YSR races june...Broke my $^&%# collarbone!

G-Force Junkie · 06-09-2003, 1:26 AM

Sonofabitch this hurts! And ttping one handed is no treat either. Saturday practice went fine, it was 100 degrees but other than that nice weather. Sunday go out for my first practice on the 80, 3 laps in some stupid ####ing moron decides that passing me on the inside if the corner after the front straight would be a good idea so as I turn in he late brakes on my inside and I have no where to go. Im not sure if I hit him or just locked the front wheel, but the front end tucked and I landed full force on my right shoulder. POP! Hmmm, this cant be good...I roll off the track so I dont get hit, then get the bike off the track and thats when the 'oh ####, this hurts and I dont think my collar bone is supposed it be sticking out.' Damnit. Leave the bike, walk to the parametic, and get a tempory sling and find someone to take me to the emergency room. anyways, this sucks, there goes my points lead in Amature 80GP, and i'm sure my boss is going to be thrilled. So, anyone got experience with broken collerbones?

mike

sprint · 06-09-2003, 7:22 AM

I'm just about fully recovered from one (and some broken ribs). *I'm really sorry to hear that happened to you. *I know exactly what you mean when you say 'painful'. *OMG that hurt.

For recovery, I was required to wear a strap that pulled my shoulders backwards. *My co-worked affectionately referred to it as my 'man bra'. *I took it off after the third week.

As far as timing goes: I missed 1 week from work (desk job). *I couldn't really lie down comfortably for 3 weeks. *Started feeling somewhat normal again after 8 weeks. *Started riding again after 12 weeks.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Bigtoe · 06-09-2003, 7:24 AM

Never broke my collar bone, But heard it is a mo-fo. Take care and have a speedy recovery.

Baketech · 06-09-2003, 7:40 AM

Holy Cow!!

Isn't breaking a collarbone Step #3 on the checklist of becoming a 'Steely-Eyed Road Racer Type'

I've never had a broken collarbone, but have broken ribs on 2 different occasions....I concur with Sprint though...it hurts like hell. My last episode was 2 summers ago, and there are still things that hurt when I move wrong.

Good luck with the recovery....get some good meds...helps a bunch....

Proto · 06-09-2003, 8:56 AM

Sorry to hear your news. Don't worry you'll soon be back on two wheels.

Broken bones. I think Abtech once said that you can tell a bike racer by how long it takes them to get out of a chair.

Broke a collar bone a few years back. Very sore for about three/four weeks. Just put it in a sling and leave it alone. they only plate it if it starts to burrow its way through the soft tissue into fresh air. Nice!! Gradually goes away. you might end up with some knobbly bits you didn't have before.

You'll need to be aware of 'frozen shoulder' syndrome, at least that's what they call it here. Through inactivity your shoulder seizes up and can be a pig to get started again. so, painful as it might be, you have to keep moving that sholder. Physio made me reach up above my head as if plucking apples from a tree. Yikes was it sore and I was on pain killers for my fractured spine at the time.

Now in my experince ribs are much worse. Every time you move, breath cough, sneeze it's agony. Takes a few weeks before it becomes tolerable. Takes months before back to normal, at l;east six months in my case.

Baketech · 06-09-2003, 9:02 AM

Quote:

Proto : Now in my experince ribs are much worse. Every time you move, breath cough, sneeze it's agony.

No doubt!

It was hayfever season last time for me, and I was not easy to get along with.....

Gforce....did you get any cool pics of the tumble?

grafixman · 06-09-2003, 12:12 PM

Ouch, been there, it sucks GFJ. Try not to sneeze, cough or laugh for a little while.

Bacchus · 06-09-2003, 12:14 PM

Yes, been there, done that. I take it your doctor has you in the harness that pulls your shoulders back? My favorite part of the ordeal was hearing/feeling the bone ends grating together until knitting started. I thought it very strange that they would allow the bones to heal in an overlap position, but they said realigning and pinning usually presented more problems. And you don't lose any range of motion anyway. Plus, you will have a very cool knob sticking out with which you can gross people out .

P.S. - broken ribs are MUCH more painful. Don't ask me how I know this (4 separate occasions ).

SoCalRider · 06-09-2003, 12:19 PM

Sorry to hear about your accident.

I'm starting to conclude that racing is dangerous. I'll just continue to take my chances on the 405, thank you!

Are you going to continue racing?

Latebraking · 06-09-2003, 12:29 PM

The YSR I raced claimed my collarbone, also. It was one of the most painful injuries I have ever endured. I think it is a requirement of YSR racers to sacrifice one of the collarbones to the mini GP racer God. It will heal up, but not soon enough. Be like Miguel - get it plated an get back out there!

Heal up quick, man!

tigerblade · 06-09-2003, 12:41 PM

I think a broken collarbone is one of the most common racing injuries. Hope it heals fast for ya!

coderedcbr · 06-09-2003, 1:55 PM

DAMN! that sucks get well soon.

