(Also, in case anyone decides to try Samoens in future there is a handy free bike wash beneath the gondola…)

Went for test run, without kids

Totally agree with timidwheeler: steep / rooty in places and def more red than blue. Slippy at the mo in parts thanks to yesterday’s rain.

I had great fun but I expect my 7yr old on her Frog won’t enjoy it so much…!

Thanks, really useful & much appreciated. Perhaps I should do a test run 🙂

Any real world experience of the blue runs in Samoens? I’m here with my kids who enjoyed the seven stanes but this talk of steep and rutted runs sounds great for me but less so for them…
Are they just a bit too steep and more like uk reds or should they be ok?!

Do some stretches and core stability work daily before you get back on the bike. Us cyclists often end up with tight hamstrings so worth stretching those too. Changing to flat pedals (not pulling up on SpDs) and slightly lowering the saddle helped me too

L4/5 herniation last year: discectomy in January, now back on the bike pain free… it takes time, be patient and try not to get too frustrated with yourself. Don’t overdo it initially

It depends…!

Where are you based? If you want a mountainbiking hand surgeons opinion feel free to Mail me…

Tim
Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeon
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
London

It’s probably a pearl ganglion. Hard to whack with a bible in that location. Can be aspirated with a needle but likely to recur. If it bothers you it can easily be removed but sometimes the scar you swap it for can be annoying…

(COI: Consultant Hand Surgeon)

Depending on your symptoms they may settle down with a night splint and a steroid injection

If not the surgery works well

The scar can be tender and gripping to lift heavy items can be painful for a while (6 months or more) “pillar pain”

Happy to discuss further

Tim
(Consultant hand surgeon)

Make sure you get carefully reviewed in the fracture clinic and sensible answers from someone who can interpret your X-rays after examining your wrist.
There is not much you can do to speed things up beyond eating a balanced diet and avoiding unduly stressing the broken bone. Don’t smoke (including e cigarettes), minimise NSAIDs (ibuprofen / diclofenac) and consider taking vitamin c supplements (some evidence it reduces complex regional pain syndrome)

If you’re in London feel free to come along to Chelsea & Westminster Hand & Wrist clinic where I’m a consultant surgeon

6’4″, 14st
Niner RIP9 is brilliant in the Peak. Also have an XL Solaris.
Both look like normal bikes from a distance and fit well after many years of being perched atop bikes that were too small.

The other thing to look at is relative position of bars and saddle height, reach and angle of brake levers. The current vogue for long top tubes with relatively lower bars may be putting more weight through your wrists.

Hard to say without looking at your set up but lots of things to try before giving up / resorting to surgery

(COI: Consultant Hand & Wrist surgeon)

+3 for Roaring Mouse. Great shop. Loaned me a Niner hard tail for a happy day prior to a conference getting over jet lag and exploring iconic mountainbiking sites.

I’ve got a large red 853 inbred in good condition not doing much at the moment if you fancy another frame. Currently built up but could dismantle if you’re interested. Chris King headset.

Try the guys at 18 cycles in Hope

I know at least one of them rides a 5010 on Peak trails and loves it

Pretty sure they can easily arrange a demo of both bikes on local trails

May have damaged scapho-lunate ligament or any number of other things that aren’t immediately obvious

mikewsmith speaks the truth

Probably need a review by a hand & wrist surgeon even if XR looks ok. Where are you based?

(COI: Hand & Wrist surgeon!)

I have a RIP9 but not ridden the Ripley

140 pikes on the front, totally awesome…

Highly recommended. Stif will do you a demo

The delay in fixing clavicle fractures may just be due to surgeons following current evidence…

J Orthop Trauma. 2014 Mar;28(3):119-23. doi: 10.1097/BOT.0b013e3182a2968e.
Early versus delayed operative intervention in displaced clavicle fractures.

Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
Recent evidence to suggest that fixation of clavicle fractures yields better outcomes than conservative treatments has led to an increasing trend toward operative management. There is no evidence, however, to compare early fixation with delayed fixation for symptomatic patients before union.

DESIGN:
Prospective comparative case series.

PATIENTS:
Displaced clavicle fractures treated operatively in our institution during a 4-year period. Ninety-seven patients were included: 68 with early fixation and 29 delayed. Radiographic and clinical outcomes were available for all patients and scores were available for 62.

INTERVENTION:
Early plate fixation (within 3 weeks) of displaced clavicle fractures compared with delayed (3-12 weeks) fixation of displaced clavicle fractures.

OUTCOMES:
Radiographic union, Oxford Shoulder Score, QuickDASH, EQ5D, and a patient interview. Mean follow-up was to 30 months.

RESULTS:
There were no statistically significant differences in age (P > 0.05), sex (P > 0.05), and energy of injury (P > 0.05) between the 2 groups. The mean QuickDASH was 8.9 early and 9.1 delayed (P < 0.05) and the Oxford Shoulder Score was 44.2 early and 43.9 delayed (P < 0.05). In the early fixation group, there were 5 wound healing complications, and 8 went on subsequently to have removal of prominent metalwork. In the delayed fixation group, 2 had wound healing complications and 4 required removal of prominent metalwork. There were no statistically significant differences in the EQ5D scores.

CONCLUSION:
Our series supports delayed fixation of symptomatic clavicle fractures as results do not differ from early fixation.

Clearly there are some cases which fit the criteria for surgery straight away, but don’t assume that because a surgeon doesn’t offer you an operation if is because he is trying to save the NHS cash.

(COI: Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon!)

Thanks z1pps

It was the orange offers that prompted the post…!

