I crashed my bike yesterday and broke my pinky finger on my right hand. Yes I am right handed, so this is taking forever. I will see an orthopedist on monday. Right now my entire hand is taped and splinted up to mid forearm. So, until monday no riding. Will I be able to ride after that? I have no experience with this. As for how I crashed: making a right hand turn. Road was black and so was the loose gravel in the turn, so I didn't see it. I was going 22-23mph. Hit the deck and slid a LONG way. Got up, was like "okay, I'm alright." Then I noticed my rear derailleur was broken. Then I looked down and my first thought was "my finger should not be facing that way." (it was pretty twisted) I had to wait an hour for my wife to get me. I was all smiles because honestly it didn't hurt that bad. That is, until the doctor tried to reset it (it was fractured and dislocated). When she did that I almost threw up, became exceedingly cold, and was so exhausted I could hardly hold my head up. I have been in a lot of pain since. Percocet does nothing to help. Anyway, any advice on how I can get back on the bike quickly?
Broken finger. Need advice
-
-
I broke my hand about 10 years ago had a cast on it half way up my forearm. I put some bolt on tt bars, with enough distance between the hand area and the forearm pad to accommodate the cast. Worked well but man did that cast smell...lol.
Good luck, and I hope the pain eases quickly.
LeMond VO2 max 95, Armstrong 82....doh -
/Anyway, any advice on how I can get back on the bike quickly? /
Bummer. I'll first suggest that that might not be your primary concern. Might be good to keep it elevated, and iced to reduce swelling.
I broke my thumb (first bone below second knuckle) about 10 years ago, and I was in a hand cast for 4-6 weeks. No road riding. I saved the pins: they were my first titanium 'parts'. My procedure was outpatient, but they did put me under, and there were no lasting issues. YMMV.
Ability to ride might depend on how it is splinted. Road vibrations might cause some pain. Start with the trainer, and don't let one break lead to another! Hope you heal quickly.
-
Biggest ***chewing out I ever got in my life was from a orthopedic surgeon when I modified a couple of casts so I could go water skiing at age 17. I'd be real upfront with the doc as to your hobby and how quickly you plan on getting back on the bike.
-
Too many variables to get useful advice here about treatment and recovery. Your injury may be trivial, or have long term consequences if not managed properly.
Do see an ortho hand specialist if you have that option
Do what the doc says. Orthopeds understand athletes and will work with you. -
Probably depends on if you can still use your right hand for shifting. I imagine the finger will most likely put put in some type of splint, which will make shifting a bit difficult.
I fractured two metacarpals in my right hand in 1995. Never healed correctly. But metacarpals are different.
-
Before I came to mountain biking I raced moto cross. I broke my radius in a 1st turn pile up a week before a big race. I was a good boy for the week but cut my cast off for the big race (after hot laps). Things were OK until the first landing off of a jump when the bone came shooting through the skin! That being said, I have riden with a cast on my ring finger before without any issues. As others have said, it depends on YOUR injury but it seems that an ortho could make a cast that would work for the trainer if nothing else.
-
I've broke my fingers before. It depends on the break, but usually they will tape a few fingers together and put a small foam (with metal split cast) or a full hand cast on. So you can still ride indoors on the trainer.
Be prepared for your hand to turn black and don't be alarmed by it. Blood has to go somewhere.
-
If fixing the dislocation requires percutaneous pins, you can look forward to a good 6 weeks off. It drove me nuts when I was forbidden to break a sweat due to risk of infection for 6 weeks.
If there are no skin penetrations, you can at least ride the trainer.
Oh, and when they remove the pins, that hurts.
-
"Doctor, when will I be able to play the Piano?"
"In about 4 weeks or so"
"Fantastic - I was never able to play before"
-
Set the bike up on a turbo-trainer and call it good for a while. Don't even bother shifting. Ride in a 53/17 or 16 like a SS, and work on spinning. Cadence is your friend.
