Show us your biking scars!

[jobob]

My two front top teeth are shorter than they were before I hit the back of a station wagon, went over the handlebars and landed face-first on the rear door.

It happened when I was around 15, riding back home with my friend Linda from tennis lessons across town . I had looked back to say something to her and didn't notice the car in front of me had stopped.

I wound up with a lovely inverted V-shaped chip on the bottom of my 2 front teeth so my dentist filed away at the bottoms so that the chip wasn't so noticeable. It doesn't look too weird anymore.

[bikerchick68]

ummmmm... can't post my pic either due to location... minor compared to some of yours but mine is about 2 inches long and the result of surgery in July and another in late Aug for sebacious cyst removal... saddle was rubbing them... ow.

Hoping to ride for the first time THIS weekend... fingers crossed. I'm strangely nervous and in some trepidation about performance... sigh...hoping I can still ride 20 miles without too much suffering. Hills... well, those are gonna have to wait for now til I find my legs again.

[7rider]

Here's are some pictures that is are a 2-for-1 special!
Sorry they're so small, but I had to load the "email sized" as the regular setting on the camera is too large and I don't have a program on this p.c. that I can figure out how to use to re-size pictures!
First scar is the small, roundish dot in the middle of my knee of the first picture. That was the bolt from the front wheel of my old neighbor Scott Cleary's bike. He and I were playing "Chicken" on our bikes..and neither of us chickened out! We crashed head-on and that was my proof that I'm no chicken! At least I wasn't when I was, oh, about 10 when this happened.
Second, long scar was from surgery. In 1997 I was chasing my ex (not-so-affectionately known as @sshole!) down a railtrail, of all things. Managed to launch myself into the air and into a tree at a shallow angle. Bike stopped dead against said tree, and I continued head first, straight down the trail.
In ripping my feet from the clipless pedals, I tore my lateral collateral ligament and medial meniscus. Damaged, but did not totally destroy, my ACL too.
So the long scar and slightly deformed thigh come from them taking a tendon from my hamstrings and rebuilding my LCL.

[Xrayted]

Well, this is a thread I can unfortunately relate to. Do motorcycle crashes count? Actually, I've previously been IM'd about this subject since I've alluded to some scars I've acquired over the years. It was a kind, caring inquiry and I appreciate the concern. I know it took me a while to do this. Some sides of me are just harder for me to show. But thanks!

OK. This happened in 1991 when I was 21. While riding my Harley, I was hit by a car and pretty much lost the entire day of memory. I woke up with the cycle on top of me and the pipes burning into my calf. I was missing about 3" of tibia that never resurfaced. I'm only about 3/4" short now. I ripped off my heel when it went through the trans cover so they reattached that too.
I think I had 9 surgeries total. (so far ) Bone grafts, skin grafts, lots of hardware, daily debridement for months, stim treatment 10 hours a day for a year. I was in casts for 2 1/2 years and then it took me about a year to learn to walk and lose most of my limp. Getting my ankle to move was the hardest b/c my achilles was totally shot. Lost the soleus muscle and most of the gastrocnemius. (sp?) I ended up teaching other muscles to compensate.
These are just from the knee down. I've got some more scars higher up from skin graft and bone graft donor sites. They don't show up too well though.
It kinda presents a problem going up hills b/c it still doesn't pull it's own weight yet. But it's getting there. Cycling has really helped my lower leg strength and coordination a lot. Well, here goes. (just breathe...)

[Kitsune06]

oh, wow, X. And you're still a cyclist (but I take it not a motorcyclist...) My hat and helmet are off to you, for picking up and continuing, healing and kicking as$. You go, girl.

[HipGnosis6]

I have the MRSA spot from the last accident.... it's smallish but fairly gory yet. It's like.... a 2x3 cm spot where I simply don't have any skin, surrounded by what looks like a large bruise. It's ugly and WILL leave a scar. Hopefully with the debridement and meticulous care it won't be too bad, though.

[Velobambina]

X---Your photos are just incredible. You must be a very strong lady! Keep biking!!