Right Shoulder, Now Lefy Hand - I Need to Learn to Stay ON My Bike!

I am very happy to report that through several weeks of PT, my right shoulder (rotator cuff tendonitis and laberal SLAP tear) is doing much better. I have been continuing to ride and do my normal activites without surgery (Yay!) or cortisone.

Of course the injury could have been avoided by me NOT falling on the shoulder while racing/training (3 times in 2 weeks)...

Fast forward (or backward) to January. Despite the shoulder injury, I was still riding, and went out with the boys for a snow/ice ride on the 27th (with studded tires on th MTB). Unfortunately, I slid on the ice near the end of our ride, and in trying NOT to fall on my injured shoulder, landed instead on my left handm fingers outstretched, and the middle finger taking the brunt of the impact.

I blinked away any tears, decided I hadn't broken anything and rode home. Two days later, swelling and bruising seemed to confirm to me that I had likely sprained something. Of course, I don't typically stop for much (high tolerance for pain), and continued riding, snowmobiling and going about daily life.

Eight weeks later, I went to the hand specialist today. Daily activities are painful, there is still some swelling, and braking is difficult (not to mention that race season starts next month, and the training is ramping up). Apparently I have sprained a tendon as well as tendonitis on the radial side of my 3rd metatarsul(?). My options were: 1. cortisone; 2. hand surgeon (but likely nothing they could do); 3. splint for 3 weeks and NSAIDS.

I chose the splint (and am sitting typing with one hand). I am supposed to wear it constantly, except for showers. I figure that is ok, but I likely will still ride and take it off for that as well. 85% of the time (vs. the recommended 99.9%) has to be better than 0%, right?

Mostly, I'm just venting. And realizing how it must sound to non-cyclists when I tell them about these injuries being a result of falling off my bike...

SheFly

Well, they (non-cyclists) don't understand why this would be so upsetting. I was just telling a colleague about how my PT has restricted me to slow riding and no going up my driveway. She was like, "Well, you must be happy." Of course I'm not happy. How am I going to get stronger under these restrictions?
The only advice I can give you is that I have a pretty high pain threshold, too and now it is catching up to me. So take care of it while you can and try to restrict the complaining to other cyclists!
I once read an article that said that people like me (avid recreational cyclists) have more in common with Lance Armstrong than with a couch potato. So, regular couch potato people really can't think like someone like you, who races.
Robyn

Oh bummer!!

Please be careful if you do ride without the splint. It would be awful to make it worse if you had another "incident" or just from using it wrong. (I know it is pot to kettle here as I stopped wearing my splint a few weeks before I was "supposed" to - but mostly that was because I felt super unsafe driving everywhere one armed!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

Oh bummer!!

Please be careful if you do ride without the splint. It would be awful to make it worse if you had another "incident" or just from using it wrong. (I know it is pot to kettle here as I stopped wearing my splint a few weeks before I was "supposed" to - but mostly that was because I felt super unsafe driving everywhere one armed!)

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I'll be sure to be careful. He did mention taping my fingers together, and if I do that inside a mitten, I can still shift and brake. So, the tendon will still belightly immobilized, but not as much as in the splint (which I PROMISE to wear 100% of the time I am not on my bike ;).

SheFly

p.s.

Oh, and MP, even driving with the splint is difficukt, so I totally see your point on that one.

Just back from shoulder PT. Great news - shoulder is doing AWESOME! My workout last night included a 3 min interval on a 5% grade in my hardest gear, and the torque didn't bother it (and I was pulling so hard that my foot came unclipped at one point :eek:). Don't have to go back now for 2 weeks, and that will just be to measure progress. I'm REALLY GLAD that I decided against the surgery.

Also had her take a look at my hand (not that you could miss the splint). She is also a cyclist and knows how much it means to me, so showed my how to tape my hand before a ride so that the joint is stable, but I can stll ride. Yippee!. Now, only 2.5 more weeks of one-handed typing (and everything else)...

SheFly

Shefly - I rode an entire season with a wrist splint, after pinching my ulnar nerve and loosing hand function, while riding - I could wave bye-bye, but couldn't spread my fingers apart (no Vulcan "live long and prosper"). Unfortunatly I HAD to wear the splint while riding, but after a week, didn't have to wear it all the time. I can imagine how difficult it would be to race with a splint. Glad your PT could show you how to tape your fingers. Be nice to your hand, off saddle. Hope it gets to feeling better soon.