Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
  • What have I done to my chest?
  • Northwind
    Full Member

    OK, not taking my own advice here re asking medical advice, but I'm more curious than anything else. Sunday before last I managed a reasonably high speed crash into soft ground, took all the blow on my right shoulder, it dug in a bit so I didn't roll out of the crash quite right. A collarbone breaker if I'd hit much worse but I seemed to get away with it. Very sore at the time but I carried on riding afterwards, had full mobility in both arms etc.

    Over the week since then it got pretty painful, but not debilitating- the pain's got the exact same "flavour" as my broken ribs though not as severe, and not as constant- it gets me when I'm lying down in most positions, and occasionally if I'm trying to do any lifting. It's mostly an issue when trying to sleep, I need to get in exactly the right position or it's very painful (though again, not quite as bad as broken ribs- but not so far off)

    But, I can ride completely normally, I did 10UTB last week and it didn't bother me much. Bit sore for rougher stuff but no worse than you'd expect from a bad bit of bruising.

    If I poke around my sternum, there's a point which is sore to the touch between the top rib and sternum, and another which is VERY sore to the touch right in the centre and top of my sternum. Collarbone and rib not at all painful when pushed/prodded elsewhere.

    What just caught me out was I went to pump up a tyre with a track pump just now, and it just wasn't happening, I can't apply any force and while it's not a particularily high level of pain, it's a very solid, "stop doing that" feeling.

    So. Go to doctors? MTFU? Clearly I've not broken my ribs or collarbone as I wouldn't be riding, so what else is there?

    samuri
    Free Member

    Torn muscle. Bruised ribs can take longer to heal than broken ones too.

    Coyote
    Free Member

    Sorry, thought this was an "enhanced" thread. I'll leave quietly…

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    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    costal cartilege damage? Have a google for it.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Hmm, that looks quite plausible. Right area and right sort of impact, from what I can tell. Aargh, I've just committed a cardinal sin and googled an injury I might have, that's the first step towards becoming a total hypocondriac isn't it…

    Samuri, would you expect a torn muscle from a fall like this? wasn't any overextension of the arm or anything like that, I think it was upper arm sandwiched between chest and ground.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I've just committed a cardinal sin and googled an injury I might have

    I always like to help my GP by goggling all my symptoms before seeing him. Like that, I can save him the bother of diagnosing my condition – all he needs to do is write my referral letters.

    There's been a few times when google has revealed that I was suffering from dangerous life threatening conditions. Which meant I was able to go directly to A&E and not bother my GP at all.

    Luckily, presumably because of my prompt actions, none of my conditions have proved fatal.
    So I would always advise : "google first" 8)

    samuri
    Free Member

    Samuri, would you expect a torn muscle from a fall like this? wasn't any overextension of the arm or anything like that, I think it was upper arm sandwiched between chest and ground.

    I agree, it doesn't sound normal but when you hit the ground you're prone to stiffening up which can easily lead to torn ligaments/muscles.
    Car crash victims who 'see it coming' often have similar long standing but non-critical injuries.

    Don't forget, your sternum is positively jam packed filled with nerves who are all clamouring away for attention at the moment, a blow to the sternum is a special forces favoured technique for shutting someone up because of the mass of lightweight nerves centred there. It may take a while.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    "a blow to the sternum is a special forces favoured technique for shutting someone up"

    Wouldn't work on me, just makes me moan constantly about my sore chest :mrgreen:

    zaskar
    Free Member

    Just write down your symptoms and let Gp play Doctor but it helps if you some pathophysiology.

    jonahtonto
    Free Member

    you may have separated your sternum from your ribs, my mate did this a few weeks back bench-pressing his fat sister lol. was fine at first but worse next day as the muscles went into spasm. better now after a few weeks, apparently cartilage rejoins bone quite quickly (i suppose like a broken nose)

    banginon
    Full Member

    My 11 year old daughter just did something similar while doing a (or Not doing) flip on the trampoline. Whoops, a trip to A&E and plenty pain killers later she's still really sore a week later. It'll be a bugger when you sneeze then 😉

    HeatherBash
    Free Member

    >I've just committed a cardinal sin and googled an injury I might have, that's the first step towards becoming a total hypocondriac isn't it… <

    Yup and your second was being daft enough to ask on here.

