keep racing or not? after severe injury....My story

[LT250Racer609]

ok on september 5th of 2005 i was at a local race for my district. Anyways theres a 90 foot double that only a hand full of quads have ever done it and i told everyone i was gonna do it and i had to back up my word. So i went in there and the first lap in practice i hit the jump. 4th gear pinned and landed it just fine (the track was kinda slippery tho from being watered down). Although i did the jump on my first try...and was actually the first quad of the day to do it i was having trouble keeping my quad in power band due to the conditions on the track and my gearing i had set up (14/38). First moto comes up and the first lap i come out of the corner right before this 90 foot jump and at the last minute i slam on my brakes because i guy decided to roll it infront of me which your suposed to stay to the far left if you roll...jumpers hang to the right which is where i was...so i lock up my brakes and just leap the jump just enough to roll it out smooth. So i didnt get to hit it that lap so i planned on hitting it the next lap...now i had new gearing on (changed front to a 13) and when i came around on the 2nd lap the conditions dried up alot faster then i expected and i hooked up 100% comming up the face of the jump which is by itself atleast 20 feet tall...i hit it 4th gear pinned and watch the landing pad go by me while im still in the air. I ended up Completly landing it. I got measured at 120 feet where i landed and the landing pad ended at 100 feet. From the impact alone i broke every bone in my wrist. Doctors said it was the worse break you can have in a wrist.

Anyways i have had my cast off for about 3 months now after going in and out of the bone specialists. I went through physical therapy for a month and a half and it didnt do anything for me what so ever besides make it stiff and give me pain. My mom contacted one of the best bone specialists a few weeks ago to see if they can possibly opperate on it so i can atleast move it decently up and down. I had my apointment with this bone specialist This morning who is one of the best in NY state and he took new X-rays. The results werent good. He said i simply pile drived my wrist destoying all the cartilage which is why i dont have any movement. He told me it was a very very bad injury and theres not much he can do. He said that sometime within the next 3 months to 10 years (he doesnt know when just sometime during that period) i will lose all movement of my right wrist. Even the little movement i have now. He said the only thing he can do to fix it is to operate and put a Metal plate on the top of my hand and cut the wrist bones. And attatch 4 metal rods from that plate to the edge of my wrist which he will shave off. Acting like a real wrist, But Metal. Now this will be permanent. Which sucks because i just turned 19.

Quad racing is the only activity i really do that im inlove with and am actually good at. However im having a real hard time facing the fact that maybe i should just give up now and get ride of the quad and out of the whole racing scenerio but i just cant bring myself to do it.....Anyone who has any opinion i will greatly appreciate.

Sorry for the long story...im very self explanitroy :(

[Mxjunkie]

I dunno man, I've been hurt many times in my life and I cant give it up. I walk weird, hurt every morning, If I land weird my wrists hurt all day.. I just think hell I only live once, I wont be able to ride forever..

If all else fails man look into racing xc, its so much easyier on the body! I've only had one injury in xc and that was a fractured wrist, mx I totaled my knee and broke my tailbone in one wreck.

[K-Dub]

If you can safley ride at all just ride for enjoyment. I trashed my back, it will be 10years this coming April. I tried to ride for 2 years after my crash but my back wouldnt heal. I lost very little strenth in my back but lost all stamina, I could pick up 500 pounds and carry it acrossed a room but couldnt do 30 toe touchs and remain standing. I had compressed my spine, cracked some bones, and pulled or torn 25 to 30 muscles in my low back, and now had scrolliosis (sp) and Phecet syndrome (to much lumbar arch). I had 2 years of physical therapy and riding only in a flat hay field when my family doctor, nerosurgen, physical therpatist, and a chryropracter all told me the same thing, you are lucky to be walking if your spine wasnt as big as it is you wouldnt be, there is a very high chance if you compress your spine again you wont walk again. Well this gave me alot to think about at 25 years old and after 2 years of constant pain and loss of feeling in my legs. But I couldnt quit and my dad made the decision for me, he said either the bike goes or I take a 20 pound sledge to the engine. Well I sold the bike I couldnt let him bet up a 250R. I went to the chryropractor for 2 years 3 days a week and was finnally able to fully stand up and move around without alot of pain, I have had a constant headach since the crash that wont go away. But after 7 years of not owning a quad I looked at my life (there wasnt a day I didnt think about riding/racing during that 7 years) I now have a decent job that I can do from a wheel chair (if need be), no wife, no kids that are dependent on me. So I said the he!! with it and bought a 450R and put about 4500 miles on it in the last 13 months. As long as I dont catch monster air I dont feel to bad, but if I start launching off big jumps I get swelling in my low back and my legs go numb (and I want to race so bad but know I cant) but other wise doesnt bother more than normal. What you have to look at I guess would be- if I hurt the wrist again is there a chance I will lose movement in my wrist or worse possibly lose the hand altogether, for me I said if I end up hurting my back again and cant walk I will sell the quad and buy a pilot and still play in the mud. I looked at it like this riding is the only thing in life I never get tired of doing, I raced R/C cars got burnt out on it, played paintball suffered burn out, so to me life isnt worth living if I cant ride.
Sorry so long.

