How NOT to take care of an injury

I thought I share a story with fellow rides to ensure none of you make the same mistake I've made.

A while ago I had a violent stack with the associated damage to myself such as concussion, torn ligaments, bone crack, bruising, torn calf etc. We all know this can happen when you stack and that is part of the thrill of MTB.

Treating the injuries when we get home is perhaps something not everyone is clued up on, I certianly was now. I think most people know to put ice on the injury, rise it, put a bandage on it and rest. And that is exactly what I did.

So I put a bandage on my battered knee and decided to wait intil the day after so see how I felt before going to a GP. Woke up the day after and realised the bandage must have been too tight. The calf and foot were swollen and aching. I think my concussion made me drowsy so I slept through the pain.

In the following days the calf was stiff and sore and really painful. I put it down to nothing but bit of a tear in it. A week after the accident I had an appt with a knee suregon who suspected blood clots. Got it checked and yes indeed, three of the major veins in the calf were blocked so it was straight to emergency and getting injections.

The aftermath is injections every day for 2 weeks and three months on blood thinners. This means any brusing or cut will have some serious implications during the three months as the blood will not coagulate. The worst risk is between injury and diagnose. Once on treatment it is unlikely the clots will move. We all know what happens if they do move and reach the heart or lungs....

So, the consequences of the self inflicted blocking the blood flow too much for too long is far worse than the injuries sustained in the accident. If it were not for the clots I could start some easy riding now that the injuries (bar a completely torn ACL) have healed quite well.

The point I'm trying to make is: Take extra care when you damage yourself, getting DVT after damage like mine is not that uncommon and I was completely unaware of it. I thought DVT was something fatties got on long haul flights. Hopefully this little story will ensure the rest of you do not repeat my mistake. Maybe rise and ice is enough, there must be good blood flow to take care of all junk that may enter the blood stream after some damage.

Cheers,
Staffan