If you fell off EUC and got injured in the last few years, how are you all doing now?

[litewave]

25 minutes ago, dbfrese said:

On May 6, of this year, towards the end of our 2nd Phoenix AZ group ride, I fell off my 9bot1 while trying to lob a football. I do not recommend that maneuver. There is a reason quarterbacks plant their feet firmly on the ground while throwing a long bomb. Trust me on this.

Went to urgent care, was told they saw nothing on the x rays of my wrist. A week later they called and said "oops. Radiologist says it's a hairline fracture in a bone in your wrist. Come in for a better splint to wear. You can see a specialist if you want to."

I didn't want to see a specialist, so I wore my splint somewhat religiously, but after 7 weeks of increasing intermittent pain I went to a hand specialist. The doctor was pretty p.o.ed   at the urgent care doctors because my fracture was not a hairline break, but a full fracture and mildly displaced at that.

Long story short -- I go in Thursday to have surgery. He'll put a screw through both pieces of the scaphoid bone in my wrist to hold them together. I may also need a bone graft so they'll actually unite. They'll put a cast on it afterwards that I'll have to wear for at least three weeks. 

I haven't ridden my EUC more than a quarter of a mile since the injury, but I can't wait to get healed up so I can get back to riding again. Sounds crazy, but I don't think a broken bone will deter me from getting back in the saddle again.

 

So, the duck tape didn't work?

Have you since considered the fancy wristguard that @Marty Backe and @Rehab1 have recommended (The D3O Demons I think)?

I haven't had any "injuries" per se other than a couple gashes to the underside of my chin (slip from pedals before installing the skateboard tape) and severe shoulder pain from a beginner faceplant, both over a year ago.

I wear full gear as described in other threads for wrists, elbows, knees/shins, ankles, and of course, a helmet, all the time. Still, I worry most about a fractured collarbone or shoulder, as there really are no good options for safety gear to protect these vulnerable areas. I have also been eyeing the Bell Super 3R or 2R MIPS full-face helmet with detachable chin for some time, and intend to purchase one when I upgrade to a faster wheel... someday.

[dbfrese]

1 minute ago, steve454 said:

Don't do it!  They will overcharge.

The surgeon? Or the 9bot1?

[steve454]

Surgeons make good money.  I never want to give money to a surgeon. 

[dbfrese]

36 minutes ago, litewave said:

Have you since considered the fancy wristguard that @Marty Backe and @Rehab1 have recommended (The D3O Demons I think)?

I was wearing some pretty expensive 187 Killer Pads "Derby Wrist" wrist guards. Looking at them now, it seems like they might not have had enough "give" in them to absorb the shock. They did slide, because they took some very noticable damage in the form of scratches. 

My older (and much cheaper) JBM wrist protectors have a thinner more flexible plastic piece. They might have been more effective in absorbing the energy of the fall. I may go back to them when I start riding again.

Edited July 2, 2017 by dbfrese
Grammatical correction.

[dbfrese]

3 minutes ago, steve454 said:

Surgeons make good money.  I never want to give money to a surgeon. 

I'd prefer not to pay anything either, but there are some very real risks when this tiny little bone is broken but never unites, mainly something called avascular necrosis. Basically the bone dies from lack of blood supply. Then you are doomed to a life of painful arthritis in that hand.

I don't mind paying someone for their expertise, which is acquired through hard work and experience. As fun as it would be to try the procedure myself, I don't think I have the nerve to cut into my own flesh like that.

I'm glad that other people want to pay for the expertise that I've developed over the years, but my profession doesn't have nearly the negative personal consequences as surgery if I get mine wrong. In my case, my clients would only lose money or not make as much as they'd hoped. They aren't taking the chance of being crippled for life if something goes wrong, and I don't have to account for the high cost of something going horribly wrong and being sued for malpractice.

[Gimlet]

My worst fall was about 18 months ago when I face planted at a fairly slow speed. Overconfidence being my main mistake, plus hitting a small pothole whilst looking backwards and trying to get a following car to go past before I entered a road restriction.

My nose was broken and angled sharply to the left until I visited a local pub to clean up in the toilets, washed the blood away and pulled my nose straight again. 

All is fine now, there is no sign that my nose was broken and actually my left sinus is clearer and I snore less than I did. so at least some good came of it!

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

3 hours ago, litewave said:

I wear full gear as described in other threads for wrists, elbows, knees/shins, ankles, and of course, a helmet, all the time. Still, I worry most about a fractured collarbone or shoulder, as there really are no good options for safety gear to protect these vulnerable areas.

Um, football shoulder pads?  

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

1 minute ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Um, football shoulder pads?  

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Ever watch Rollerball, the original movie?  I think that's the direction we're going... 

[WARPed1701D]

3 hours ago, litewave said:

I wear full gear as described in other threads for wrists, elbows, knees/shins, ankles, and of course, a helmet, all the time. Still, I worry most about a fractured collarbone or shoulder, as there really are no good options for safety gear to protect these vulnerable areas. 

