A friend had a crash over at Swinley on Sunday, he’s broken his left wrist and both elbow’s, right elbow is having to be replaced 😕

So I’m looking to find out some recovery times for him, for:

a) being able to hold a drink
b) general use of arms
c) back in the saddle for offroad duties

If anyone has had the same injuries and has any practical advise it’d also be appreciated.

blimy – i have no advice, but hope his recovery isn’t too long

It’s not going to be quick
everybody heals at a different rate so impossible to really put a time on a cocktail of injuries like that

ouch! BTW

OUCH!!!!
Healing vibes to your friend.

dunno – could be anything from a few weeks to a few months with injuries like that. A replacement elbow is serious stuff!

SB

Hmm replacement elbow seems like it’ll be 6 months plus before he’s riding again

Thanks for all the vibes, I was thinking it’d probably be around Christmas/January.

Any idea’s for things to entertain him in the meantime, with the lack of use of arms I’m stumped for ideas at the moment.

Well if you’re the mate you claim to be you could help him out occasionally when he’s feeling lonely 😉

How did he do that ? :S

Just getting back to near full strength after breaking my wrist in the middle of Feb.

He will be able to hold a cold beer fairly quickly especially if they shape his wrist cast favourably (if hes left handed).

Cant offer alot on the elbow front other than my neice broke hers around Dec/Jan and had her pins out last month so yeah it will be new year before hes givin it beans again at a guess.

Elbow replacement? wtf!!

I broke my neck, and my back..

Took me about 18 months to get back to being able to walk properly..

6 months min if he behaves…. could be years, you never know the complications. my wrist has taken a good 2 years to be fit for anything. Best advice is dont push it, take it easy and listen to the surgeon!!

I did my scafoid (Sp) and both elbows 5 1/2 years ago now.

It really does depend on how good he was before hand. I was driving a car two weeks later, but took 3 months to get back on the bike. Had an operation after 4 1/2 years on one elbow to remove bits of bone, and another one to try and fix the damage done to my shoulder (which wasn’t apparent at the time, due to the elbows)

Its the little things that you wonder how to do, without both arms, like going to the toilet, eating. I was lucky I was only in a case for my hand for two weeks, started physio a week later.

By the sounds of it, he got off a lot worse than me, but may have the use of one arm soon. Just don’t rush it.

The best thing I did to get almost all of my movement back in both elbows (radial head fractures) was to get plastered. Next morning my movement had improved dramatically. Though still not what it was, and never will be.

The Orthapaedic consultant looking after him is the person to answer all those questions. I imagine you’ll get a ballpark and a “it depends / it varies” type caveat. I will ask my friend (An OC) when he comes round later but I think he’ll echo the above.

Hope your friend is on the mend soon. Sounds like a horrific off.

Thanks for all the comments, not sure whether to pass on the potential bad news or just wait to see what he gets told.

I wasn’t there to see the off, but if you know Swinley by the Reservoir, go down the firetrack that leads to the end of the currently taped off singletrack runs. This leads to two tracks one burmy one and one stepish straight loose run (small jump at the top). Anyway after the bottom of the step loose section on the up slop was a small jump, this had been built upon to 3-4ft and I guess he wasn’t expecting it and “snap”

So any idea’s on things to do over the summer with limited use of arms?