Sore tail bone, how long to recover

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Specialized29er
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Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby Specialized29er » Sun Nov 08, 2015 1:00 am

I'm a 53 year young mountain biker and 3 weeks ago I went for a good buster going down a dirt hill, the area is only for cyclist and walkers but motorcyclists go and tear up the tracks and I hit on of their ruts and arse over tit I went.
The front rim buckled and over the handlebar I went and completed a 360 somersault and landed on my back, this knocked the wind outta me.
I was sore and slowly rode the 8ks home with the buckled rim and the next day after going to the doc I have 2 cracked ribs and a very painful tailbone.
I've been taking the Voltaren 50 for 10 days and the ribs only hurt 3/10 when sneezing of coughing but the tail bone is a 5/10 compared to the off the chart pain I did have.

Just wondering has anyone else ever bruised their tailbone and how long was it before you were back on the bike.

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foo on patrol
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Nov 08, 2015 6:39 am

How long is a piece of string? It will depend on how bad the bruising is and that is pretty much it. :wink:

Foo
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toolonglegs
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby toolonglegs » Sun Nov 08, 2015 7:15 am

After a heavy night out I damaged mine many years ago... possibly broke it but never bothered getting it checked. Took a good 6 to 8 weeks to come right.

Knoxis
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby Knoxis » Sun Nov 08, 2015 1:55 pm

If you broke it then it can take 4-6 weeks to heal. Bruising only will be shorter.

dalai47
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby dalai47 » Sun Nov 08, 2015 2:07 pm

foo on patrol wrote:How long is a piece of string?
Could be painful for years! I damaged mine having to drop it in icy conditions snowboarding in Germany many years ago when a skier turned cross my path. Would have been some serious injuries if I hit them due to speed I was traveling to carry me over a rise on the run!

Possibly broken - didn't get it checked as they wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. Flew back to Australia a couple of weeks later without being able to sit down properly! Hurt on and off for years afterwards...

lard
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby lard » Sun Nov 08, 2015 2:10 pm

In my experience bone bruising takes about 6-8 weeks to get better. I've never done a tailbone but I've done a hip, shoulder, thumb. all took about the same time.

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foo on patrol
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:47 pm

dalai47 wrote:
foo on patrol wrote:How long is a piece of string?
Could be painful for years! I damaged mine having to drop it in icy conditions snowboarding in Germany many years ago when a skier turned cross my path. Would have been some serious injuries if I hit them due to speed I was traveling to carry me over a rise on the run!

Possibly broken - didn't get it checked as they wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. Flew back to Australia a couple of weeks later without being able to sit down properly! Hurt on and off for years afterwards...
Yeah true but I didn't want to frighten him. :mrgreen:

I have a thigh that is still touchy after 20yrs. :shock:

Foo
I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.
Goal 6000km

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Specialized29er
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby Specialized29er » Wed Nov 11, 2015 1:34 am

Thanks guys, I'll give it 8 weeks and then slowly return to riding.
I sure do miss getting out in the dirt.

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K2
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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby K2 » Wed Nov 11, 2015 3:20 am

I landed straight on mine having been taken out by a car about 3 months ago. X-rays to check not broken and no other damage etc.

Mine was still causing considerable grief a couple of weeks later but I was missing the bike so much and worried that I'd drop such hard earned fitness that I decided to go for a test ride up the street to see how bad it was. Turns out you don't actually sit on your tail bone whilst riding, at least I don't, even on the more upright mtb. In fact it was much more comfortable riding [road] than I was experiencing in any other position[1]. Managed 300k in the remaining 2 weeks of that month. Probably overdid it a tad though as I took another week off after that...still feeling the other effects of the incident I guess.

6 to 8 weeks before it stopped being something to think about when sitting seems about right. All good thereafter.


[1]Reminded me of a similar thing back in my twenties whilst skiing. In Buller for a week. Afternoon of arrival we were just trying to show a friend who'd never been how to snow plough on the side of the road [rather than use a lift pass for an hour] and to finish off we went down the short run in the village. Two turns in, over a little jump someone had improvised, and I fall and feel something very, very bad in my left knee...brought tears to my eyes. Having played football as a kid I thought I'd just try and run it off, as it were. That did not work.

Overnight the knee became very swollen...very. :cry: I didn't get a wink. In fact I didn't venture into the land of nod for more than a handful of minutes each night for the rest of the week despite painkillers and much alcohol. On the bright side walking, or rather hobbling wasn't much worse. TBH if it had been I'd have been weeping like a child. :oops:

Being a tight git, I wasn't going to waste a week in the snow unless it looked like it was turning gangrenous [and no point wasting a doctor's time until such time either], so next morning I strapped in and headed off to the lifts. Turns out that the bending of the knees that ski boots force you to do was the most comfortable position I found all week. I've no doubt that actually skiing on it did not do it any favours, in fact it took about 6 months from returning before I could even contemplate turning a pedal and well over a year before I could manage anywhere near the distances I had formerly.

In hindsight, possibly not the best method for treating a torn medial ligament. In my defence I refer the honourable members to the oft heard phrase that cycling is about managing pain. Skiing was no more painful than not doing so and it largely took my mind off it. The rest of the day was much unfun and I dreaded the nights.

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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby Specialized29er » Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:40 pm

Accident 15 October and back on the bike 25th December, ribs mended and no more tail bone pain.

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Re: Sore tail bone, how long to recover

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:55 am

8)

Foo
I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.
Goal 6000km

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