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Let me start out by saying I’m going to consult with the specialists next week, but meanwhile I’m stuck on the couch and am curious if some of you have had this type of injury. Compression fractured my L4 in a non moto incident 2 weeks ago, it took 1 trip to the hospital and 2 trips to the doctor before they even took an X-ray.
Thanks in advance,
KC
Thanks in advance,
KC
They will tell you a year to ride. For 3 months definitely don’t do anything strenuous. The pain will slowly fade to a point over months to a year, at a year you’re living with what you got pain wise. The pain comes from the misalignment. Muscles, nerves get crazy and cause a cramping pain.
Familiarize yourself with Kyphoplasti. This is where they inject a cement to fluff up your vertebrae to normal height. If it’s not too compressed may not need it. I compressed (wedge fractured) my T-5,6,7 in 2010. The procedure was new and he didn’t recommend it. I was also very leery of Surgeons wanting to make their Porche payment off me so I was happy to hear no surgery, but wished I would have gotten a second opinion.
I would keep an open mind to a procedure/surgery. You will have up to a year to decide.
KC
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In a month I went back to racing in the old guys class and now, some 34 years later, I have no problems whatsoever. I hope your fracture works out like mine did. In my case it was that I had no misalignment and it healed as strong as ever.
Your recovery and return to riding is based on whats required to stabilize the fracture. Also how it was done. was it a minor incident with low forces and you have a bone integrity issue or if it was high force and other soft tissue structures were implicated during the injury.
Any fracture if not a professional requires 6weeks recovery time. meaning some sort of activity reduction, immobilization and monitoring for recovery e.g. xray at 6 weeks confirming bone union.
but spinal compression fractures are not to be underestimated. As a Physio treating people with these injuries the comments above from people saying back on the bike in a month is just careless. these injuries can affect your ability to function normally in general day to day activities for life if you don't give adequate recovery.
If your bored during your down time recovering check out some of the pro rider injuries I report on via my Instagram page @always.moto and see how someone with nothing but time and no work time pressure can recover in silly timeframes. this is the uncommon world of recovery and normal day to day full time workers should not compare themselves to these recovery timelines.
My injury occurred in my third attempt to get up on a slalom waterski, something that I had done dozens of times.
Heel to toes knees bent elbows bent, no slack in the rope.
When the load was nearing peak, I heard-felt a pop and it was game over.
Top surface of L4 is no longer parallel to the bottom.
KC
So decent load so not a bone integrity issue. But might be concern for other soft tissue in the area which would only be seen on a MRI.
The way you described the xray sounds like a wedge compression fracture. May not be anything surgically to be done but I will let your specialist confirm that. May just be slow conservative management for 3months.
I hope to have an update this week sometime.
KC
Whatever you do, take the time to let it heal. And listen to your physician. Mine was very blunt with me and said if I’d hit just the wrong way I would have been paralyzed from the neck down. That got my attention. Good luck to you.
Paw Paw
I’m a month out from the injury, getting along much better, have been able to put my own socks on for a week😄
MRI appointment tomorrow.
KC
Pit Row
Hate to hear that it took some time for you to get the right diagnosis, usually any sign of trauma is a sign to image the area but with just falling on a waterski, I can see where the doc's thought process was as well. I fractured my T8 in 2005 and used a basic back brace/turtle shell for 2 months. It did take me 2 weeks from date of injury to get to a doctor, mine surprisingly didn't hurt that bad after 2 days but felt more like pepper being ground up in my back after landing from a jump (tried a race two weeks after the fall).
Take the proper time off and let it heal. They'll take updated images every few weeks to monitor healing. Not many cases need surgery. Cases that do need surgery are usually for stabilization of complete fractures which are rare in compression fractures - especially with only 1 level being affected.
Post healing - PT/chiro will be good to restore any lost ROM and improve strength.
Best of luck!
I got up and finished, even set the fastest lap that moto. Had no idea I'd broken anything until another crash a few weeks later sent me to the ER. I had a chest X-Ray for suspected broken ribs, they said my ribs were just bruised but my back was broken.
9 years later now and I still have pain, there's good days and bad, gets sore as hell sitting too long or walking on concrete for too long without good shoes.
Got an MRI a few weeks ago and no soft tissue damage.
Actually lifted a Big Block Chevy crankshaft yesterday 😮
The 3-6 month Recovery estimate seems pretty reasonable.
KC
Hey this is Warren minster, I’m reading your message about your broken back, did any of the vertebrae’s collapse? I’m exactly 6 months in and still have issues, I thought I was good until I shorted a tabletop at riverfront, now I’m scared lol
In 2010 I compressed my T12, and in 2014 cracked and compressed my T3, T4 and T5. Not an injury you want to rush back from so follow professional advice. Think I was around 9 months off the bike each time.
Compressed/Fractured L2 was a full six months
T4 and T5 in my 1st A class race in 1981 and spent 6 months in a nasty smelling brace. Zero issues ever since .
When they X-rayed my back they discovered that I had done it some point before.
As a kid around 10 or 11 I remember crashing head on into the wall of our garage because after jumping a ramp like Evil Knievel my Schwinn kickstand came down so my brakes didn't work and I believe that was when I had done it before.
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