Ouch

[dagibbs]

I went climbing both Tuesday evening for about 3 hours then again last night. So, by the end of the evening last night I was getting kind of tired. I went to demonstrate something on a bouldering route that I've done lots of times, completely lost a hand grip, and fell. This was on an upside-down stair kind of section, so I landed almost flat on my back (impact points were, in order, tailbone, shoulders, head) from about 5 ft up. Now, a 5ft drop onto my feet is easy to take, but a 5 ft drop onto my back is quite a jolt. My neck support muscles are quite tight/tender right now, and I am being very careful in how I move my head/neck. Hopefully this won't interfere with my hiking & cottage plans for the weekend.

Comments

[redsash.livejournal.com]

Breakfall training saved me from the worst of it. I took most of the damage in my left knee and shoulder.

Your RMT friend sounds very wise. Just a hot soak will loosen things up and enhance blood flow to speed healing, but might exacerbate inflammation. Hence the hot/cold thing (and specifically, starting and ending with cold).

Advil is a strong NSAID -- that is, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. It doesn't just mask pain, it will help control any swelling and keep your spine from seizing up on your trip.

That being said, there is truth to the argument that inflammation is your body's way of saying "slow down." I always find the NSAIDs help me heal faster, though. For one thing, I have an easier time maintaining a positive attitude when I can do more than lie flat and moan :-)

~r

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I've had breakfall training really help me at other times, like when taking a tumble on the soccer field -- had teammates and opponents wonder how I took such a high-speed sudden fall without hurting myself. It is wonderful stuff. (I took some Judo as a kid.)

It sounds like I may want to make sure I have some Advil around for the flight to Germany on Sunday, and "just in case" for the hiking Friday & Saturday.

Yeah, just lie flat and moan is not good. I don't think I'm banged up quite that badly, though.