You know at first I was feeling really crappy about us pushing Jim to try the section but after thinking about it, I know he has the skill to ride the line he fell on and he actually got it the last time he tried and made it to the bottom. He just didn’t ride out of it and somehow had a fluke accident and fell like the worst way he could’ve. I’m gonna blame it on the dang sun/heat!!
Here’s a picture that John Long took of Jim riding down the section where he fell. You can’t really see it but there were two drops, one at the top where he’s at in this picture and one at the bottom that you can’t see. I’ll post some more pics when I get my pics on my computer.
I’m sure sorry to hear that, Jim. We all know injuries can happen at any time, on or off the uni, but that doesn’t make it any easier when it does happen. I know you will heal and rehab as aggressively as you ride. Best of luck to you in the process.
Jim, when I first read this it made me feel sick just thinking about the possible consequences. Hearing about broken bones in the spinal region is just plain scary! I’m glad, after being able to read the whole thread, that you’re feeling okay, and that the prognosis is good. I hope you’ll be recovered by the time you make your way up to the Chico area this summer!
Whenever I post about my own disasters (see: sushi, guni ungeared, xmas trees, etc), I always try to add about what I could have done, if anything, to avoid or alleviate the situation – sort of a guide for my fellow uni riders.
In this case, I’m wondering if you could have worn any protective back-padding that could have minimized or avoided the injury. I’m curious bc I finally got a muni and am looking forward to fooling around with it finally now that the weather is more clement.
Sorry to hear about this accident and best wishes for a speedy recovery. After our experiences riding last Saturday (about 9 hours and temps about 90 in the shade), both Beau and I were shocked at how much harder the riding seemed in the heat. This was our first hot ride of the season and man - it killed us. Everything seemed harder. I remember so well several of the So Cal Muni rides we’ve done in killer heat. It seemed like our riding skill dropped in half. So take it one notch easier in heat like that.
Munivision, very sorry to hear about the crash, and glad to know you will be okay. I guess that’s one of the things lurking in the back of my mind that keeps me from trying (lots of) stuff on the gnarly trails. What kind of impact was it? Landing on back, or something to cause compression in the spine? Any lessons to be learned from the event?
I was actually in the area this weekend (Dana Point), but with Jacquie on a non-unicycling weekend. We have to divide it up that way. Along the coast it was cool and cloudy! Though you could see the blue skies just a little inland, the sun never touched the beach…
Yes, I think riding in the hot takes a little getting used to. If anyone wants to work on their hot-ride training, we’ll be ready for you out here in the Sacramento/Auburn area pretty soon! Maybe even on the ride I’m planning for Sunday, but I think temps are supposed to be really nice for that. Once I rode home from work when it was 107 out; my record. Just ride a little slower, drink plenty of water, and if it’s a long or hard ride, don’t forget the electrolytes! My last (very hot) ride of Downieville had the water, but not a good source of electrolytes so I felt beat from about the halfway point.
I NEVER ride between 10am-3pm, especially with no tree cover/shade. I’ll either do a dawn ride at sunrise, finishing before 8am, or wait 'till 4 or 5pm, which still gives me hours of daylight, but no sunburn or heat stroke! Riding in the heat of day is just not a good idea, period.
I broke my back going off a jump skiing, landed in the flats from 15 feet up on my but. Cumpression fracture of L1. The doc gave me the option of 3 mo. in a bead or surgery and 3 wks. Well I couldn’t stand one day so, I opted for the surgery.
My progression after my accident:
Time after injury…Event
1 wk…Wheelchair
2 mo…Walker
6 mo…Trecking poles, road my bike (I had to hold onto a post to get on/off and pull my feet in/out of the clipless pedals w/ one hand.
1.5 yrs…Whent skiing again for the first time (survived down the blues)
2 yrs…Get custom braces and much easier to walk and whent mtb again for the first time
2.5 yrs…down to one trecking pole
4 yrs…no mor trecking poles
7 yrs…discovered and started learning tu ride a uni
7.5 yrs…start commuting on the uni (2.5 mi. in 65 min, now 25)
7 yr, 8 mo…successfully ride off first curb
8 yr. (last sunday).rode 85 ft. backwards, SIF, and SIB:)
I brused my tailbone and hips a few times:( These (what I now wear) could have reduced the injury to maybee very sore back:o
I still need the braces to walk well:(, and I’m sure w/o them I could not ride a uni.
Wow! Amazing recovery after such a bad injury! I got the same type of impact shorts, but I found out the hard way that the protective strip on the back that “protects” your tailbone is only really effective before you injure it!
I started to wear my pair less than a week after my TB injury, and only slightly bumped against that strip and it hurt like the dickens, because it’s very firm and just pressed into my TB.
Yeah would’ve hurt more with nothing there at all, but I just should have had this protection before the injury…but “hindsight” is always 20/20.
Partly because of my skinny but, the pads don’t cover the back side of my hips (where I usually hit), so I sowed all the three pads in the back together and also the hip/thigh pads (but only at one point to maintain hip movement). At first they felt awkward to walk and ride w/ but after a couple of days I didn’t notece them. That Sunday I fell trying to drop kick a soccer ball and landed on my right hip. Would have been very sore or bruised w/o the pads.
Sorry to hear about this Jim. Sounds pretty tough though walking the rest of the way in the heat. Hope you have a full recovery and are back on the muni soon.
I’m thinking I should pimp my brace since that’s all I’ll be riding for a couple months. What about blue camo like Terry’s KH?
Seriously though, things look pretty good. My MD’s all say 6 to 12 weeks I’ll be good as new. In about 4 weeks, I’ll want to walk along MUni rides and take photos, I got to get out of the house!
Looking good! I can imagine that’s pretty uncomfortable to sleep in, but how fortunate that you’re only going to be laid up for 6-12 weeks. Glad to hear it!
Fortunately, I don’t have to wear the brace when lying down.
The injury was the result of landing on my butt with my back arched forward. The brace fitting orthopedic guys described exactly how I landed with not info other than compression fracture of T8. He said this kind of injury is not uncommon.
The fall wasn’t that hard, just landed weird. I don’t think anything could have prevented it other than not riding anything technical.
