Day 2 in hospital after a heavy landing on left shoulder which dislocated it, backwards, taking a bundle of tendons with it. Was put back in under a General last night and waiting for surgeon to discuss follow up CT from this am as they were worried about bits of shattered debris. The fact they got it back in is good though. Just been measured for a stabilisation brace which they think I may have for a month or so, 247, at it’s totally unstable.

Surgeon suggested no more biking, as it will be a weak spot and probs never regain full movement, strength and resilience.

So, let’s hear your stories of recovery please !

You should go to see Greg Minnaar!!!

Good luck with it, my only advice would be not to rush it…

I’m about 18 months on from a broken collarbone that separated my AC joint and took a load of tendons with it.

No sure how/if that compares but as far as my experience of broken bones go it’s been the easiest to get over…apart from the fitness side!

Make the most of the downtime and don’t worry about the bike…it’ll be waiting when you’re ready.

Good luck!

Heal fast fella, wasn’t on that new ebike was it?

Is it too late to cancel that Orbea?

Was first ride on the Orbea..

Not as bad as yours but borked mine a year or so back. High side and Hard stop from about 20 mph, took the brunt of it on my forearm which pushed the shoulder joint back and stretched/tore ligaments. Didn’t dislocate though.

6 months of physio, acupuncture and targeted exercises and it’s pretty much back to normal. Get small twinges if I try and lift stuff at awkward angles but 99.9% of the time doesn’t bother me.

Not even dislocated but 25 years on I still swim with limp and have less strength in that arm.

Was first ride on the Orbea

im surprised no ones asked yet but… …is it ok?

Broke left shoulder back in September 2014.  Rather cunningly I managed to break across the top and through the socket too.

Got almost full movement back and certainly enough for climbing and MTB. Took my time recovering, had physio and undertook programme of weight training to build the muscle mass back up.

So… there can be a positive outcome, especially if you work on your recovery.

after a heavy landing on left shoulder which dislocated it, backwards

You mean you were travelling backwards and your arm was outstretched behind you or your shoulder joint popped out behind you?

I’ve broken mine in various ways 4 times and done a nasty AC joint too.

Still riding DH but it burns after a few runs. I just try to keep it strong

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Heal fast.

May I suggest a recumbent trike? I used to ride mine one handed when I separated my shoulder and destroyed my wrist.

Some encouraging thoughts, appreciated. By backwards I mean the shoulder went behind the socket.

It’s the tendon and ligament damage that is scaring me the most, and the increased likelihood of it subsequently going again, which I guess would be even worse..

Early days I guess, need to see what physio etc all reckon

Was first ride on the Orbea

im surprised no ones asked yet but… …is it ok?

🙂
Hope you heal up enough to get back on the saddle OP, oh and that the bike is ok.

Thanks, hoping for a decent recovery, haven’t had a good look at bike yet, that pleasure awaits me when I get home !

I’ll give you thruppence for it mister.

(Seriously – don’t give up just yet. I’m sure you have many years of assisted cycling ahead of you).

Can you still raise a beer glass?

Badly broke my spine 4 years ago. Hospital for 6.5 weeks, off work 7 months. More or less OK now, not too much issues with my back now. Aches a bit, and bending isn’t fun, but OK on the bike.

Do your physio.

Oh no thats terrible news.

Two in our family, Abigale broke her collar bone, after hitting a tree in Wharncliffe, in February last year and still managed to compete in the French EWS in May, just after a big crash at the Steel City DH a couple of days before. She had a fantastic consultant at Sheffield Northern General who understood what she was hoping to achieve and helped her all the way. She also had a lot of physio with Rich at Fit4Physio in Sheffield. She doesn’t even notice it now.

Mine was a lot more time and constant pain. I dislocated and tore the ligaments in 2007 after crashing in Wharncliffe. It had five years of messing about before the last consultant, after 5 years, decided to shave the end of my clavicle and repair the rest the best he could. I found it difficult to do the hovering and ironing.
I now have a big scar and still get pain after a session in the gym or a good DH day.
Its not stopped me biking or doing the hovering and ironing. I don’t have to take pain killers now.