[Dumontexrider]

How did you over clear it when you went down a tooth in the front? It should have made you accellerate faster, while giving up speed.

About the opperation, do it. Your 19 and even though the metal is perminate, so is the fact that you will lose movement. The sooner you get the opperation, the sooner you can get back out and riding.

[fmfracing5]

i feel bad for the both of you, im only 16 and have been riding for about 5 years now and im pretty fast, im buying a 250r for this race season, sorry for getting off topic but ive had 2 bad wrecks but nothing to bad from what you guys had, my first time riding a quad i wrecked because the helmet was to big and went of my eyes and the second time i hit a medium sized rock and went off a 15ft drop off with a 500lb utility 4wheeler but thankfully i had enough time to bail off the quad but i still took the 15ft drop, but i dont know what id do if i didnt have a quad to ride, i feel that my body is very strong since i have yet to break a bone well ive cracked my pinky if that counts lol, but i use to skateboard and had a pretty harsh crash fell from 10ft and whiplashed my face on to cement, luckly i only got a minor concussion and a bruised face no fractures in my face at all i was supprised, and a few months later i guy i knew that worked at a local store died after laying over his crotch rocket going 5mph and that made me think why aint i dead you know, i was comparing my 10ft drop to cement to the guys i knew 4ft, but racing scares the ***** out of me sometimes, but i dont know how i could live without my quad its my life, ive dedicated every second for the past 5 years to it and after hearing all that makes me fear that fact that one of these days i wont be able to ride my quad anymore. I hope you both continue to ride, but ride safe because riding is passion not just a sport, its life.

sorry for the long post

[Quad18star]

You know , there comes a point where you just gotta say ... enough is enough . Sucks that you're only 19 and have this type of injury .... but just think what will happen when you're 50 and you can't move your hand at all ... you'll be sitting on the couch thinking " Was continuing to race REALLY worth it??" .

I'm in the same situation as you .... I've got metal in my leg from an accident . I was laid up in a cast for 8 months ...I've had 4 surgeries to fix things up ... I've been in physio for 3 months ... I haven't worked in 2 years cuz of this accident . Is it really worth it to go out and race and risk having the same thing happen again ?? To me it isn't !!! The doctors have even told me that in 30 or 40 years from now I'll need a total knee replacement because 1 of my legs is now shorter than the other .

I don't want to discourage you from doing what you love , but you gotta look at what's going to happen to you in the future if you keep going out and racing and re-injuring /aggrevating your wrist . Another thing ... good luck finding a job when you have a permanent impairment ... it's not easy . Sometimes you just gotta know when to call it quits .

[LT250Racer609]

Originally posted by Dumontexrider
How did you over clear it when you went down a tooth in the front? It should have made you accellerate faster, while giving up speed.

About the opperation, do it. Your 19 and even though the metal is perminate, so is the fact that you will lose movement. The sooner you get the opperation, the sooner you can get back out and riding.



the 90 foot jump was right out of a big sweeping corner then came up to about a 60 foot straight away...i guess the acceleration and the conditions of me hooking up went against me and thats why i went so far

[LT250Racer609]

