After Injury....

Brian HCM#1 · Jul 26, 2009

WhoRyder said:
For those injured, and got back into the bike, about how long did it take you to get your confidence back....

I'd say 9 1/2 beers :thumb:

J/K I have no idea, hope you heal up quick

redride · Jul 26, 2009

broke ribs 2,3&4 in September '08. I am still not there yet but close.

just have to get it out of the head and understand why u crashed "that" time, learn from it and make sure the bike is setup properly! I do find that i spend a bit more time scoping the lines nowdays.

My Lesson: never ever try to follow gracia and peat down a steep rooted section on a friend's bike!!!

DirtyMike · Jul 26, 2009

When I broke my wrist, I was riding full speed again as soon as I felt I had enough grip to to effectively pull the brakes if a panic stop was in need.
With the knee, I have my confidence, just not the ability yet. Like you I have been riding, but I have to take it easy, not by choice. I have to slow it up due to a lack fo cornering from not being able to twist my knee fully, and I cant pedal at full force, cant stand up and mash the pedals yet.

Confidence should be back as soon as your physical ability is back as well. But in reality, it is also in your head. You just have to get out ther, and hit something big to remember where the fun is at.

butters-lsd · Jul 26, 2009

you have to pretend like you got amnesia.put it as far back in your mind and let go.
i had a concussion/broke ribs from djing in march. i was riding about a week after, went right back to where it happened, got the monkey off my back, and had been having a great summer...
until a couple weeks ago when i broke my thumb walking away from a crash...now that pisses me off more than one can imagine.
i rode down, iced it/drank a beer,went back up did one more run, went back sunday did one run, knew i was screwed,hung out,drove home, went to work monday (construction), and went to the hospital after work..

i guess i'm trying to say everyone is different and you deal with stuff in your own way.

oh yeah, i can't wait to get these stupid pins out of my hand so i can ride. october can not come fast enough.

jonnynails · Jul 26, 2009

It's a weird thing how the confidence goes away with certain injuries. I have broken ribs, my sternum and other bones and when I got back on the bike I had not lost a step. Then in Spring of 2007 I put a thru axle deep into my leg. I came up short on a tranny and got bucked into the woods at high speed - hit a tree and somehow the threads on the deemax wheels opened me up. 40 stitches up top and 3 seperate layers/levels of stitches to stitch the muscle back together as it was deep. That injury has taken me a long time to get past - I'm not nearly as fast as I was before this accident. I think it freaked me out because if it had been higher on my leg, what if it sliced that artery??? Anyway, it's been 2 years and I'm still not where I was but have with more and more riding been getting close. Just keep on pushing yourself and you'll get there. For me the more riding the more confidence.

Huck Banzai · Jul 26, 2009

Just do it!

Its the thinking game, stop with the thinking!

rayhaan · Jul 26, 2009

two years ago I seperated my left shoulder, grade 3 as well. to be honest with you, I never gave it a second thought once I was able to ride again. I am currently recovering from seperating my right shoulder, grade 3 as well, but with a fractured clavicle. I have another few weeks to go yet before the fracture heals. But as soon as I am able to ride I will be pushing as hard as I was when I crashed a few weeks ago. I have had a lot of injuries in my short time mountain biking, but I love the sport so much, nothing is going to stop me riding!! Just go for it, look at it this way, you can never seperate that shoulder to the same extent again.

best of luck dude

rigidhack · Jul 26, 2009

The drop in confidence is perfectly normal. Just keep riding and follow the rule "if you don't feel it, don't do it." After a few rides you will hit a feature or 2 that you rode around last time. This process continues until you are back up to speed again.

The lack of confidence is a way for your mind and body to tell you that things are not 100%. Listen to it.

It took a couple of months after I obliterated my collarbone to get back into it. It took me 2 rides after I broke my radius to get back into it.

huntandride · Jul 26, 2009

I broke my scaphoid (navicular) in my wirst. After 8 weeks in a cast I rode a half day at N* the day after i got my cast off. All of my confidence/ability was there as far as hitting features like clearing jumps, drops, rock gardens and what not. I just found that I was so out of shape i couldnt make a top to bottom run without my arms pumping up or my legs getting sore.

intensified · Jul 26, 2009

i hope im not paranoid when i return, i tagged a pedal on a high speed fireroad and stopped within an instant on my collarbone. it must have been a good one, they put medal in the length of my entire collar.
i thought about it after, a couple things contributed ,,,lack of sleep prior,a sticky 2010 fork, and maybe not as focused as i should have been.
those 3 things arent going to be a factor in my future.

i think for confidence the biggest part will be finding protection for injured spots,,,, any suggestions for protecting collars?

i think positive thinking can be a big help for the returns.