A little blood flow will help accelerate the healing process. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
-
My advice - see someone who specializes in sports medicine. I've discovered that most doctors believe the body requires a ridiculous amount of time to heal. Typically a sports med doc will get you active much faster and also do a much better job since they know ortho care on average much better than most docs. Think of it this way, if you have cancer you go to an oncologist, not the general practitioner. Hope you heal fast and feel better.
-
Polish, that was hilarious. Thanks for the laugh.
I made the mistake of not following doctor's orders when I crushed my knuckle into a wall (I found the stud.) A common "boxer's fracture." Well, I was going on my honeymoon in the Caribbean a week later so I didn't wear the splint as often as I should have. The result is a disfigured hand. My fault. Lesson learned.
Definitely sit on the trainer for a while. It's the end of the season, after all.
-
broke right hand 20 years ago. They put a cast from elbow, around thumb, with a metal splint that ran up my middle finger back down thru the cast. Could not pick up or do anything with hand. Take a few weeks off and relax. One thing that does not get mentioned about having a cast on. Be careful if you need to drive a motor vehicle. Your ins. company might not cover any claims you could come accross.
-
I broke my right thumb (in a crash) 30 years ago. (Winter in New England.) I stayed off the bike and got into race walking. Actually not formal race walking, with the big arm swings. I did it like I was riding, quiet upper body. Swinging that cast would have hurt. But I did walk pretty darn fast. It was the dead of a cold winter and I had to think to not overdress.
I knew I would need that thumb for the job I was going to start in a couple of months. Doing something stupid on the bike would have been life altering. As it is, I feel that break every now and then, in the cold and humidity, but that crucial digit works.
Ben
-
A thumb is all I've ever broken. Funny incident...we were pruning willows in mid-winter, a very cold one like they had in the 80s. The wood needed to go to the other side of the pond for disposal. So at some point I was running across the ice, pushing a good size (maybe 10') log ahead of me at speed. Of course that's when the log hit a rut in the ice and myself and it came crashing down, crushing my thumb underneath the log.
That was painful and took a long time to recover (I can still feel it on wet cold days like today) but it's easy to ride a dutch bike with one hand.
The wise man said follow me...and he walked behind. -
you must consult with physician... and try physical therapy according to the physician instruction..
may your finger recover soon!! -
Uh, by now his finger is probably healed... just saying.
-
sack up
-
Jmdirt, I am now going to have to stop reading this forum during my lunch hour. Jeebus man, what an image!!!
Also, pretty cool story! -
I tore the Sagital Band on the big knuckle on my left middle finger two years ago and had to wear a splint to immobilize my left fingers, hand and wrist from thanksgiving to New Years. It sucked, but I rode the whole time. It put a crimp on mountain biking, so I rode mostly on bike paths. Bike paths are key b/c when you are riding one handed, you can't react as fast or accurately as with two.
You are going to want a pair of XL snowboarding mittens. Those are the only things that I could get over my splint.
PS - I tore my Sagital Band flicking a big wad of calk off my middle finger whilst calking windows. So technically, I injured myself by 'flicking my calk.'
Formerly Eduardo Bianchi -
Mike would show up at the ride with a big bandage on his hand. He said he had two pins in it and would show you them sticking out of the hand if you wanted to see. I only glance at it once, that was enough.
I broke my thumb MBiking one day, felt like a bee sting at the time. Don't forget to do the physical therapy or it will never work the same again. -
I have messed up my body a few times, but the worst pain I have ever felt was after having pins removed from a finger that had a unfortunate encounter with a radial arm saw. I hope it works better for you.
@jmdirt: Ewwww!
All opinions expressed are unofficial, and probably wrong. -
it is really nice post i like this info i appreciate this post keep it up.........
Jasmine -
Since this thread was brought back from the dead:
jlmitch1, how long did it take, and how did you do?
Reply »
You must log in to post.