Somehow, I crashed my mountain bike last night on a group ride I was leading. I have absolutely no idea what happened but one of the buddies I ride with is a gp doc, I completely trust him & he was second to get to me I’m told. We were only 1/2 mile in & there is no reason I should’ve crashed where I did -a flat, gentle right hander on singletrack. Garmin tells me I was going 13ish mph & that I jumped but there isn’t a jump there.
Anyway, back in 2008 I had a similar situation while riding alone. I don’t honestly know what happened then but arrived to my destination about 25 minutes late & pretty dazed. I went to the hospital & they told me to take it easy for a couple of days but that’s about it. Well, I didn’t know much about brain injuries then & jumped back on the bike & skateboard way too soon & ended up with 3 subsequent all leading to brief periods of unconsciousness. I know enough now not to get myself into that situation again.
Anyone else have multiple concussions like this? I’m just looking for others experiences with recovery, I’m not seeking any medical advice & know that TR or folks on the forum cannot offer any. I’ll be resting easy for a couple of days & on Sunday, I’m heading to Acadia National Park in Maine & will likely get in some very easy miles later in the were with my girlfriend on the carriage roads there. My gf is a nurse & I’m definitely in good hands. I’ll be using a different helmet & I’ve already ordered a replacement for this one.
You can see I hit pretty hard & slid a bit. I really wish I knew what happened…
Rest up my friend!
I have one riding buddy who had a bad concussion. His wife happens to be a neruo too. I believe the story was a fast descent on gravel. Loose dog - thats 2 and 2 - you finish the math.
He did really change up his riding from that point on. No more racing other than CX (which he got really good at) because it is slow and probs on grass. No MTB. Maybe a TT. No group rides but he still rides plenty solo on the road in parks. Basically he doesn’t wanna hit his head ever again and has modified riding to match
Hopefully this helps give some light at the end of the tunnel and maybe you’ll get more applicable advice from others here.
2 Likes
Thank you, I appreciate the reply! Sorry about your friend, I know what he went through.
I’m pretty freaked out, I just have no idea what happened & went down in a spot that I shouldn’t have. I do ride by myself quite often in the woods & have scaled back my level of risk a lot. I’ll be back on the trails when I’m ready but I’m not in a rush. I live in an area with good access to dirt/gravel roads & my mtb works pretty well on those, too. Although, n+1 says maybe I should consider a gravel bike 
What I have learned from personal experience and anecdotally from others is that every concussion/TBI situation is unique, both to the athlete and the circumstance. The severity of the incident (lost conciseness, confusion, etc.) doesn’t seem to correlate to the long tail effects in any meaningful way.
Mine have come from rec hockey, which is “no hitting” but not “no contact” and leads to occasionally getting blindsided. A few years ago I was unable to focus/work a screen for several weeks post getting “clipped” in the chin in what seemed very minor at the time, and that scared me. I’ve adjusted my approach to be much less aggressive and cautious in how I play now.
Progress seems to be being made in blood testing for markers related to long tail concussion issues, but long story short, talk to a sports med professional that knows what they are doing in this space, and get good advice on how to mitigate risk and what to watch out for.
Hope your recovery is quick. We all manage risk on a daily basis; talk to your gf, talk to a qualified doc, and find ways to manage your risk in a way that’s appropriate for you without compromising what you enjoy.
1 Like
I’ve had the misfortune of having a handful. Last spring I got one snowboarding that took me a couple weeks to recover from. My doctor gave me this handy guide to help with returning to normal activity levels.
Some specific things that were difficult to overcome: staring at a screen all day (work), reading, listening to podcasts, watching tv, driving (for the first few days), and controlling my emotions. All that to say - it affects damn near everything. Take your time on recovery and it’s better to be overly cautious.
1 Like
Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciate your input.
It been almost 72 hours at this point. I’m coming around pretty well. Physically, the headache is gone as is the pressure I was feeling. My thinking is still a little dull -not judgement or anything like that, I’d say my recall is slow.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. That guide from your doc is pretty darn close to guidelines for coaches I’ve been finding. I did Taku this morning & my HR was under 70%. I paid close attention to how my head felt & had no recurrent symptoms as far as pain, dizziness, pressure, etc.
You mention emotional control -the last time I went through this & gave myself subsequent concussions, this was an issue, especially anger & depression. Hard to say how long those lasted but it definitely affected my relationship with my now ex wife. We were bound to split up anyway but I remember lots of arguments that I’m sure didn’t need to happen.
I drove a short way yesterday & wasn’t overwhelmed & I’m good to watch a movie or UCI XC racing so pretty good there. I feel like this was a mild one but I need to stay safe & keep it from getting worse than it needs to be.