You may have fractured the hook of your hamate

Don’t go to A&E

How close are you to London?

Tim
(Hand surgeon)

And just in case anyone is ever considering mounting a bench saw blade to a cordless drill to “speed things up a bit” it doesn’t cut wood half as well as it cuts your fingers…(!!)

As a hand surgeon who has stuck quite a few fingers back on after people have accidentally cut them off it is interesting to note how many responses to the question “How did you do this then?” start with “Well I know I shouldn’t have but…”

C.O.I: on call over weekend, hoping not to meet any STWers!

Where are you based?

It probably is worth being seen by someone with a wrist interest and ruling out a scaphoid fracture / ligament injury

If near Chelsea pop in!

Tim
Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeon
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London

What do you guys do for work?
Another NHS employee: Hand & Wrist surgeon: Fix broken hands and wrists (trauma), treat others that have worn out (elective)

Do you enjoy it?
Love it! Varied, challenging, interesting patients with technically challenging operations and great team to work with.

How much do you get paid?
Can’t complain but its been a long (and expensive) road to get here!

Talk to me.
I’m in London during the week, my family are in Suffolk and part of my heart will always be in the Lake District…

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On the way up… Way down was too much fun to take photos!

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View from the top; happy memories!

Have done, one of my most memorable mountain moments.

Set off up at 6pm, Llanberis. Glorious evening views, fav desktop pic.
Top at just after 8, down 25 mins later!

Usual common sense mountain rules apply, but heartily recommended!

As with all these things there’s scaphoid fractures and scaphoid fractures…

Sounds like last time you had something at the worst end of the scale (trans scaphoid perilunate) and are more fortunate this time (minimally displaced waist fracture)

All going well should heal fairly uneventfully, but would advise against riding in a cast even if rotten got away with it…!

Best wishes for speedy recovery

Function with one of three thumb joints fused is usually surprisingly good and considerably better than chronically unstable MCP joint.

Feel free to mail with questions, address in profile

(Orthopaedic surgeon, currently on hand fellowship, London)

Best thing is to visit a surgeon local to where you are and see if they can explain what you need in a way you can understand and arrange surgery (if required) at a time convenient to you (which you may have to pay for if you want to choose exactly who does the op and where it is performed)

Chelsea & Westminster has an excellent hand unit, any of the surgeons there will give you a sensible opinion for free on the NHS.

Feel free to mail me with questions

Best wishes

Tim

C.O.I: Orthopaedic / Hand Surgeon currently on hand + wrist fellowship in Melbourne, Australia
Completed ortho training in Cambridge, previously worked at Chelsea + due to return there in April

Bol, What are you riding?

I’m 6’4″ and perched on top of a 26″ hard tail and trance.

Solaris curious!

Thanks, Tim

I’m 6’4″ and happily riding a large trance X3.

Seatpost on full extension but that’s pretty much how every bike I’ve had has been. Bike back in the UK is a large (20″) inbred, fit is similar.

For what it’s worth I think it’s brilliant, v good VFM (esp if you get an end of year model) and the suspension works v well although being a hardtail rider of over 20 years I have little objectively to compare it to…

Go for it, what could possibly go wrong…!

Apart from seat post length that is… I had to change mine in the shop to a 400mm one.

Thanks for the potted commentary guys, much appreciated as otherwise no coverage here at all… Will read write ups and look for photos later! Enjoy the rest of your day, it’s past midnight here so off to bed relieved that we have a medal at last!

Gutting. No…
Keep us posted!

Anywhere to watch this live on Internet?
Stuck in Oz where all we can get is women’s diving!!

Hey other Tim, calm down!

I asked Cy, not Kelvin (def not Kevin!) and he probably has better things to do

I just wanted to know what the rather tall owner of the company choses to ride as if he’s happy on a L soul that may explain the reluctance to go (x) large

Turns out he’s riding a rocket for the weekender…

Genuine question

What does Cy ride normally, being 6’3″ an all (from what I remember)

Would be interested in an XL soul as I’m just over the recommended height (6’4″) for a L soul and not certain that I want to buy new wheels / forks and ride round on a clown bike having been quite happy with 26″ wheels for the last 20 years or so.

I do accept that most of my bikes look faintly ridiculous with v long seatposts sticking out of a large inbred and a large trance

Just thought it would be interesting to know whether the owner / designer of cotic rides a soul or a solaris (and accept that the answer is likely to be “it depends…”)

Whereabouts are you two based?

I’d be keen to join you if free after work.
Currently working at St Vincent’s hospital, living in Kew.
Cheeky trails along the Yarra should be better in the dark… the snakes will be asleep!
Email in profile

Speaking as an orthopaedic surgeon who has had a Mormons neuroma excised I would encourage you to listen to your surgeons advice provided you have exhausted the conservative treatment options. I found cycling shoes which often have narrow toe boxes worsened it.
Surgery was uncomfortable for 2-3 weeks afterwards but now symptom free. The inevitable small area of numbness is no bother…
If it troubles you enough get it excised!

Have a sensible chat with the docs looking after you at the hospital where you currently are. If they can explain in simple language what they plan to do, explain the rehab and potential complications of surgery and are able to do the surgery this weekend (which is likely to be as much related to ankle / soft tissue swelling as theatre space) then my advice is to stay put.

Ankle fracture / dislocations are extremely common injuries and any consultant orthopod will be able to fix it personally or supervise a junior surgeon carrying out the operation. There is no need to go to Sheffield.

Feel free to e-mail with Qs. I don’t post on here regularly but have been lurking a long time. Oh, and I’m an orthopaedic surgeon.
Tim