Surgeons told me no more biking, when I asked about the house work they didn’t have an answer.

Good luck with the recovery

Busted clavicle last August, three months of miserable non-union than a plating op in November, then a second op in April to free the frozen shoulder that came as a gift-with-purchase with the broken bone. Now, six months after the capsular release op the shoulder is still rickety and clicky although the surgeon did say that would last a year. I’m back on the bike though I find that after a couple of hours both shoulders begin to ache as I have lost significant muscle mass from both sides, which is difficult to rebuild at my age. Anyway at least I’ve still got my weight under control and cycling feels comfortable. I’m going back to see the surgeon soon to ask if the shoulder keeps popping and clicking because of the screws protruding through and what he thinks about removing the plate.

Some encouraging experiences, much appreciated. For those back riding, any fear of recurrence ?

chin up Iain.
touring is easy on a old battered body.

heal quick.

Really sorry to hear that Iain.

I’m sure the surgeon hasn’t considered that with all the practice your body has had at healing over the years it will sort it self out in no time!

Give yourself time to heal and then try the physio. Maybe get yourself a turbo trainer and a zwift subscription once you feel up to sitting on the bike again.

I have dislocated and torn the ligaments on both sides. The first one (RH side) was after I got high sided by a car pulling out in front of me. My superman ,tuck and roll technique didn’t quite work. They didn’t plate and screw it (long story) and so I was left with my first Quasimodo lump. Went to the Gym as soon as I could and slowly built up strength, back on the bike (racing) in 2 months and it has never really bothered me since,apart from restricting my reach and sometimes aches a bit in the cold weather . The second one was my own doing on some black ice (again on the road) ,not as big a dislocation but has balanced up my Quasi symmetry . Heal quick and just take things at a pace that suits your recovery.

I’ve mainly been a roadie, with occasional MTB. I switched to MTB only after the broken spine – yet another accident caused by a driver. I’ve never been a mad off road descender, and it’s been a steep learning curve, but I’m getting better. My boss would go mad if I turned up in bits again – both the ‘home boss’ and ‘work boss’, so I don’t take too many risks.

I was a little worried at first, but the consultant’s said I was good to go, just don’t fall off for a while as I still had ‘voids’ in my vertebrae.

All was good a year later when I took to Llandegla for the first time – this idiot crashed at the top, just before the start of the berms ! Went wide and hit a tree stump. Didn’t half bang my shoulder up, but managed the Black one handed ! My back has slowly improved and it doesn’t give me too much trouble now. I’ve got half a missing L1, and a squashed disk, but no other issues, and the scans showed I had very little age related deterioration in my back – the consultant said he’d be quite happy with that as it should be good for old age (I’m almost 50).

I fractured the head off my hummerus , and cracked a couple of ribs back at the end of March. Heavy fall on wet chalk. Ironically, 1 day after being given the all clear on a frozen shoulder after two ops.
I have impacted the head over by about 10-15 degrees – so my arm is now shorter by 1 cm on the inside.
1) It hurts
2) Physio helps – but I don’t think I will get full movement back. Putting jackets on is still challenging
3) I do try and stretch my shoulder each morning and night
4) Riding is fine – but it just hurts after a while
5) It is taking ages to rebuild strength
6) Consultant says 12 months until healed, 24 months until it stops hurting

Christ, all that build up and then injure yourself on the first ride! And I thought I was unlucky.
I’ve got 2 badly knackered shoulders and the don’t adversely effect riding at all, so you’ll be fine after, er… a few weeks probably. Heavy them ebikes though, so don’t try to lift it over any gates next ride! Heal well.

Broke my clavicle near my sternum in 2005, MRI and didn’t operate and now have a soft joint.
Was commuting again within 6 weeks and off road before 3 months.
Rest it and use sling as long as advised.
Surgeons always give worst case prognosis.
Heal soon.

Healing vibes OP.

