I thought I would post this here since this is where I do most of my talking and the knowledge in this part of the forum is superior…
I was in a car accident…Broke my ankle, wrist(hairline) & cracked 2 ribs…Just in time to ruin my planned cycle…
Has anyone here fully recuperated from injuries like this…The doc said my range of motion in both my ankle and wrist may be screwed…I hope not…Im freaking depressed…
The ribs are nothing. Just tie a belt around them and forget about it.
The ankle could be a problem. I broke mine 41 years ago and it was set wrong and is crooked. It still bothers me sometimes but has never interfered with my weight training. I never broke a wrist so I can’t comment. I did break a shoulder 5 years ago and that came back stronger than before because I really worked on the flexibility before I worked on the strength. I would guess that that same protocol would work on your ankle and wrist. Good luck.
No worries Bro. If I had to choose, I’d pick broken bones over torn ligs and joints ANYDAY. You might be feeling depressed because of the initial shock. I have heard WORSE horror stories about others who have come back stronger than ever.
I cut through 2 tendons in the back of my hand last spring (April 2003). I was depressed, of course, like you. I thought I would lose mobility in my fingers and screw everything I have ever worked hard for and gained over the years. It’s been almost a year now and I’m back better than EVER! No permanent damage!
Remember, your doctor will always give you the worst possible scenerio. Pro bodybuilders go through WORSE injuries than we can ever imagine… torn quads, ligs, torn tris, muscle tears, broken necks… a friend of mine LITERALLY blew out BOTH knees on a hack squat machine years ago.
Prisoner 22 has an inspiring story… from elbow surgery to winning his first Novice Show (I’ll let him tell the story LOL). Hang in, be strong, and keep your sights on what you want. Good luck.
Dude i was in an accident last year where i flipped a dump truck over and i wasnt wearing a seatbelt. I got messed up pretty badly. So much of recovery is in your head. Don’t rush anything and just keep positive. I’m back to way better than normal. The important thing is taking it slow right now. Dont try to hasten your recovery by getting back to your normal routine before you’re ready because thats when you can really hurt yourself for good. Just stay positive and you will amaze yourself.
i broke my collar bone.
you will be fine if you take the time to heal. if you jump back at it too soon, your asking for life-long troubles.
jaystyles
True story, I got wasted on a monday night marguerita binge and fell over a chair, breaking my ulna near the elbow.
This was 3 years ago, BTW, when I was 18 and before I started to work out with weights.
I was so drunk, it didn’t hurt at all at the time… But when I tried to move the joint at all, it was a lot like the Rice Crispies commercials - snap, crackle, and POP!
So anyways, I passed out that night after a half bottle of gin and 6 ibuprofen, went to the hospital the next day and was in surgery in a week.
3 Pins were inserted down my forearm(3", 5" and 7" metal spikes! I still keep them) and 2 wires were put in to keep the ulna in place, then I was stapled up. I was casted and in hospital overnight.
For the next 3 months, I was doped up on codeine Tylenol 4s (8 per day) and mary jane (4 joints per day) for the pain (the doc only prescribed the first one, the second medicinal was self-administered). I was advised to go through rehabilitation at the university hospital.
And as part of rehab, I had to start working out the triceps to recover from the serious atrophy that had kicked in… And then it happened… I GOT HOOKED!
At first, I COULDN’T even bench the 45 lb bar due to tricep atrophy and intense pain, but I continued. I felt like a pansy, I couldn’t even do a frikken pushup! Women were lifting more than me! Hot, beautiful, tight pieces of 115 lbs. ass were kicking MY 6’3" 230 POUND ASS in the gym!!! Talk about humiliating…
For months, I worked on drop sets of single arm french presses for triceps, starting with 5 pounds per arm. Pssy weights, but eventually, after months I prevailed. Through sheer blood and guts, Dorian Yates style, I dedicated myself to not only recovering from the injury, but towards the goal of becoming a strong, hard, deadly mother fcker.
And I’ve never stopped going to the gym daily since then. I started at a bodyweight of ~230 at 35% lard and now, after 3 years, I am 240 at 12%.
I have completely redefined my physique. The only visual reminder remaining from this is lingering pains in the tricep tendon and a very nasty scar on my left elbow.
But enough stories, my point is this; you can come back from these injuries harder and meaner than ever before. By the time you’re back to full capacity, you will be mentally chiseled in iron!
People ask me if I regret breaking my arm, but I say it was a founding incident of my life which I wouldn’t change for anything! They may be confused at this statement, but breaking my arm was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Hope this helps; just remember that you can prevail - it’s not your muscles, bones, or tendons that limit you, it’s your mind.
Be Strong!
BTW, deca was lovely for reducing pain and allowing me to work the tricep properly without being limited by joint inflammation. But I didn’t even mess around with AAS for 2 years after the injury.
Good luck.
Broke my ankle 4 yrs ago, hasn’t bothered me since but I do have less of a ROM and it hurts if I bend it in certain extreme positions. I have a ton of scar tissue though, so ART has helped the ROM and will prob eliminate the problem. Performance wise, no problem so no worries there.