Originally posted by fmfracing5
i feel bad for the both of you, im only 16 and have been riding for about 5 years now and im pretty fast, im buying a 250r for this race season, sorry for getting off topic but ive had 2 bad wrecks but nothing to bad from what you guys had, my first time riding a quad i wrecked because the helmet was to big and went of my eyes and the second time i hit a medium sized rock and went off a 15ft drop off with a 500lb utility 4wheeler but thankfully i had enough time to bail off the quad but i still took the 15ft drop, but i dont know what id do if i didnt have a quad to ride, i feel that my body is very strong since i have yet to break a bone well ive cracked my pinky if that counts lol, but i use to skateboard and had a pretty harsh crash fell from 10ft and whiplashed my face on to cement, luckly i only got a minor concussion and a bruised face no fractures in my face at all i was supprised, and a few months later i guy i knew that worked at a local store died after laying over his crotch rocket going 5mph and that made me think why aint i dead you know, i was comparing my 10ft drop to cement to the guys i knew 4ft, but racing scares the ***** out of me sometimes, but i dont know how i could live without my quad its my life, ive dedicated every second for the past 5 years to it and after hearing all that makes me fear that fact that one of these days i wont be able to ride my quad anymore. I hope you both continue to ride, but ride safe because riding is passion not just a sport, its life.

sorry for the long post


i was the same way as you. I started racing when i was 16. Raced novice for half a season and then got moved up to Amatuer. Raced Amatuer when i was 17 and early 18. Then after my injury (since it was the last race of the season i broke it at and i finished 3RD overall for the year) im suposed to be racing expert this comming season...just turned 19...out of my full 3 years of racing, i have never broken anything or miss calculated a simple jump like i did. Never had any real big crashes or anything. just a few simple turn overs in a few races which is no biggy. I was a very smart rider and always stayed so focused when i was racing and thats why i havent had any huge crashes, but that one day i was out of focus cause the jump was so new to me and i was only a handful of people to do it that it just threw me out of whack. It only takes ones mess up before your life is screwed.

[LT250Racer609]

K-dub. Im very sorry for your injury and your condition is far worse then mine. Im glad to see that your back into riding and couldnt give it up. I might do the same. Go along with the operation for now, get rid of the quad for a year or 2 and maybe pick it back up?? im not sure tho

Im having huge trouble tho getting rid of my quad. I love my 250R and the day it goes its like im losing my kid or something i duno.

Not to mention if i hafto sit home and watch my dad go out riding on his 250R, My sister go out on her YZ 85 and my mom go out on her 250EX....i will be the only one sitting at home. Sucky situation

[Mxjunkie]

I'd keep the quad and just take it easy riding on it for awhile. :)

[MR.BIG]

I say get the operation and keep the quad and at least play ride if you can't race anymore.

[coolex]

Originally posted by Dumontexrider
How did you over clear it when you went down a tooth in the front? It should have made you accellerate faster, while giving up speed.

About the opperation, do it. Your 19 and even though the metal is perminate, so is the fact that you will lose movement. The sooner you get the opperation, the sooner you can get back out and riding.


id get theoperation and metal isnt that bad to have in u:devil:

[FMF450R]

Sounds like you better start wrenching on your camaro. At your age, I dont think I would be doing anything else to aggetate it any worst. Best of luck!

I tore the cartilage in my left knee fighting. After rehab & surgery, I decided to go back into the ring. Friends/family told me I was stupid, but I did it anyway. Fortunately, the guys @ my gym/school helped me work around my knee injury & I am getting another MMA fight @ the end of April.

[Honda#4]

and i though i was soar.them were some touching stories u guys gave i cant imagin what u guys go though. just remember to never give up hope.

[zeppelin]

Originally posted by Mxjunkie
I'd keep the quad and just take it easy riding on it for awhile. :) thats what im thinking, maybe quit racing and just ride. then you wont have to worry about making the 90 footer every lap.

[FMF450R]

Originally posted by zeppelin
thats what im thinking, maybe quit racing and just ride. then you wont have to worry about making the 90 footer every lap.


How long it that gonna last?? You know what happens when a group gets together, testosterone kicks in, and there is a BIG jump in from t of you. It takes ballz to brush off the pressure & keep yourself focused on not getting sucked up in the hype.

