# Fractured vertebrae



## tunadawg (Sep 14, 2012)

Took a nasty trip over the bars a week ago. The helmet saved my head (first point of impact), but my back slammed hard onto the trail. Not sure if it was the co2 in my jersey pocket or just the impact itself, but I fractured some vertebrae in my lower back. I was glad to wiggle my toes and move my legs. Getting out was a real chore, had a comrade under each arm assisting me. So my question is, has anyone else experienced something similar? How long till you were back on the bike? I'm sure my race season is done for the summer, but I want to get pedaling again. Every day seems to get a little easier mobility wise.


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## brassnipples (Feb 26, 2006)

I'm in a similar boat and wondering the same thing. Crushed a vertebra a week ago but with no nerve damage and a full recovery is expected. Now that the initial whiplash is fading it's a surprisingly low pain injury but the doc says 2-3 months in a brace. I'm trying to determine what the risk is if I push the activity level during recovery. The doctors say I'm not at risk of nerve damage if I re injure but won't say what the actual risks are. 

Hope your recovery is fast and smooth and I'd love to hear from others who have had similar injuries.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2015)

I'd stay clear of the bike for a solid 6-months. I fractured three in 1981. In the meantime, walking (when approved by your doc) will help build density in the fractured bones and stay away from Ibuprophen (slows healing of fractures). If you re-injure yourself now, it could be several times more serious. Be well.


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## alpine1 (May 13, 2015)

It all depends what vertebrae and how you fractured them. You didnt give us enough info. 

Ive had minor fractures twice which kept me in bed for a month and a lot of PT....


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## tunadawg (Sep 14, 2012)

L4 L5 The little pieces on the side of the vertebrae. They told me it was the best place to break your back, but most painful since that is where muscles and ligaments attach.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

I crushed T12 ski racing in 1989, it was unpleasant to say the least. I was in a bodycast for 3 months and because of it, I couldn't expand my chest to take a breath deep enough to keep from passing out while on a bike. I didn't ride until I got out of it. I had a full recovery of the compression though, so it was worth it.

As others have said, don't rush it, listen to your doc.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Oak tree fell on me in a race (would have finished in first no less) and fractured a lumbar vertebra. In bed for two months and off the bike for seven months (since it was over the winter in Minnesota). This thread is a little old but take it very easy, don't push it and do what your doctor says. There is life, riding, and racing after this. Most likely, your race season is over until next year, just accept that and you'll be better. No rush, no hurry.

The season after my injury was awful. I tried hard but just couldn't put the training needed into it without risking stressing my back too much (panted through entire races, it was tough). It took, essentially two years before I could say, "I'm back!" Maybe at this time you're feeling a little confident but see the wisdom above and listen to your doctor* as they know about these things.

* Neurosurgeon knew what was on my mind and said to me when transitioning out the TLSO brace, "Use a treadmill on slow or go easy on a stair machine and before you ask: NO."


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## J-Bone (Aug 26, 2008)

you guys are some lucky folks. Check out Eddy King. former BMX racer and MTB racer with a T-12 fx. He has cord damage so worse off. 

You also go some good advice up there with staying off the bike and away from nsaids (ibuprofen) as they reduce "good" inflammation." When you fracture transverse processes which as you said serve as boney attachment points for muscles and ligaments it can be tedious as it can still cause pain down the road. If they don't heal properly then you get whats called a none union fracture. Where the fractured bone heals but does not re-attach to the spot from which it cracked. These bone ends will cause pain and discomfort when they move around etc. 

Some people will get a brace to stabilize the spine-donjoy makes a nice one that looks like a corset with a chair back and its not too expensive. I work in sports medicine with pro hockey players and have had a few guys where them to stabilize their spondy's. 

Follow the doctors instructions they are usually right. If you don't like what they say you can always get a second opinion. Your early bouts of exercise after you heal should involve some PT and pool workouts-NOT FREESTYLE or BUTTERFLY stroke because of the amount of lumbar extension it puts you in and avoid loading the spine in flexion as well as rotation. So don't bend over to pick things up-SQUAT or SPLIT SQUAT and completely turn your body using your feet to turn do not rotate through the spine. Just let those things heal. and good luck.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2015)

NSAIDS also slow bone healing.