CrabJoe StretchPants · Jul 26, 2009

I got took a bad digger a few years ago off a drop, landed straight on the top of my head from about 13-14 feet up. Don't know how I didn't break my neck (this was before the days of Leatts, too). It scared the crap out of me, and I didn't do any big drops/jumps for about 2 years after that (at the time I was in my hucker days, and would hit just about any jump/drop without giving it so much as a second thought).

Needless to say that incident was an eye opener, and was a major reality check that forced me to be smarter on the bike. I wasn't back up to that "confidence" level for about 2-2 1/2 years after that, and luckily now I'm much more careful at my approach, and more time just riding the bikes (all different disciplines, too) has made me a much better rider, allowing the confidence to grow at a rapid but SAFE rate. Currently I'm happy at what I can do/do on the bike, and don't really have any ambition to push that any further.

davec113 · Jul 26, 2009

Yeah, I just had my 1st major injury. Broke my radius near the wrist, also cracked the bone along it's length up into the wrist joint. 2 pins, a plate and 7 screws put me back together. It's an eye-opener and I'll be more careful when I can ride again. My crash was caused by a lack of judgement and carelessness. 4 weeks until I get out of the cast. Having pins sticking out of your arm kind of sucks.

daisycutter · Jul 26, 2009

You always sem to get hurt at diablo try platty next time.

yuroshek · Jul 26, 2009

WhoRyder said:
This is my first major injury throughout my DH career, this happened in Back in May.... I've had a sprained wrists, hurt ankles etc, but nothing like this....

I iwll be visiting Platty in August for a Weekend!

dave, you only live once man! get out there do your thing and have fun. dont be scared about the table tops or drops that youve hit plenty of times before. i have "something" wrong with my knee and will hopefully get results tomorrow... but this will not slow me down when i get back on the bike. so just be positive and have fun out there man. i cant wait to get back out on the bike thats for sure!

skatetokil · Jul 26, 2009

Coming back from a shoulder myself and I just have visions of going low side in a corner and slamming it into the ground. Probably should be more worried about other kinds of crashes but that's what freaks me out at the moment. Also, make sure you rehab properly. A lot of my lack of confidence right now (4 weeks exactly since my injury) comes from the fact that I know my left arm isn't as strong as it was. You just can't muscle the bike around the same way, cant clear jumps or corner as aggressively... but it'll come back, just takes time.

yuroshek · Jul 26, 2009

o yea forgot, i had shoulder surgery too but thats deff not whats on my mind during my ride.

TheInedibleHulk · Jul 27, 2009

I actually have found that, within reason, it's best not to ease back into it too much. Don't go out and go as fast a you can first day, but try to go out and just ride your normal pace like you always would. If you go and ride excessively slow and conservative, the dangerous parts will just get built up more in your head and a relatively minor injury will turn into a big setback. My injury list is relatively short compared to some, but it include a collarbone break, and trust me, it can be much worse.

weedkilla · Jul 27, 2009

You can always try riding somewhere different, or a different style of riding. After my collarbone/AC I found I had really lost my confidence on tracks I knew well. When I went and rode tracks that I hadn't ridden for years I quickly regained my confidence by making it all feel new. The confidence was still a little hard to take back to where I had hurt myself but it came back in time. No need to rush - you probably wont get on the podium at the worlds this year no matter what you do (unless you can channel some crazy french genes.)
FWIW it took me about 3 months back on the bike to feel normal again.

rollertoaster · Jul 27, 2009

Dave, you really should try to switch it up and ride somewhere else for a weekend. Have a few beers and just follow people that know the trails. Forget about your injury and just have some fun, it will come back to you.

drkenan · Jul 27, 2009

Some good advice in this thread...

Just ride in control until you get your confidence back. I'm still working on getting mine back after being out all last season but it's slowly getting there. If you just concentrate on riding in control, the fear of crashing diminishes and you can slowly work up to hitting the features you were before the crash. Good luck man!

After Injury....

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