The Broken Bone Game

Climbing Weasel wrote:

Completely fine, even if arms are still a little bent. Funnily enough not even climbing related, just tripped and fell over backwards on flat ground. A freak accident. Bone density is fine before anyone asks. I’ve walked away from bike crashes, bad scrambling falls, skiing accidents, been dropped by a belayer, bad lead whips, and fallen off an actual cliff and been fine. Luck just ran out there. 

Wow great to hear that - gives me hope!  I'm 4.5 months into recovery now and still feel aches / pains and working on ROM.  Hoping the day comes when I 'don't have to think about it' 

Meghan C wrote:

Now appreciating this game ... unfortunately.  Full sacrum zone 2 fracture, superior and inferior pubic ramus facture, T12 compression fracture (mild), and separation of pubic symphysis.  Super lucky to avoid any major nerve damage. 

I remember learning about unstable pelvic fractures in my WFR course and how to stabilize them - turns out, the harness waistbelt does work pretty well. Blew two very good, but small (0 and .1 bd) cams, then hit the ground from about 20ft.  

9 screws and a link plate later, I am now healing well 3 weeks post op. Wearing a TLSO brace for 2 months and assuming healing goes well, will be a total of 7-8 weeks no weight bearing on right leg.  PT and light hangs for now, hopefully starting to do some tight top roping in couple of months ...

Wow that is gnarly - hope you are healing ok.  I was in a TLSO brace for 2 months as well for a 10% L1 compression fracture - sounds very close to yours.  If it's any hope, 4.5 months later I can bend pretty well without eliciting pain and very minimal chronic pain, if at all.  Neurosurgeon thinks I should be able to go back to full activities at the 6-8 month mark.  

I'm 43 M so I probably heal slower. 

Sorry for the slow reply.  I am 3 months post op now and have been climbing conservatively for the past month, just now starting to push it a bit, but still on TR.  Still avoiding back-intense things like deadlifts, but slowing beginning to return to activity.  Will likely start leading in the gym over the next month and hopefully outside a few weeks later. I do still have discomfort and back pain if I bend too much, but overall very grateful to be healing quickly.  Adduction in my right leg is still suspiciously weak and could be a more sever muscle tear or nerve damage, but given the overall range of function is likely to improve over time and not anything I'd address surgically.  Pelvic fractures can be nasty - very happy not to have major nerve damage!  

I’ve got the right temporal bone in the skull along with the spinous process C5-C7 in the cervical vertebrae covered. They broke when a rock was knocked off a ledge by the climber I was belaying. The rock came down and struck me in the back of my head, neck, and shoulder. This happened last year out in Yosemite on the east buttress of lower cathedral on October 14th. It put me in the icu for 2 1/2 weeks and then in a rehab hospital for another couple of weeks. Still in the recovery process and it hasn’t fully healed, but just glad to be back on my feet. It’s damaged a couple of cranial nerves that will take a long time to heal. All in all, though, I’m on the mend and getting back to feeling like myself. Can’t wait for the day I get to tie back in on the sharp end. This was a total freak accident. I was wearing a helmet, and the climber I was with was a friend who was an experienced climber. Accidents happen, unfortunately, even when you think you’re as prepared as you could be. Luckily, I made it out alive, and I’m incredibly thankful to Yosar and all the first responders related to the over 24-hour ride to the hospital.