4 screws, a hook plate, no appology and 6 months of rehab

About a month ago I was taking a leisurely bike ride through the Toronto trails and decided to head north to the DVP trail to extend my ride on what was shaping up to be a rare and beautiful Sunday afternoon.

I was first surprised by how narrow the path became in several sections and had to slow down & adjust my approach several times to avoid dangerous situations.

Unfortunately, I made one too few adjustments.

Approaching a downhill near pottery road on the DVP bike path, I noticed two mountain bikers coming in the opposite direction and taking up the entire path. They seemed distracted and oblivious to their surroundings.

I shouted ahead and applied my brakes 

Both bikers saw me and moved to the other side of the path allowing me to release my brakes and pass them on the downhill. What happened next was unexplainable – at the last second one of the mountain bikers drifted right into my path – forcing me off the bike path to avoid a head-on collision. 

Unfortunately I couldn’t regain control of my bike as I almost immediately caught a tree-branch with my right arm which sent me over my handle bars. Fortunately both my feet unclipped automatically from my pedals, but unfortunately I landed shoulder first on a boulder. 

Laying sprawled out on the pavement all I could do was curse.

My helmet was scratched, my knuckles were bleeding and I became suddenly aware that my shoulder didn’t feel quite right. 

As it turns out, I had separated my shoulder which l later found out is very different from a shoulder dislocation.

Although it doesn’t usually require surgery, i had a 19.2mm separation and the likelihood of regaining full mobility and strength would be small without surgery.

Here’s what it looked like before surgery: 

I opted for surgery and had a hook plate with 4 screws inserted into my shoulder to bring the bones back into alignment.

It’s been a few weeks since the surgery and although I’m still relatively uncomfortable and can’t yet sleep a full night, I’m seeing steady progress and have been cleared to start rehab so that I can be on Skis by early December.  

It will be a good six months before I mostly recover and at least one year before I go back under the knife to have the plate removed. 

Although the accident was completely avoidable, things could have been a lot worse and I’m thankful that I can return to a regular & active lifestyle soon. 

When I do get back on my bike and ride the roads again, you can bet that I’ll be avoiding the dual-purpose paths around the city. I’ve had too many close calls with people who walk without looking and in my specific incident, people who bike without awareness.

I’m thankful to have Sasha who has been unbelievably supportive.  She even took a week off work right after the accident to help me manage and even now after three weeks of restless nights she’s continues to be there for me. I was half expecting her to ship me out to my mother’s place after the first week of sleeping in 15 minute increments  

On the up side of the situation, I’ve been off the hook to mow the lawn, do the dishes, clean the house and take out the garbage. Maybe this recovery thing isn’t so bad after all…