    MTFU or go see the quack.

    GaryLake
    Free Member

    I played MTFU at the weekend because all I had was really bad heartburn – 24 hours later after what felt like a heart attack I was in an Ambulance and later diagnosed with Pericarditis and Myocarditis.

    I'm probably going to Man the **** down a little from now on when it comes to illness I think…

    benjamins11
    Free Member

    Go and see the Doctor, its impossible to diagnose this sort of thing via the internet. Strangely enough GP's train for the best part of ten years to do this in person and have considerably more skill at it than the internet does, especially at determining when something is serious and when its not.

    Does sound like costochondral damage though.

    missingfrontallobe
    Free Member

    I always like to help my GP by goggling all my symptoms before seeing him. Like that, I can save him the bother of diagnosing my condition – all he needs to do is write my referral letters.

    There's been a few times when google has revealed that I was suffering from dangerous life threatening conditions. Which meant I was able to go directly to A&E and not bother my GP at all.

    Luckily, presumably because of my prompt actions, none of my conditions have proved fatal

    Last time I did this, the fücker missed a brain tumour. 😈 I still go and tell them what's wrong, but they walk on eggshells around me now!

    To the OP, I think TJ is probably quite close to naming the problem. I part dislocated the end of a collar bone a few years ago, didn't stop me riding, didn't stop me working, but was just "sore". Orthopaedic doctor at work looked at me and popped it back (ouch!) a few days later when I complained I couldn't lift patients off the theatre trolleys!

    benjamins11
    Free Member

    To be fair to your GP who missed a brain tumour, its pretty much as rare as hens teeth – anyone working in secondary care forgets just how many people a GP see's who think they have got a brain tumour and actually haven't. Also in secondary care you do actually see brain tumours so you think they are more common than they actually are.

    Obviously don't know the specifics like, but as a general rule people are pretty happy on here to bitch about their GP and say that they sort out the diagnosis and just get them to write the letter, which is fine for certain conditions – but alot of the time you dont know what you dont know – thats what the Gp is there for. GP's are highly trained people – some are rubbish like all jobs, but alot know shed loads and they are not glorified prescribing machines.

    missingfrontallobe
    Free Member

    Textbook history provided to the afore mentioned GP, got diagnosed with sinusitis. Given a nasal spray that I might have well stuck up my arse, for all the good it did me.

    My understanding from GP's perspective is that headaches on waking for >2 weeks needs to be considered as a BT? I assume from your posts you are medical trained/GP? So 39 yo previously fit male who can identify 5 weeks of headaches on waking down to the actual day the problem started (and who works in healthcare) still walks out with a steroid nasal spray?

    benjamins11
    Free Member

    Fair point – headaches on waking for five weeks is a little worrying – that would get me thinking!!!

    missingfrontallobe
    Free Member

    GP even checked pupil reflexes, to this day he must have had some thoughts that a provisional diagnosis included something nasty!

    HeatherBash
    Free Member

    You may have justifiable issues MFL but still can't see how quizzing a bunch of anonymous randoms on an mtb forum is better than simply making an appt with you GP?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    "Yup and your second was being daft enough to ask on here."

    Actually that was the first 😉 Booked into the GP for next week, on the basis that booking the appoinrment always makes things get better.

    missingfrontallobe
    Free Member

    Heather Bash – Member
    You may have justifiable issues MFL but still can't see how quizzing a bunch of anonymous randoms on an mtb forum is better than simply making an appt with you GP?

    It isn't, & I don't seek advice from random nutjobs on a bike forum for medical queries. I'd alsways suggest someone seeks appropriate medical advice for a problem (not always GP, but WiC or A&E as appropriate).

    singletrackmind
    Full Member

    It isn't, & I don't seek advice from random nutjobs on a bike forum for medical queries. I'd alsways suggest someone seeks appropriate medical advice for a problem (not always GP, but WiC or A&E as appropriate).

    Very, Very ,Funny and absolutely true

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