G-Force Junkie · 06-09-2003, 2:15 PM

thanks for the kind words guys, this indeed sucks. Going to see my Dr today and see what he says about it. FWIW Codered, or other WSIR racers, make sure they take you to the big hospital, I ended up at AV community, which is right down the street, and was throughly unimpressed. No pics or video that i know of, it was practice afterall. And I did find out who it was, one of the top riders! Asshole, he if all people knew better than to try such a bs pass...in practice!!!

G-Force Junkie · 06-09-2003, 2:18 PM

oh ya, going to keep racing, hoping its healed enough in 4 weeks so i can start my races, make one lap, and get the pointsfor last place, which are better than 0.

dB · 06-09-2003, 2:54 PM

Hmmm..it was a YSR that claimed my collarbone, too.

SoCalRider · 06-09-2003, 3:13 PM

Quote:

G-Force Junkie : oh ya, going to keep racing, hoping its healed enough in 4 weeks so i can start my races, make one lap, and get the pointsfor last place, which are better than 0.

Okay! I race your bike with your helmet, and you get the points for last place. Unless someone starts to lap me then I have to pull off.

WetShrub · 06-09-2003, 3:16 PM

Quote:

Latebraking : The YSR I raced claimed my collarbone, also. It was one of the most painful injuries I have ever endured. *I think it is a requirement of YSR racers to sacrifice one of the collarbones to the mini GP racer God. It will heal up, but not soon enough. Be like Miguel - get it plated an get back out there!

Heal up quick, man!

Don't say that! *I just started and have never broken my collar bone! *I spent 11 years racing bicycles with no broken bones at all (collar bone is very common there too) so I am hoping to avoid it with YSR racing as well.

-Shrub

Red Rider · 06-09-2003, 3:33 PM

Dang, GFJ...that sucks. I thought you don't fall as hard on YSR's?! Heal up fast...

G-Force Junkie · 06-09-2003, 3:35 PM

Actualy, i was on the RS125/80, but probaly would similar results on the ysr. It only takes like 10 pounds of force to berak your collar bone, you can do it falling out of bed. Its rreal common with motorcycles and bicycles because itd usualy you shoulder to hit first in a fall.

AsianImage · 06-09-2003, 3:41 PM

DAMN!!!

Mike!!!

Sheesh...heal quick brother...at least it was in a safe enviorment and your didnt go down in the canyons or on the street.

I am sure your boss is thrilled! If ya need anything just hollah..you know how to reach me!

abtech · 06-09-2003, 3:54 PM

The harness is BS. I threw mine away the last 3 times as they never stayed tight enough to help very much. I finally went to a real Orthopedic guy (does all the Lions and Redwings surgeries) and he said most middle linebackers don't even have collarbones anymore. They are mostly cosmetic and if you work on upper body stuff (bench pressing primarily), you don't need them. I had trouble turning and braking at the same time for awhile, but you just change your technique to fit and it's not a problem.

My right collarbone is still in three pieces (since 96) while my left just floats . . .

It does hurt, but doesn't last very long.

dB · 06-09-2003, 4:09 PM

I liked the harness a lot better than the sling...mostly because it held my shoulder back which was a lot more comfortable. It also held the dangling end of the bone down...that sucker wouldn't stay put in the sling.

h · 06-09-2003, 6:58 PM

*dont check in very often and s**t happens...
get well soon! *funny idea about race-impersonating...
take care, h.

G-Force Junkie · 06-10-2003, 12:50 AM

Went to an ortho surgeon today, clavical is in 3 pieces and a few shards. Going to give it a week for the swelling to go down and see what they want to do then Well, i never do anything half-assed, so why should this be different

Bacchus · 06-10-2003, 2:07 AM

Quote:

abtech : The harness is BS. *I threw mine away the last 3 times as they never stayed tight enough to help very much. *

LOL! When they first sent me home with my initial harness, it was way too big for my frame, and allowed too much movement. Once I went back and bitched, and they fitted me with the proper size, it was very comfortable and relieved the pain.

As a side note, reflecting on the incompetency of some hospitals, you gotta love this: as a result of the accident I also ended up needing some stitches. After the gorillas finished w/me in ER, I walked out to my friend's waiting van. Just as we are about to pull out, a 'nurse' frantically runs up to the moving van, beating on the window with a hypodermic in her hand. 'Wait, wait, I forgot to give you your tetanus shot'! She climbs aboard, administers the shot, and is gone.
Holy shite!

G-Force Junkie · 06-28-2003, 3:44 AM

An update, me clavicle looks like this now:
http://www.jpy.com/john/clavicle/jpgs/4a.jpg
Man, surgery hurts worse than breaking stuff. Last Tuesday they went in and screwed it all back together, seems I managed to break it in about the worst way, in the worst place possable. After 2 weeks, the bones were actualy getting further displaced and wanting to poke through the skin which hurt like hell. At least the bones can start to heal now. Hopefuly it is should be healed in 8 weeks, which is good because there is a race in 7

mike