Broke my humerus right near the top in July 2013. Was riding again by autumn, but it took a couple of tumbles for me to get my confidence back properly.

Ironically I came back fitter as I’d been caning the turbo to keep me sane in the meantime.

@Tracey ^^^ I’m impressed you can hover….

@iainc – I hope you make a full recovery; get well soon.
Just think of all the time you can now devote to Brexit on BBC Parliament during your convalescence…..

Its more of flying round with a duster so I can get more time on the bike 😉

Really helpful feedback, many thanks. Well I was all set to go home but they have messed up the order for the custom brace, so another night in hospital….. Rather uncomfortable with a pillow strapped to my chest for last 40 hours. Hey ho, could be a lot worse and the hospital is only half a mile from home so easy for family to drop in..

They all say that…

Think it’s so if they say yeah you’ll be ok and your not you can’t sue them.

Mine said after my hip replacement and pelvis rebuild you might be ok for some light cycling….

Update time, saw surgeon yesterday, 12 days post tumble. He had a long chat, very positive, I seem to have generated some interest in that a posterior shoulder dislocation is quite uncommon, less than 5%, so we chatted round the mechanics of my fall. My forearm took the brunt as it’s the only area with cuts and it looks like I somehow braced it against my body and the force of hitting the ground pushed shoulder back and out. Really weird, as bar end is barely marked, who knows !

So, another 4 weeks plus of immobilising brace 247, which is proving challenging around sleeping in particular, then hopefully it’s mended and physio begins…

I had a fairly big “off” back in 1996. Shoulder joint separated, end of collar bone broken off, month+ off work, couldn’t change gear in the car for a while, Weaver-Dunn procedure to put it back together and an impressive scar that indirectly led to me getting married!

I went to see a sports physio (Dave Roberts’ practice, the outfit that kept Andrew Flintoff functioning) and their approach was not “stop doing it”, but “how can we help you to do it”.

It took about a year from crash to full recovery, but it worked. I’m about 1” shorter across the shoulders on my left side and the imbalance means that I naturally walk in an arc rather than a straight line, which has contributed towards a knee issue in later life.

20 odd years later and I still sleep rolled up in the duvet or propped with pillows because it used to dislocate in the night. A habit that I’ve never got out of.

Scar is fading, but it still looks cool.

Do your physio and heal properly! Avoid hot tubs at the gym if you don’t want to get married.

Chin up mate.

I fell down the stairs on Tuesday bringing the washing down, pulled something in my calf and turned my ankle. Not ridden all week.

FWIW, it’s the ankle I had a lot of trouble with as a teenager – always going over on it, and perceived as “weak”. Eventually, I got some decent rehab on it, and truth be told haven’t had any proper issues with it since (20+ years).

So, do your rehab and see where it gets you – you might be pleasantly surprised…

Ya fanny!.

I hope it’s not your ‘me time’ arm? 🙂

Surgeons always tell you stuff like that, mine told me no more running, which then softened to no more than 10k at most. Did my 4th Ultramarathon of 2019 last weekend, 37.5 miles.

Best of luck mate.

Had an off last last may bank holiday 2018, fell heavy on left shoulder, turned out it was broken so they thought. had CT scan etc, Fractured scapula, and socket. had an operation which involved a couple of bits of iron work plus metal thread to attached the scapula back together. I was in a sling for 4 months then started physio. had physio for 8 months ( very important to do all exercises and keep doing them). i lost a lot of shoulder strength, but I’m back on the bike now have vertually full movement. Started with some easy riding, but now back on full training, and down hill. tend to wear a light weight body armour all the time at first, but a bit less now that my confidence is back

I still do stretches every day and some upper body strength exercises. Good luck with your recovery.

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Not as bad as yours but borked mine a year or so back. High side and Hard stop from about 20 mph, took the brunt of it on my forearm which pushed the shoulder joint back and stretched/tore ligaments.

Reading back through the posts, apologies I missed this one (I’ll blame the morphine 😜) Seems like same mechanism of landing as me as my forearm and elbow were the only contact points with the ground and are quite ripped up.