What Do You Say?

[KnottedYet]

I'm surprised your PT wants you to give up riding. Does she just want you to lay off riding for a while, or really want you to give it up? Ask her what she meant?

We often encourage our patients to take up riding, because it's such a good sport for folks who've been injured. But then our clinic owner is a huge biking goddess...

If I had a patient with a situation similar to yours I might ask her to try switching to a recumbent bike for a while to allow everything a chance to heal. Not a flat-out supine recumbent, something more like a RANS or a BikeE, Rush, TourEasy, where your spine is more upright with a bit of a lean back and a fully supported spine. But only if there were no lingering balance impairments from the injuries. If someone's balance and proprioception haven't recovered yet I don't encourage biking.

I would also reccommend my patient take some of the really good bike safety and handling classes we have around here, not because my patient doesn't know how to ride, but because after a brachial plexus injury a person's body needs to relearn some skills that have been taken for granted in the past, and a class with an instructor who can watch a person's body is a great place to retrain.

[Offthegrid]

Find doctors and therapists who are cyclists?

I dunno the answer, but I hope you feel better soon.

[DeniseGoldberg]

You absolutely should not give up something that you love - riding - because of an accident. But I would think that it would be a good idea to give yourself time to heal before you get back on your bike. Riding just 3 days after what you describe as a bad concussion sounds a little fast to me.

I'm not a doc or someone in the healthcare field, just another gal who is addicted to biking. I am also someone who recovered from a very serious biking accident and who had to wait 6 weeks to get back on my bike. My friends and family all expected me to get back on my bicycle, although I know there are some who would have preferred that I stop. They knew better than to tell me that though because they knew that I consider bicycling to be an important part of my life.

You absolutely should keep cycling if that's what you want to do. But taking a relatively short break to allow your body to recover may be a good idea.

--- Denise

[Bikingmomof3]

I am not in the medical profession, nor have I had to recover froma major accident. But, from what you mentioned, I do not see why you should give up biking, after a rest and you are healed, that is.

[CyclChyk]

I think Knotted brings up some valid points. I also think that it is your body, your life, and if you want to kill yourself bike riding, that is your prerogative HOWEVER I do think you can ride safely and NOT kill yourself in the process. Ride dedicated bike paths, or in groups that help to keep you a little reined in from being over zealous. Ride in parks. Or do you need more of a thrill/challenge?

And please let your body heal. It would be so awful if your not allowing it the proper time to heal created a more serious problem that prevented you from ever riding again..........