this) device to tie down my clavicle as all the ligaments snapped clean off. This will take 6 weeks to heal

Someone said to me last night "Ed you've just got to right this year off an look forward to 2014, its just a blip in your life" I thought about those words today and realize that even though I lost my fitness and my business and im getting fat, I still have my family and they still have me. That could have been so different!
Sobering times!

Haha - Now your starting to think straight. You know it makes sense. Good luck with your recovery Tedwoodding.

Steve

Tedwoodding

Good news, my surgeon said my wobbly pelvis is perfectly normal and that it would flex as the SI join tightens back up. The fact I reduced my meds last week may have exasperated the feeling of movement I am getting. I'm just going to take it super easy for the next couple of months.

Still no news on the date for my shoulder repair

maxima: I was fully insured with British Cycling, they are going after the driver at the moment. :roll: