Surviving no riding due to injury

[Slappy]

I’m new to the forum since I’m a “keyboard cyclist” for the time being...

I had a little crash during my weekly MTB ride with my son and broke my pinky (it looked like a chicken claw... yuck). Doc has me going for surgery on Friday, and says no outdoor cycling (obviously) but also no trainer or running since sweat will cause problems with the stitches and running will jostle things around. She suggested walking and I’m struggling to get excited to stroll around the block at a leisurely pace versus something that gets the heart pounding.

I’ve been a “fat guy” for a good 70% of my life, and finally got my stuff together about 12 years ago through ruining and cycling, so it’s hitting pretty hard that I’m off the wagon for the next 3-6 weeks. Anyone deal with injury and kept some level of physical health and also stayed mentally “healthy” without frequent doses of a good hard ride?

[mktng]

set a goal. pick up a new hobby.
not as bad as an injury. but winter really hits hard. thats usually when i stress eat and gain weight.

however. besides picking up other hobbies to keep my mind busy. i set personal goals to maintain healthy eating. no longer will i binge eat what i would normally do when it was peak season for cycling.

[FlashUNC]

I watched a lot of Netflix.

Enjoy the break. Er....you know what I mean.

[Lewis Moon]

Having gone through a broken shoulder, broken collar bone, a splenectomy, hip replacement, concussion, navicular surgery and a herniated disc, all while in "training mode" I'll tell you, they are (mostly) just blips. The longest I spent down for any of those was 2 months. As long as you pay attention to diet (just be moderate) and use the time off the bike to develop other good exercise habits, you'll be golden. Life is a long ride, not a sprint.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by Slappy

Doc has me going for surgery on Friday, and says no outdoor cycling (obviously) but also no trainer or running since sweat will cause problems with the stitches and running will jostle things around. She suggested walking and I’m struggling to get excited to stroll around the block at a leisurely pace versus something that gets the heart pounding.

I've had to deal with two significant orthopedic surgeries and recoveries over the past 13 years. In both cases, I was back on the trainer (with doctor's approval) within 3-7 days and never had any issues with sweat and stitches. Perhaps your doc is a bit conservative, or isn't used to treating athletes? I concur with the walking recommendation. After both of my surgeries, I walked as much as possible (first surgery was to my right knee, so cycling was easier than walking). My poor dog was pretty worn out after the second surgery (rotator cuff rebuild), as our nightly walks had a higher pace!

Greg

[chiasticon]

sorry to hear about your crash. did something similar on one of my first MTB outings: shouldered a tree, which then threw me into a boulder. it was either land on my face or throw my hand out. did the latter, heard a crack. d'oh! six weeks off the bike. and it was all during the summer.

try to keep busy with another hobby, if possible. I'm guessing you'll be able to run once the surgery is done and healed a bit. don't get depressed and eat/drink a bunch, or eat like you could when you were riding frequently. I actually went low-carb when I was off the bike (and have done this again, for other injuries), because I just didn't need the energy from the carbs. definitely helped.

heal up and welcome!

[mtechnica]

If it’s just the pinky I say ignore the doctor and ride the trainer anyways. Caveat: advice from the internet is worth what you pay for it.

[cash05458]

Sorry for the crash...and not to go against medical advice... but you can go for a walk to "get the heart pounding"...but getting on the trainer to do a not overly strenuous workout is a problem? That doesn't seem to make sense logically...seems to me some sorta thing could be used to work to make sure no sweat goes into that pinky wound?

[eippo1]

I have a dog with lots of energy, so long walks are part of my training. Between my job at the hospital and dog walks, I end up doing about 8-10 miles a day and it does make a huge difference when in deep offseason or recovering from something (abcess currently kept me sidelined for a few weeks).

Obviously, the dog keeps me somewhat entertained, but I also often listen to music or books on tape. You should get an audible subscription and get a few good books to listen to and an hour will fly by. In an hour, you can cover a good bit of distance and expend plenty of calories at a brisk pace. I use bone conduction headphones because my dog is reactive so I want to hear my surroundings.

[Surfdog98]

I would do light spinning, cool room, and maybe wrap finger, just in case.

[cash05458]

nice...8 to 10 miles a day with the pup? love it! good stuff...

Originally Posted by eippo1

I have a dog with lots of energy, so long walks are part of my training. Between my job at the hospital and dog walks, I end up doing about 8-10 miles a day and it does make a huge difference when in deep offseason or recovering from something (abcess currently kept me sidelined for a few weeks).

Obviously, the dog keeps me somewhat entertained, but I also often listen to music or books on tape. You should get an audible subscription and get a few good books to listen to and an hour will fly by. In an hour, you can cover a good bit of distance and expend plenty of calories at a brisk pace. I use bone conduction headphones because my dog is reactive so I want to hear my surroundings.

[MattTuck]

Sounds like you're posting more out of the fear of uncertainty, and it doesn't sound like your doc helped relieve your anxiousness about the situation.

I'm sure you can do some core work and body weight exercises without damaging your pinky. Likewise, exercise and listen to your body and use common sense. Some spinning indoors is probably ok. If you have a good (clean) fan pointed at your hand, and clean bar tape (lysol before and after workouts) and you are changing the bandages frequently, I can't imagine why workout sweat would be worse than routine through the day sweat.

That is to assume you'll be able to put your hands on the bars without pain.

Otherwise, do some walking. You'll be ok.

Just focus on nutrition and rest, which will probably help with recovery as an added benefit.

[pdonk]

Just getting back on the bike after nearly 3 weeks off due to sickness.

My suggestion is to walk and spend quality time with other people.

Since it is only a pinky, a sweatband at your wrist and trainer/easy road rides is what I would do.

[azrider]

"surviving" ? little dramatic ehh?

we're probably talking two weeks max for those stitches to seal up.

lighten up a bit..............

[John H.]

You are thinking correctly in that you need to get out and walk- And by this I mean really walk. As much time as you can possibly devote to walking.
As much as 3-4 hours per day if you have time.
Listen to podcasts- It really helps pass the time when walking. Can also gain some knowledge and introspection.

I have seen injured cyclists go both ways.
1.) Cyclist who could lose a few breaks collarbone- does a lot of walking. Loses 20 lb. by the time he gets back on the bike.
2.) Cyclist breaks ribs and collarbone- Feels sorry for himself and wallows in food and wine for 6 weeks- starts back with an extra 20 lb.

Which one do you want to be?

Also- While injured you can experiment with diet in ways that are not practical while riding a lot. This is because walking is quite low intensity.
You can try low carb/keto if interested and/or narrower feeding windows like 16-8 or 18-6.