I'm looking at protective undergarments for other areas.

http://www.storelli.com/bodyshield-gk-3-4-undershirt-black.html

This is the best I have seen so far for good shoulder padding coverage. Not as overkill as motorcross gear but maybe enough shock absorption to get out of trouble. The also have undershorts with hip protection. I'm 6'1" and 155lb. Not much padding on me to save the bones.

Edited July 2, 2017 by WARPed1701D
Attached image.

[Demargon]

I don't want to be looked like a dangerous element of transport, because this I love your suggestion @WARPed1701D. I ride on the sidewalks with pedestrians, in the molls and markets, if I do wearing like a hockey player everybody get afraid of me and my euc. That's a perfect recipe for a imminent prohibition of euc.

I suggest to look at skaters and bikers, those sports are really dangerous and also used for commuting, adapting her wear accord with his route (none of them use a lot of padding out of skate parks or off road tracks)

Despite this I love since I was a boy to wear a lot of protective gear for skating and motorcycle riding. As I do now, but not when I share paths with a lot of people who don't wear it, I think is really unfair for them.

Because this I look for light protecting gear what don't make me look like I gonna crash in any moment. Long sleeves, gloves and glasses.  Only wear helmet, elbow, knee, wirst guard, boots... when I ride over 25km/h and away from pedestrians.

I look for a paraglider helmet (one more for my collection of 9) and some nice hi tech gear like this http://www.xionpg.com/xionpg-shop.html

 

[Rehab1]

11 hours ago, dbfrese said:

Long story short -- I go in Thursday to have surgery. He'll put a screw through both pieces of the scaphoid bone in my wrist to hold them together. I may also need a bone graft so they'll actually unite. They'll put a cast on it afterwards that I'll have to wear for at least three weeks

Scaphoid fractures are a common injury unfortunately misdiagnosed by family care physicians. Non specialized  family practice physicians have become the gate keepers for insurance companies so fractures of this sort are empirically misdiagnosed. In addition to conducting a full medical evaluation the physician should have ordered radiographs that included anteroposterior, lateral, oblique, and scaphoid wrist views. How many different Xray views were performed on your wrist?

Nondisplaced distal fractures generally heal well with a well molded short arm cast. Did your splint/ cast include immobilization of the thumb? If the hand orthopedist is considering a screw construct to repair your fracture it sounds like your fx may have been displaced. 

It is great that you finally saw a specialist! Not to scare you but scaphoid fractures are significant because any delay in diagnosis can lead to a variety of adverse outcomes that include nonunion, delayed union, decreased grip strength, decreased range of motion, and osteoarthritis of the radiocarpal joint. Timely diagnosis, appropriate immobilization, and referral when indicated can decrease the likelihood of adverse outcomes. As much as I hate medical malpractice litigation you may a have a case against the urgent care physician.

10 hours ago, steve454 said:

Don't do it!  

You will need to fully follow your orthopedist's orders including when it will be OK to begin riding again. Share your EUC hobby with your ortho specialist so he/she has a full appreciation of the forces that can result from a fall! The ortho doc will probably share stories of what could possibly happen if you compromise the surgery from another fall!

Edited July 2, 2017 by Rehab1

[dbfrese]

6 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

How many different Xray views were performed on your wrist?

They took three views, none of them a specific scaphoid view. When I went to see the specialist, an orthopedic hand surgeon, he took the x rays himself and was a perfectionist in taking them, (four different views) moving my arm or hand millimeters at a time this way or that. If he's that careful taking radiographs, I imagine his surgical technique would be even more precise. 

He took 45 minutes or more to get my history, images, go over treatment options, and just get to know me. Frankly, he's the best doctor I've ever had to see professionally.

6 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

You will need to fully follow your orthopedist's orders including when it will be OK to begin riding again. Share your EUC hobby with your ortho specialist so he/she has a full appreciation of the forces that can result from a fall! The ortho doc will probably share stories of what could possibly happen if you compromise the surgery from another fall!

I told the surgeon all about the fall, and he even looked up Ninebot One on his phone to get a picture of what one looked like. I fully intend to wait until I get the go ahead to get back to riding again. I don't want to mess it up more than it is already.

[litewave]

My concern about all commercially-available gear (many examples above) is that the shoulder protection offers only marginal protection to the shoulder from frontal impact. All the motorcycle jackets, football pads, undergarments, and Chinese-samurai-Alibaba products offer (some) side impact protection, but only marginal defence from a perpendicular frontal smackdown. In the total-surprise faceplant scenario described by @Gimlet above, the front face of the shoulder, collarbone, chin and protruding facial features are all at risk. A helmet with chin guard can protect the face and perhaps upper collarbone, but the rest is still exposed.

Edited July 2, 2017 by litewave

[litewave]

13 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Um, football shoulder pads?  

 

I see where you got this idea from ...

 

 

[Marty Backe]

22 hours ago, litewave said:

 

So, the duck tape didn't work?

Have you since considered the fancy wristguard that @Marty Backe and @Rehab1 have recommended (The D3O Demons I think)?

I haven't had any "injuries" per se other than a couple gashes to the underside of my chin (slip from pedals before installing the skateboard tape) and severe shoulder pain from a beginner faceplant, both over a year ago.

