Steve Giralt = Lance Armstrong
March 26th, 2009
With Lance Armstrong in the news for having broken his collar bone in 4 pieces bike riding in Spain, I figured this is a great time to share my story about my broken collar bone.
On Sep 2nd of last year I was out on a training ride for the Mighty Hamptons Triathlon which was Sep 14 in Sag harbor in long island, when I suddenly crashed and flew over the handlebars of my bicycle at 26 MPH. To this day I’m not sure exactly what I hit in the road which made me flip, maybe a rock, or branch, who knows. All I do know is that it hurt like hell and after being driven to Southampton hospital by a stranger who scraped me off the pavement, I had broken my collar bone and fractured some ribs. I was released later that day and went home with my Triathlon dreams shattered and a bottle of Vicadin. The doctor told me to checkup with a orthopedic specialist within 2 weeks to see how the bone was healing and that it would heal by itself with me just keeping my arm in a sling.
After doing some research, I decided that Dr. Andrew Feldman, aka the “Jock Doc” was the guy I wanted to see. It took 2 weeks to get an lovely Wednesday appointment, but it was worth the wait. The second they did new xrays, I mean the second they came out of the machine, they knew I needed Surgery to fix my collar bone, it was in many pieces. I has surgery on Friday at St. Vincents hospital where Dr. Feldman operated on me. In the surgical report, my diagnosis was that I had a “Severely comminuted 6-part mid-shaft displaced clavicle fracture with muscular impingement.” In other words, really really broken clavicle! After a night in the hospital I was on my way home.
The first 2 weeks post-op I did absolutely nothing exercise related. I did walk around the city as needed and I did go right back to work Tuesday after my Friday surgery but I was highly drugged. After 2 weeks I got my stitches out and new xrays where everything looked like it was still in place. I then started physical therapy, at first very very basic just passive movements and stretching the shoulder which was now made of cement and no longer wanted to move. After about 4 weeks I felt good enough to do some stationary bicycle at the gym, and even some eliptical trainer with no arm movements. At 6 weeks I was finally allowed to be without the sling and start doing some active physical therapy. I think around here I started to do some running again, just short 2-3 mile runs. At 12 weeks I got back on the bike when visiting my parents in Miami and felt great! I did like 140 miles the week I was in Miami. Then at week 14 I started swimming again which was pretty weak for a whil, until about week 16-18 where I started to feel better in the Pool. On March 15th, just about 6 months from Surgery, I competed in my first Olympic Triathlon in Miami and my swim was solid!
So, I wish Lance teh best of luck trying to do the Tour de France this year in May, and he’s trying to do another race which is in 7 weeks. He may just be able to do it, but it may be tough because his injury was similar to mine. And that is my story.