Make sure your physical therapists are competent! Mine were jackasses and had me using the same weight/resistance for weeks, to the point where it wasn’t even a workout. Silly me, I didn’t realize it til it was too late. They thought since I was a big pro wrestler, I was a tough guy who didn’t need particular attention and now that I think about it, pretty much ignored me.
I trusted that they were competent, forgetting that they’re just as bad as other members of the medical establishment!!!
Fuck doctors! You have to look out for yourself, even under medical treatment (sigh).
Ok, rant over
Thanks BRO’s I feel allot better after hearing that…I guess thats what I needed…Some positives instead of all the negatives I’ve heard and the ones my brain was trying to convince me of…Thanks again!
Just like the rest have claimed, you should expect full recovery. I have fractured radial and ulna in my left arm, 2 ribs, metacarpals, multiple digits, my left tibia, and a hairline in the pelvis and experience no problems whatsoever. Some of which I didn’t receive treatment for. The most difficult part will be remaining docile for the suggested time period, but do it. I would take a few weeks off completely, and then take the other half of your 8 week vacation to strengthen your core. Abdominal wall, obliques, and spinal erectors. Just make sure not to stress the damaged areas; it isn’t worth the additional time spent in recovery as I’m sure you well know. Good luck.
The sad thing about the whole situation is how fast things like this can change your life. I am not going to tell a story or anything like that because you got enough of that. I am just glad you are OK and alive. If you have a wife or kids tell them you love them. Call your freinds and spend time with them. Take time to smell the roses if you have not already. Just think happy thoughts 
Good luck Red
I won’t bother to retell my story, I’ll just say two words: MUSCLE MEMORY!
you can lose all your size but your body will remember just how big you were and as soon as you are able to train and eat again it comes back fast - just as fast as if you were on a good steroid cycle - believe me- it’s amazing!
(It’s even more amazing if you’re on a good steroid cycle!) - lol
Let’s hear about the accident, what happened?
warhorse–“Let’s hear about the accident, what happened?”
I was driving home and it started to rain lightly…I was coming to a T intersection ahead and went to stop…(This road was new and had just been oiled, there were no signs up)…
My anti lock brakes failed and started to turn my SUV sideways…Not a good thing…so from experience I knew I needed to correct the turn so all I could do was let off the brakes regain control and pick out what I was going to hit…The T sign a tree or light pole…I managed to go right between the light pole and tree by about 6 inches on each side…But the big ass ditch just on the other side stopped me dead in my tracks…No seat belt so I ate the windshield busted it with my head and shoulder, broke the gear shifter off with my wrist, the brake pedal broke my ankle and the steering wheel kinda took care of my ribs…They told me Im lucky the airbag didn’t go off or it probably would have broke my neck…My car was almost vertical and I was laying basically on the windshield…amazing how 35 mph can screw you up…
Thanks to all of you for ya’lls support!!
You will be fine. Hell I broke both arms (3 surgeries to repair) Tore ligaments and cartalage in my right knee. Tore cartalage in my left. Seperated my shoulder. Broke 2 ribs bad and split my kidney in half causing internal bleeding. All seperate injuries, all before I am 18( I have had more but dont feel like taking about them. So you don’t have it so bad. The arm sould be good, I had a hairline fracture in one of them and it was all good. The other arm sucks. Sorry for the little rant on my injuries (sometimes I get pissed at myself) Anyways I can lift fine now, and full squat with out my knees hurting. Good luck. You should be good to go in a few weeks. The rips may be sore for awhile though depending on how broken they are.
amazing how 35 mph can screw you up…
That’s scary, only 35 mph…I will definitely keep that in mind when driving. Fuck…
I’ve heard that if you’re not wearing your seatbelt, airbags will do a hell of a lot of damage becuae they explode with so much force.
I will definitely keep my seatbelt on!!
I’ve read a few itneresting articles talking about the safety of SUVs and to make it short, this is what they said:
Many drive SUVs to feel safe because of pyschological reasons: they’re bigger and thus seen as safer, they’re taller which is bigger which is safer, and also because in a collision with another vehicle, SUV drivers will prob. be less injured.
THe cons are:
less manueverability than sedans/economy cars means its easier to get into accidents or harder to avoid them and longer braking times also make it harder to stop in time.
So I guess its pick your poison…
It was the lack of wearing a seatbelt and not the car that caused the injuries.
“It was the lack of wearing a seatbelt and not the car that caused the injuries.”
ABSOLUTELY!!! I know but like many other people in a hurry just couldn’t take the time, like an idiot to buckle it…With my job Im so used to not wearing it because of getting in and out of the car so much and it getting caught on my belt and stuff…I was stupid but NEVER AGAIN!!!
Man. I crashed a car outrunning the cops back in highschool. I spun out going 135mph, then hit the ditch going backwards at well over 100mph, took out several hundred feet of chainlink fence (which helped slow me down) then went through the fence and into the woods.
I was wearing my seatbelt and walked away (in handcuffs, but I was walking!)
Needless to say, I don’t go anywhere without my seatbelt on - unless I’m getting head! 