I wear full gear as described in other threads for wrists, elbows, knees/shins, ankles, and of course, a helmet, all the time. Still, I worry most about a fractured collarbone or shoulder, as there really are no good options for safety gear to protect these vulnerable areas. I have also been eyeing the Bell Super 3R or 2R MIPS full-face helmet with detachable chin for some time, and intend to purchase one when I upgrade to a faster wheel... someday.

@noisycarlos has the MIPS helmet. Looks pretty cool and effect. The removable chin guard is very effective.

[radial]

23 hours ago, dbfrese said:

I haven't ridden my EUC more than a quarter of a mile since the injury, but I can't wait to get healed up so I can get back to riding again. Sounds crazy, but I don't think a broken bone will deter me from getting back in the saddle again.

 

Oh, I totally get that.  My broken arm is still knitting but I couldn't resist getting back on the wheel within a week or so.  Maybe not so smart, but on the other hand, they always tell you to get back up on the horse that threw you as soon as possible.  

[radial]

20 hours ago, Gimlet said:

All is fine now, there is no sign that my nose was broken and actually my left sinus is clearer and I snore less than I did. so at least some good came of it!

1

Poor man's nose job!

[WARPed1701D]

19 hours ago, litewave said:

My concern about all commercially-available gear (many examples above) is that the shoulder protection offers only marginal protection to the shoulder from frontal impact. All the motorcycle jackets, football pads, undergarments, and Chinese-samurai-Alibaba products offer (some) side impact protection, but only marginal defence from a perpendicular frontal smackdown. In the total-surprise faceplant scenario described by @Gimlet above, the front face of the shoulder, collarbone, chin and protruding facial features are all at risk. A helmet with chin guard can protect the face and perhaps upper collarbone, but the rest is still exposed.

They were the best I had seen at that point for shoulder protection but the Shock Doctor Velocity Shockskin Football 5 Pad Shorts and 7 Pad SHity appear even more comprehensive. Especially the shirt which has pads over the collar bone, shoulder, and shoulder blades as well as the spine and ribs. Nothing on the chest though. The shorts do thigh, hip, and tail bone protection. Trouble is, they seem impossible to buy anywhere.

https://www.shockdoctor.com/velocity-shockskin-football-7-pad-cap-sleeve-shirt

https://www.shockdoctor.com/velocity-shockskin-football-5-pad-short

 

[dbfrese]

My wife took this pic of me not long after bringing me home from surgery yesterday, which explains the weird look on my face.  (That's my excuse anyway!) You can see the screw that the surgeon inserted in the x ray below.  Looks like masterful work. Still hurts like the dickens, though. I get this crazy mass of bandages off Wednesday, and hopefully into a less massive cast. We shall see.

And yes, that's the shirt I wore to the outpatient surgery center.

[steve454]

@dbfrese ouch, that looks painful,  get better soon! Looks like you found a good specialist for your wrist. Good shirt to wear when people ask what happened, just point to the last picture first when you start telling the story.  I was looking at those 187 derby wrist guards also, since I took off my hillbilly wrist guard gloves, put them on the roof of the SUV, and drove off.   Retraced the route when I discovered they were gone, but never found them.  Went to Dicks Sporting goods and got a set of DBX wrist guards, but they are mainly palm protectors, not much wrist support that I can tell.  I'll probably end up ordering the Demons that @Marty Backe just got, they look way better as far as wrist protectors go.  

Does the screw stay in,  guess it does, right?  

[Dingfelder]

Some gruesome stories here.  You folks make me want to be careful!

Hope everyone recovers well -- and inexpensively!

[Rehab1]

On 7/7/2017 at 6:04 PM, dbfrese said:

My wife took this pic of me not long after bringing me home from surgery yesterday, which explains the weird look on my face.  (That's my excuse anyway!) You can see the screw that the surgeon inserted in the x ray below.  Looks like masterful work. Still hurts like the dickens, though. I get this crazy mass of bandages off Wednesday, and hopefully into a less massive cast. We shall see.

And yes, that's the shirt I wore to the outpatient surgery center.

Sorry I missed this! So glad your on the road to recovery! Solid repair of the scaphoid.

For those that are unaware about how many bones are located in the wrist and hand here is a descriptive view. Humans are the only mammals that have this unique anatomical bone/ joint configuration which allows us to grasp objects with precision and manipulate them in illimitable ways.  Disrupt just one of these bones and your prehensive skills diminish rapidly!  Wear Protection!!!

[Rehab1]

On 7/7/2017 at 6:37 PM, steve454 said:

Does the screw stay in,  guess it does, right?  

The screw empirically stays in unless the is an infection.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

39 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Sorry I missed this! So glad your on the road to recovery! Solid repair of the scaphoid.

For those that are unaware about how many bones are located in the wrist and hand here is a descriptive view. Humans are the only mammals that have this unique anatomical bone/ joint configuration which allows us to grasp objects with precision and manipulate them in illimitable ways.  Disrupt just one of these bones and your prehensive skills diminish rapidly!  Wear Protection!!!

Only humans?

What about primates?

Or the more evolved "EUman"?