[ZeroLogic]

Just keep riding until you can't ride no more and then some!:macho

[K-Dub]

Thanks man. This is what I would do, take a couple years and get healed up then ease my way back into riding. It is very hard when your riding with your buddies and thier hitting a jump and talking how much air they are catching knowing you could get twice the air they are, I made that mistake once and hurt bad for 2 weeks. Learned that lesson real quick. I would just ride if you get healed up enough to do that, like I said I want to race MX so bad I can taste it, but one wrong landing or get off and I might never ride again. So enjoy what you can safley.

id say your done riding for awhile and racing is prob. out of the question from what it sounds like

[LT250Racer609]

ok i came to a decision. Im making an appointment tomarrow for the surgery to get it all done and over with. The longer i wait the more pain im gonna be in anyways which i cant even image. I cant lift anything with my right hand thats over 50 lbs without dropping it and every morning i wake up with my hand completly knumb. If i can even get those little things done from the surgery i will be happy. What im debating tho is getting rid of my damn quad. Should i keep it while im recovering? the problem is i dont know how long it will take and after the surgery and it healing all up again i will most likely hafto go back into therapy or something even tho im basically gonna have a metal mechanical right wrist lol...

i was thinking maybe sell the quad for now untill im 100% capable to rid again to my potential i once had, which i havent been able to do since before the wreck. And maybe putting some insane turbo on my car with the money?? not really sure...when it comes down to it tho its gonna be almost impossible to let her go...

[yamablaster24]

This summer i was ran over by a truck and broke 5 bones in my foot and had a crush injury when it was ran over laying sideways. I was on the quad not more then 4 weeks later and ended up breaking my tib and fib when i came up short on a double. Even after surgery and watching my entire family cry as my leg was set into place i never once thought about not racing again. 2 months later i was back on the track and while the screws in my leg do hurt like a ***** when i race i feel its worth it. Compared to your break this may not seem as serious but i would get the surgery. There are always the miracle stories and heck your hand could be almost back to normal with the proper physical therapy and rehab. Definately get the surgery. take a year off and see how the wrist heals. Def. do not give it all up until you feel your wrist has had all it can be done to it and that it would be in your best interest to stop doing what you love. You only live once and tomorrow is never promised.

[Chino]

Last year, February 12th of 2005 I broke my left wrist in about every place possible. As of right now, I still do not have full movement in it, I have about 65%. Im going for my first race back on this Sunday. What it takes man is time and patience lots of both. Look into getting a wrist brace that bends your wrist automatically for you. They are very expensive but help, If i can find a picture of one ill post it in a few seconds.

[Chino]

Here is a picture of one, they are called dynamic wrist splints. You put your wrist in it and set it to a degree of bend and it will hold your wrist there. Works wonders man you may want to look into getting one.

[LT250Racer609]

i would look into getting one of them except i cant even bend it as much as the picture and the doctor said where i bend it to the point it hurts, thats where i start to wear down my bones since its only bone to bone movement...kinda like a wheel with bearings...when those bearings wear out, the hub wears out and cant be used anymore....As for the break itself at the time i broke it my wrist was a complete S....everything was shifted to the right while being compressed together....broke, chipped, shifted you name it every bone in my right wrist....Doctors said it was the worst break you could possibly have in a wrist

[416exfreak]

im onlly 13, but i have titanium in my leg that will never come out, the docs told me i could never ride again, but me and the ole' 416 been climbin hills a little to long to let a doctor stop us, like they say, you only live once, so enjoy it, and if you end up paralyzed, at least your not 400 pounds eatin a bag of oreaos and drinkin a 2 liter of coke..................... wishin you had just got the operation, and could be ridin..................just my 2 cents;)

[416exfreak]

Originally posted by LT250Racer609
ok i came to a decision. Im making an appointment tomarrow for the surgery to get it all done and over with. The longer i wait the more pain im gonna be in anyways which i cant even image. I cant lift anything with my right hand thats over 50 lbs without dropping it and every morning i wake up with my hand completly knumb. If i can even get those little things done from the surgery i will be happy. What im debating tho is getting rid of my damn quad. Should i keep it while im recovering? the problem is i dont know how long it will take and after the surgery and it healing all up again i will most likely hafto go back into therapy or something even tho im basically gonna have a metal mechanical right wrist lol...

i was thinking maybe sell the quad for now untill im 100% capable to rid again to my potential i once had, which i havent been able to do since before the wreck. And maybe putting some insane turbo on my car with the money?? not really sure...when it comes down to it tho its gonna be almost impossible to let her go...


NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dont sell the quad, i dont give a damn, just sit there and dream of riding, i had to do it for 3 months while i couldnt even get out of bed to take a piss, so i dont want to hear any whining,( and for you smart asses out there, i peed in a bottle which was cleaned after every usage)>>>>>>>