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Slow Recovery

03.24.2013 by Ray Niekamp // 14 Comments

It’s been a disappointing week. I thought I had been making a good comeback from my fall two weeks ago. Last Sunday, I did an easy 32-mile ride with no bad consequences. But Monday, I developed some pains in my side.

I had been having these feelings pretty much since the fall, but they were minor. I mostly concentrated on that huge bruise I blogged about last week, and then a hip pointer made itself known. Football players (American football) and hockey players get these, from banging the point of their pelvis bones against something hard. Most of the time, it’s not there, but when I bend my left leg a certain way, the pain is enough to make me jump.

Then on Tuesday, I decided to do my after work ride. It’s a 19-20 mile jaunt through my neighborhood. This time, as soon as I got on the bike, I could feel that pain in my side again. It feels as though something under my ribs is bruised, and if I bend at the waist a certain way, it’s quite painful.

On the bike Tuesday, that ache was with me throughout the ride. Instead of 19 miles, I cut it short and did only 12.

“You should see the doc,” said my wife, when I told her what had happened.

Luckily, my doctor keeps evening hours on Wednesday, and booked me an appointment that evening. He’s always been supportive of my biking, because of the changes it’s made in such indicators as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Of course, this is a negative effect.

He had me do some stretches, which didn’t hurt. He poked and prodded my sides, and found the quarter-sized spot on my left ribcage that triggered the pain. It’s where the rib meets cartilage, and he told me the cartilage is the damaged part.

“In my professional opinion,” he said, adopting a pedantic tone, “you’re banged up.”

There is nothing to be done. “Even if you had a broken rib, we wouldn’t do anything,” he said. “We’ve stopped wrapping ribs. It turns out that can cause pneumonia.”

He did recommend heat. And anti-inflammatories, which I’d already been taking. But it looks like it will be several weeks before the aches and pains go away.

I dug out the heating pad, and it does work. Saturday, I got on the bike and repeated the ride I had started Tuesday. This time, I did the whole 19 miles. My torso felt fine.

I rode again today. The only time it feels sore is when I stand to pedal up a hill, so I rode a mostly flat course. But I can ride without pain.

I’m looking forward to riding again Tuesday after work. My time in the saddle is really down this year. I’ve got some catching up to do.

 

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Categories // crash, Injury Tags // Injury

Biking Through a Bruise

03.15.2013 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

My fingers next to the bruise give an idea of its size.
My fingers next to the bruise give an idea of its size.

I’m still feeling the effects of that fall I had a week ago. I’ve got the biggest bruise on my hip that I’ve ever had, and it was quite painful to start with. However, one nice aspect of our sport is that it seems to help in recovery from these kinds of injuries.

The crash was odd in that I wasn’t moving all that fast. In fact, I was just slowing to make a turn when the rear wheel slid out from under me. But the full force of the impact fell on my left hip. I must have hit the pavement a lot harder than it first seemed, because two days after the crash, I had trouble rising from a chair. It felt like the whole left torso was bruised as well, although I could find no marks.

How did I treat the big bruise? It turns out that I did everything wrong. The recommended treatment for a bruise is to stretch and ice the affected area after the workout. In my case, I felt so good after riding this week that I did nothing except shower. For pain, acetaminophen is the recommended treatment — not ibuprofen. I gobbled ibuprofen two or three times a day.

Sitting for awhile, while watching TV, exacerbated the pain. Moving eased it. Except for Sunday, the day after the crash, I have been on the bike every day — sometimes pushing myself to climb a small hill a little bit faster, or do some intervals. Without fail, I felt better once I got home.

In one regard, I was lucky. I wasn’t bruised anywhere that came into contact with the bike. So when I ride, I feel like a normal person. It’s only after I’ve been stationary for an hour or more that pain becomes a problem.

Bruises heal themselves in seven to 10 days. My bruise is still impressive, in terms of the area it covers, but I can tell the coloring is already starting to fade. I expect to be back to normal in another couple of days. But in the meantime, I think I’ve healed a little faster by exercising those muscles under the bruise than I would have if I’d done nothing.

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Categories // crash, Injury Tags // crash, Injury

You and a Car Have Collided. Now What?

12.13.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

This is a guest post by attorney Mike Bomberger, who practices bicycle accident law.

In almost every state a bicycle is considered a “vehicle,” therefore just like motorists, cyclists are required to follow the rules of the road. Unlike pedestrians, bicyclists do not always have the right-of-way and must adhere to all signs and signals. The issue of liability lies with whichever motorist or cyclist failed to obey the law.

iShareTheRoadSignContrary to popular belief, only 11 percent of bicycle accidents involve a collision with a car. The other 89 percent either involve other bicyclists, pedestrians or are due to cyclists losing control of their bikes because of hazardous weather or road conditions. If you are ever part of that 11 percent it is important that you know your rights and the proper steps to take after the accident:

  • Remove yourself from any additional danger. Be sure to get yourself and your bike out of the road to ensure your safety, and to prevent any additional vehicles from hitting your bicycle.
  • Notify the police. You and the motorist are legally obligated to remain at the scene if you or anyone else has been injured, or if there has been any property damage.
  • Gather as much information as possible after the crash. Take photos, preserve evidence, write down the driver’s license plate number, note any road hazards and traffic signs that may prove liability and obtain the driver’s insurance information. You should also check for witnesses and obtain contact information and/or written statements form them.
  • Never negotiate with the motorist. With your adrenaline running high, your body may be masking the extent of your injuries and you could have more bodily damage than you think. Even if the driver accepts blame at the scene of the accident, they could later change their mind and deny blame, or even the accident altogether.
  • Although insurance companies may appear to be on your side, never negotiate with them or admit any fault. They can use everything that you say against you in order to avoid paying out.
  • Be sure the police take your report, and not only the motorist’s. Have the police document any injury or damage to yourself or your bike, regardless of how minor it may seem at the time.

Before contacting your insurance company, you should speak with a personal injury attorney who can advise you on how to deal with them. An attorney can also help you receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, bike repair, pain and suffering and disfigurement.

Mike Bomberger is a seasoned litigation and trial attorney, who has been involved in numerous multi-million dollar recoveries for his clients.  He is a founding partner of the California bicycle accident law firm, Estey & Bomberger, LLP.  http://www.esteybomberger.com  

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Categories // crash, Safety Tags // car-bike accident, crash

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