Fall Down and Go Boom...
I've seen plenty of friends post their injuries from riding. I guess I always considered myself lucky to finish my rides with little or no injuries. But that luck ran out.
I was keeping off social media for a while about this - more because of the "unknown" until I saw the specialist. Honestly though I'm growing tired of having to tell the story every time I see someone who doesn't know.
Last Saturday I chose to go to Mountain Creek early by myself. It was an awesome morning - quiet on the mountain, I got the first gondola up. I went from top to bottom nonstop for two hours. As the day carried on I started hitting the natural/tech trails. I was feeling good.
I chose to ride a challenging trail, The Jack, which has challenged me in the past. I got to the one turn, full of drops and well...I fell. And as I fell, I put my hand out to brace my fall. And I felt a "pop". I knew it was bad instantly. I got myself up, tried to shake it off, but it was instant pain.
Did I break my thumb? Dislocate it? Damn it hurt. I got to the bottom of the mountain and rolled to my car. I texted Lance to let him know what happened - and that I would be going to the Urgent Care to have it looked at. That's when I started to recognize the pain....I've experienced it before.
Fifteen years ago when I was living in Vermont and working at Mount Snow, I fell with my pole in my hand. Also known as "skiers thumb", I tore the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). The doctors at the hospital in Brattleboro put me a cast for 6 weeks with occupational therapy after.
This injury felt very similar. The pain in the same spots. My thumb wasn't swelling horribly nor turning black. I stopped at the local CVS for an ice pack and headed to my local Urgent Care.
X-rays showed no large or obvious fractures. However, there was a small piece of bone "floating" that had the doctor on staff concerned. And the fact that he could stretch my thumb down further than it should. He splinted my hand and gave me a referral for a orthopedic hand specialist. But I knew...it was my UCL and I'd most likely need surgery.
I cried a lot Saturday...and Sunday. Not because of the pain but because I knew I'd be off the bike for a while. I called first thing Monday morning and got an appointment for Wednesday. i thought about all the things I can do to fill my recovery time.
I met with the orthopedic doctor Wednesday. And yes, I have a torn UCL. And the bone fragment is most likely from the tear 15 years ago, when I should have had surgery. Not saying that my fall this past weekend would have not caused a tear, but my UCL and range of motion were already compromised.
I'm scheduled for surgery Tuesday, August 8th. Because my UCL was already damaged, they may need to reconstruct the ligament, pulling from my wrist. I was told recovery can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks.
That brings me to the middle of September...when CX is starting up. I'm not going to be ready and I'm doing my best to just let that go. Yes, I'm trying to stay positive through it all. I got hurt doing what I am passionate about. And all things considered, it could be a lot worse.
I was keeping off social media for a while about this - more because of the "unknown" until I saw the specialist. Honestly though I'm growing tired of having to tell the story every time I see someone who doesn't know.
Last Saturday I chose to go to Mountain Creek early by myself. It was an awesome morning - quiet on the mountain, I got the first gondola up. I went from top to bottom nonstop for two hours. As the day carried on I started hitting the natural/tech trails. I was feeling good.
I chose to ride a challenging trail, The Jack, which has challenged me in the past. I got to the one turn, full of drops and well...I fell. And as I fell, I put my hand out to brace my fall. And I felt a "pop". I knew it was bad instantly. I got myself up, tried to shake it off, but it was instant pain.
Did I break my thumb? Dislocate it? Damn it hurt. I got to the bottom of the mountain and rolled to my car. I texted Lance to let him know what happened - and that I would be going to the Urgent Care to have it looked at. That's when I started to recognize the pain....I've experienced it before.
Fifteen years ago when I was living in Vermont and working at Mount Snow, I fell with my pole in my hand. Also known as "skiers thumb", I tore the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). The doctors at the hospital in Brattleboro put me a cast for 6 weeks with occupational therapy after.
This injury felt very similar. The pain in the same spots. My thumb wasn't swelling horribly nor turning black. I stopped at the local CVS for an ice pack and headed to my local Urgent Care.
X-rays showed no large or obvious fractures. However, there was a small piece of bone "floating" that had the doctor on staff concerned. And the fact that he could stretch my thumb down further than it should. He splinted my hand and gave me a referral for a orthopedic hand specialist. But I knew...it was my UCL and I'd most likely need surgery.
I cried a lot Saturday...and Sunday. Not because of the pain but because I knew I'd be off the bike for a while. I called first thing Monday morning and got an appointment for Wednesday. i thought about all the things I can do to fill my recovery time.
I met with the orthopedic doctor Wednesday. And yes, I have a torn UCL. And the bone fragment is most likely from the tear 15 years ago, when I should have had surgery. Not saying that my fall this past weekend would have not caused a tear, but my UCL and range of motion were already compromised.
I'm scheduled for surgery Tuesday, August 8th. Because my UCL was already damaged, they may need to reconstruct the ligament, pulling from my wrist. I was told recovery can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks.
That brings me to the middle of September...when CX is starting up. I'm not going to be ready and I'm doing my best to just let that go. Yes, I'm trying to stay positive through it all. I got hurt doing what I am passionate about. And all things considered, it could be a lot worse.
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