Well I suffered my first serious injury with the Unicycle.
I broke both the Tibia and Fibula in my right leg two weeks ago.
Basically I traded Unicycles with a fellow rider in order to get more practice with 150mm crancks. I usually ride with 165s. When coming down a pretty steep hill (That I have ridden no problem before with my 165s.) with lots of boulders in the path I did not have enough control and power with the 150s to control the decent. I took a fall with the unicycle falling accross my right calf and I then fell on the unicycle using it as a lever to snap both bones in my right calf. I waited fully concience in the woods for over an hour and a half for the ambulance to arrive and then had to suffer a long strecher carying hike out of the woods to the Ambulance. I am lucky for two things. I had good friends with me. I want to thank Amit Steven Kobi and Nir for thier cool headed actions. Second I was wearing Azonic Neoprene guards. I am sure that thier thick neoprene material that was totaly wraped around my calf saved me from the having the bone rip through the skin. I now have a Titanium Triton Rod and three screws in my right Tibia. Joking about the Triton part! It will now be another month before I can start walking and probably about 3 months until I am back to normal.
Now after two weeks most of the swelling has gone down and I have regained almost full mobility in my knee. It was not dammage by the fall but was cut open during the surgery in order to insert the Titanium rod. I still have very limited movement of my ankle but I am hoping that this will improve as soon as the swelleing an bruising totaly disapear. I did not damage the knee or the the ankle so I should not limp and should regain full use of my leg.
Open fractures like I suffered when the bones actually seperate from each other are very painful. However I am most bothered by the fact that I can’t ride for three months. Don’t worry when I get mended up I am going to be an even more fanatical unicyclist than before!
By the way, I have been looking at a alot of recent Joe Hodges Youtube videos and I must say that he is probably the primere Trials unicyclist out there now! Jumping over 1.2 meters on a regular basis! And what control and gaps!
Ouch! Borrowing other peoples rides can be dangerous if you are not familiar with them. Since getting my motorcycle license I have borrowed quite a few motorcycles to ride from time to time and I am very focused on taking it easy with an unfamiliar “iron horse”.
Good thing this hasn’t discouraged you from riding though Good luck with the recovery!
Wow that really sucks man! If this happened to me, i would be SOO miserable, not being able to ride. Well, i wish you a fast healing and i hope to ride with you again sometime soon!
Since I did not win the “Evolution of Balance Award” I was planning on Unicon.
I don’t know If I will be able to ride by then. It will be cutting it close. Keep in mind that I will also need some time to build my muscles up again. Right now it is scary how they have shrunk. I will let you all know if I will be making it to Unicon. If I can ride by then it will be a great get better gift to myself!
hairy knees! Thats a good one! What you see in hte last photo are the staples used to close up the operation.
I have always worn the best armour available. In my opinion that is the Azonic Neoprene Leg armor. they have saved my shins and calves from countles pedal bites and have probably saved my knees a few times. Even in this instance they certainly saved the bones from ripping though the skin. If that would have happened infection would have set in and I would prabably have been at risk of bleeding out especially with the long wait until the paramedics arrived!
Been there done that myself. Actually, my Xrays look quite similar. But I had an open comminuted fracture (several bits and bone sticking through skin).
If it’s any consolation, I was racing at Unicon 6 months after my surgery. Wasn’t riding quite as well as I would have been, but I still kept up with everybody
Also, if your bone was not sticking through the skin, then it’s not an open fracture (a good thing). Still nasty nonetheless.
I thank you all for the support. I am hoping to be riding again before Unicon so that I may join!
Ken you are correct. I suffered two Complete Fractures, that is where the bones totally seperate from each other. An Open Fracture is where the bone breaks through the skin. I Stated that very lucky for me the Azonic Neoprene guards probably saved me from an open Fracture. I appologize for the inaccuracy.
Today was a good day and I can feel some more movement comming into my ankle!
It is quite funny, most of my friends and family just seem to think that it is obvious that I am finished with Unicycling. It only makes me more determined to come back with a riding vengence!
ouch that looks rather painful, atleast with a big piece of metal in there it wont happen again. hope you recover very quickly, so you can come back with a riding vengence!
Good luck with the recovery!
