Well.....last Sunday I got complacent over a jump I've done 50 times with no problem. A little too much gas up the face.....a raised front wheel....vector left side of the jump....avoid wire mesh fence....front wheel landing....back end swap....impact.........two guys standing over me......pain.....buddy ride to ER....xrays....demerol....aaahhhhhh....Damn...I separated my shoulder and fractured a rib. Type 3...saw the xrays...raised about an inch. No major pain, but a very big bruise. Chest hurts like hades when I cough, and almost exploded when I sneezed once.

Any hints on recovery? Doc said 4-6 weeks and see an ortho.

P.S. I thanked the guy on the CRF450 with the Roman Numeral X for a number. He saw the whole thing. To all the rest that helped me out. Thanks. Now I have time to install my skid plate and lowboy pegs.

OBTW....I can't find any damage on the bike. Incredible.

Gozer.

Absolutely, definately , positively see an ortho!!! You never know what is really going on unless you see a specialist. Ive been release from the hospital after xrays only to find out two days later that I had actually ruptured all but 2 ligaments in my shouldar. Had surgery & blew off physical therapy after & did it myself... now I pay the price every day.... didnt heal right. Now Im recovering from an ACL replacement and am going by the book healing faster and stronger. I attribute this to an awesome Ortho- surgeon and a great post op physical therapist. As for the ribs, yeah broke them too, that is just gonna take time. Dont rush it becasue it will only prolong the healing. Yeah, I rushed it and my ribs bothered me for months. Good luck and heal quick.

I did the same silly thing 20 years ago myself. If anyone ever wondered, NO, the 1981 KDX 175 did not make a great 50 foot jump bike.

I landed sholder first and tore a bunch of stuff up. Weights helped a lot. I worked one summer shoveling dirt. This helped. Still, time took its toll.

The injections into the joint are a gift from god. I have been virtually pain free since having a series of three last year. Someday it will need repair, but for now no problems.

My advise would be to find something in the phonebook that is listed as "sports medicine" A lot of times those Dr's dont freak because you ride a motorcycle. Get into physical therapy long enough to do the exercises at home, then do them!

I think this web site might help you....

http://www.derekacor...g/healing.shtml

Hopefully laughing wont hurt th esholder too much!

I had a 3rd degree seperation and it took about 3 months to get back on the bike (I am 38) and it still gives me hell a year later. I can lift and do anything like that but i can't do "Wax ON Wax Off" on the car (Washing it in other words).

I'll be 40 in July.....maybe I'll opt for the arthroscopic surgery. Crashing sure sux.

Couldn't get to the site....Lauging doesn't hurt the shoulder, but the rib cage is another story. LBOL

I had to grade one separations to the same shoulder about 2 months apart. Not to mention a broken collar bone broken 2 times in the same place. I guess a grade one separation is more like jamming your finger but it still hurt and have fully recovered from the broken collar bone but occasionally my shoulder still hurts. No secrets to recovery for me just taking it easy.

See an Orthopedic doc - you may need an MRI to see if you tore your rotator cuff - I had a similar injury - had an MRI, and surgery to reattach my rotator cuff - if it's detached, get it fixed asap or you'll reduce the chance of sucessful reattachment if it's torn away at the tendon

May i also suggest an EVS Shoulder brace. I have one and it makes life a lot more comfortable. They are made of a sort of wetsuit material and it holds everything togethor. They don't look much but they work very well.

I had a grade 3 seperation and broken ribs about 2 years ago. My collarbone was sticking up at least an inch. You have torn all of the A/C joint ligaments. They do not 'heal', they will always be torn. You can have the joint rebuilt with a donor ligament. You will be able to ride again in about 2 months with physical therapy. It's up to you whether you get the joint rebuilt, you can get by fine without it, in my case I couldn't stand looking at it sticking up, and I could feel it moving slightly when braking hard. It didn't hurt at all, and it worked fine, it just bugged me. Good luck.

Hey, what's going on here? All the guys that I know on CRF450R's are getting shoulder separation?

Jim, you're the second. Randy, the guy that I ride with the most, has just "recovered" from a Type 3 shoulder separation. It took him 3 months for recovery, and he's now back on the bike again. We're going riding tomorrow (weather permitting...)

He went the full route, with surgery. Send me some email if you want to discuss with him his ordeal.

Ignore all of the doctor's instructions, because you're the toughest guy you know, and have life all figured out. Heck, you're a head-hunting linebacker, and the defensive captain of the football team. Throw the sling in the garbage because it's for sissies, and doesn't look "cool". Besides, it's painful kicking #ss when someone smarts off about it... Oh, wait. That was my dumb-#ss, back in highschool. DON'T do what I did!!! Hey, this feels kinda good, knowing my mistakes might be helping someone, even if just serving as an example of what NOT to do...

Hang in there....bikes and dirt aren't going anywhwere. Give it the time it needs to heal right

I suffered a grade 3 separation last Febuary while skiboarding with my brother-in-law. I've ridden bikes for over 30 years and this was the first time I've ever been hurt. I've never felt so much pain! Almost a year later and it still sticks up an inch. Once it's damaged there's no going back unless you have surgery. I still have pain and some numbness depending on what I do. Laying on my side resting my hand on my head will cause some pain and numbness. Surprisingly, riding doesn't bother it. Neither does kayaking where I'm constantly stressing the shoulder. It still pops from time to time but it's not unbearable. I'll probably go back for surgery later this summer after it gets to hot to ride. BTW, my brother-in-law rides a CRF too so I guess I took the shoulder damage for both of us.

Kevin
motorep146@msn.com

Hint: Listen to your doctor.

There is a reason for that. Doctors are more qualified than any of us. Why do you think it takes about 7 years to become a real doctor?

I did mine at the GMB memorial race and I am just now getting back to where I can ride again. I can really relate to the wax on/off comment as the one thing that almost always causes pain is to use that arm to rotate the steering wheel in my truck. Be patient. After about a month, you will make rapid gains.

Shop around for a good surgeon! I had a world-class doc repair my shoulder in 1980, and it's been through holy heck since then with no problems. What kind of stuff? Marines, 13 years as a Navy SEAL, Martial arts tournaments, motocross, etc. He really did me right. The doc that my highschool trainer was going to send me to would have put staples in my shoulder. The outstanding doc I finally found admitted to me that I would have pulled those staples out in no time. Do your homework on "who's who" in the medical field. You'll be glad you did! Best of luck to ya.

THAT will be my very next purchase....Thanks.

Ithink the stock handlebars are TOO good. They didn't give an inch.