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## brassnipples (Feb 26, 2006)

Well you can follow me as the case study of the guy not listening to his doc. Recovery is going well but I've been pretty dissatisfied with the orthopedist. My injury is extremely common for people suffering from osteoporosis and from what I can tell, after many hours of research, is that I'm getting the same treatment plan that a geriatric patient would receive and the doc is not willing to 'negotiate' or otherwise engage me in the process. I have no doubt that his plan would safely get my spine back to normal but it's far too conservative for my lifestyle and I'm a strong believer that the body heals best when it's being used to some capacity. So I've done a ton of research talked to as many medical professionals and other people who have suffered the same kinds of injuries as I can and have been modifying the plan accordingly.

My injury is a 50% interior wedge compression of the T7 vertebrae, no loose bone chips and no bursting so it's a 'good' injury to have in the spine in that there is little risk of further injury in the surrounding area, all the damage is isolated to that one bone. The prescribed treatment is 2 months in a Jewett brace full time except for sleeping and no activity beyond walking a few times a day, after two months of full time bracing they will talk to me about tapering out of the brace over a 1 month period. 

After the initial overnight hospital stay I was walking, albeit slowly and stiffly, right away and putting in over a mile a day towards the end of the week with no pain. I stayed in the brace full time, even sleeping for the first few days and was extremely cautious in all movements, no bending or twisting at all for the first 3 weeks. 
On week two I put a ridiculously high stem extension on my road bike so that I could gently spin on the trainer a couple times a week while wearing the brace and I was doing some very light core exercises that were selected from various PT blogs and papers related to spine injuries with the goal of strengthening the supporting muscles without any compression stress.

Followups with the doctor have been extremely frustrating, xrays have looked great, and they say that what I've been doing is fine but when I ask what further activities I can do they say I shouldn't be doing anything but walking occasionally. Literally in the same breath the doctor said what I'm doing is perfectly safe but I shouldn't be doing anything other than walking ARGH!

Once the initial whiplash faded the brace was far and away the most painful part of this injury, it caused so much lower back pain that I ended up going to a chiropractor (a branch of medicine I don't fully trust) to address the issues the brace caused. The chiro treatment was somewhat helpful but the real benefit was that he was the first professional who actually explained the healing process and risks so I could make my own informed choices. I stopped wearing the brace while sitting around week 4. I think the brace also caused a rib injury (minor crack or dislocation) around this time after taking a deep breath and getting out of it became my primary goal.

After the 6 week checkup the fracture lines were fading in the xray, the spine was staying in the proper position, I could feel that my body was out of the OMG SOMETHING IS BROKEN phase and so I started slowly tapering out of the brace (I had already stopped wearing it for quick trips out of the chair). I'd set a guideline that when I could sleep through the night with little or no pain I'd really start getting back to normal which happened during week 7, on day 55 I rode a bike around the neighborhood (first with the brace to make sure the position was safe) which was an amazing feeling. Starting on week 8 (this week) I'm out of the brace more-or-less completely and resumed bike commuting to work which has been enormously uplifting milestone.

I have no intention of even touching a mountain bike for another month or two but at least the rest of my life is back to being relatively normal. 

The point of posting all this is to give a different perspective to the "listen to your doctor" mantra. I absolutely don't recommend ignoring the doctor but the default prescription is almost certainly the most conservative so don't be afraid to educate yourself, get second opinions, and figure out where there might be wiggle room.

I've certainly taken on extra risk and may not heal up properly as a result but by my judgement I've struck the right risk/reward balance for myself. I'll keep the thread updated with the hope of helping others in similar situations.


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## asookazian (Mar 3, 2015)

wow, sorry to hear about these injuries. sounds much worse than my two recent fire road crashes (just scratches/cuts/bleeding) and meniscal tears.

how does this going over the bars actually happen? is this a DH racing scenario in general? or I guess you can hit an obstacle and flip the bike on a fire road as well? scary.

also, what happens if you blow a tire/tube while going downhill? can that be extremely dangerous as well?


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## brassnipples (Feb 26, 2006)

asookazian said:


> how does this going over the bars actually happen? is this a DH racing scenario in general? or I guess you can hit an obstacle and flip the bike on a fire road as well? scary.


Mine happened on a fast but relatively tame trail. According to the strava of the guy behind me the speed was about 20-25mph, I have a vague recollection of my hand being off the bar so something may have kicked the front wheel but it is unclear exactly what happened. It wasn't actually over the bar though, more of a dive to the left as the bike went right and my body came to immediate stop with my helmet, face, and shoulder taking the brund of the impact, all the energy must have gone straight to the back. Other than superficial scrapes and bruises the broken back was the only notable damage.

It's worth saying that I'm a very experienced rider, I've been MTB riding and racing for over 20 years, have logged many thousands of hours on the bike, and I rarely crash more than an occasional little fumble. I was on a new bike which may have contributed but other than that this falls in the '**** happens' category.


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## asookazian (Mar 3, 2015)

brassnipples said:


> Mine happened on a fast but relatively tame trail. According to the strava of the guy behind me the speed was about 20-25mph, I have a vague recollection of my hand being off the bar so something may have kicked the front wheel but it is unclear exactly what happened. It wasn't actually over the bar though, more of a dive to the left as the bike went right and my body came to immediate stop with my helmet, face, and shoulder taking the brund of the impact, all the energy must have gone straight to the back. Other than superficial scrapes and bruises the broken back was the only notable damage.
> 
> It's worth saying that I'm a very experienced rider, I've been MTB riding and racing for over 20 years, have logged many thousands of hours on the bike, and I rarely crash more than an occasional little fumble. I was on a new bike which may have contributed but other than that this falls in the '**** happens' category.


That's very scary then. That sounds brutal as well. Sorry to hear that happened.


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## ratskrad (Jun 13, 2014)

In 1994 I fractured C4 and C5 by going over the handlebars on my ProFlex 454. I do not remember the crash so much but when I woke up I was on my back and everything seemed to be working. My helmet was crushed and that in itself saved my skull from any damage. So my back between my shoulders was sore and hurting and the bike was tweaked but I was able to get down by going slow on some of the fire roads at PCMR. While driving home I decided to go by the hospital as the pain was getting worse. Well after 8 hours and 2 CAT scans and an MRI they told me we have bad news and bad news. I spent the next 3 months in a halo and when it came off it was November. When leaving the neurosurgeons office that day after getting the halo off I asked him what should I avoid and his answer was jumping out of airplanes and bungee jumping which he recommended to not do even if I had not broken my neck. I skiied that winter and have never really looked back at what I did other then I tend to pay more attention when riding and truth be told I am never the fastest down the mountain.


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## JonJones (Feb 12, 2012)

Wow! There are some pretty brutal stories here. 
I've got a fracture of T8, T10 and T11. It's at the front of the spine if that makes sense. 

I'm 3 weeks in and have to consider myself really lucky. 
The Doctor told me with my injuries I'm looking to run again in 4 weeks. The first night was horrific. I couldn't get comfortable in bed for love nor money. 
Day two not much better. Day 3 (thanks to Oxycodene / Endone) much better.

After I elected not to go for a brace / corset and I can walk, climb, sleep move really freely too. I've finally managed to take that full breath without feeling like something is stabbing in my body. 

I returned to work after a week and have been standing most of the time (much better than sitting!) and when I do sit it's fine too. 

I can touch my toes and I've been off painkillers of all kinds for 2 weeks. I don't know if I heal quick, or the fractures were not that severe. I'm just glad that it'll heal and there's no lasting damage. 

There was the temptation to get on the bike this weekend for a gentle pedal / spin (I've a spine protector now) but might hold off another week or two just to be safe. It's winter here in Aus so I'm not really missing much!

Healing vibes to all on here. It's a nasty little injury to go through.


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## Prophet Julio (May 8, 2008)

tunadawg said:


> L4 L5 The little pieces on the side of the vertebrae. They told me it was the best place to break your back, but most painful since that is where muscles and ligaments attach.


Those bits are called the Transverse Processes. I fractured L1,2 and 3 along with 3 ribs. It happened on September 19'th, 2012 and I was back on the bike on November 9'th. The pain was pretty amazing if I turned too quickly in the first two or three weeks. The ribs stopped popping after 10 days or so. No long term issues. Good luck. Judging by the date, you are probably healed by now.


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