I probably don't need to say this to this crowd, but always wear your helmet. Concussions suck.
I was doing a warm-up lap for a cyclocross race last weekend and dumped it. Wasn't going all that fast, didn't really get hurt that bad, but hit my head. I was wearing my helmet. At the time I didn't remember anything that happened, but rode up to the staging area. When they dropped the start signal, everything started to go black, I got dizzy, and found myself dead last at the first turn. I felt like Cheech and Chong in Up In Smoke where they're sitting in the median. I pulled off and recorded my first CX DNF.
The rest of the morning was a blur, and is still mostly forgotten. My buddy talked me into visiting the med tent where a lady ran me through a concussion protocol. Luckily, I wasn't driving home. When we got home, I rested the rest of the day and the headache continued to build.
The next morning, the headache lessened but persisted and I went to an immediate care facility near my house. She diagnosed me as having a severe concussion and whiplash. I had landed on my shoulder - not hard - but enough to snap my neck sideways. I was ordered to rest and avoid computers, reading, thinking too hard, strenuous exercise, etc. As a bike fitter by night and IT team lead by day, this is pretty hard to do - I thrive on mental challenges. I ended up taking all of last week off in what was quite possibly the most boring week of my life. Lots of sleeping, lots of Tylenol (I really need to contact them about being my race sponsor), lots of not doing a whole lot. My head hurts all the time to some extent, and there is numbness in my left cheek (the side of impact). I get dizzy when moving at all. Constant tinnitus in both ears. Balance issues. Forgetting everything. Going to Lowe's on Saturday was completely overwhelming and I gave up looking for what I was looking for and went home empty-handed.
My regular doctor confirmed the severe concussion, and is getting me in with a Neurologist. Other than that, it's pretty much just "give it time." I am back to work today, but this sucks. The plan is to take naps at lunch all week to just survive the week.
As a bike fitter, I talk with people about concussions and the effects on our movement all the time. Now I'm on the other side of the desk, and can unfortunately speak from experience. My hardware is mostly fine, but my software is jacked up. The difficulty of putting together a coherent sentence or even walking without stumbling is frustrating. If you thought I was a dumbass before, you should see me now. I have to put a lot of energy into my balance. It will take time to get back to 100%. I've had a few hard hits to the head in the last two months (other MTB race crashes, coaching soccer and getting beaned by exuberant 10-year-old girls with pretty decent kicks, etc.). There may be an accumulative effect, in this case.
Anyway, I guess I share this as a PSA: Make sure you and your kids are wearing their helmets. It might not take much. I'm really lucky I was wearing mine. It wasn't even a YouTube-worthy crash, and yet here I sit, constant headaches, constant dizziness, near constant confusion. My 'cross season is done. I'm not sure where I'd be right now if I wasn't wearing a helmet. I get pissed at my neighbors whose kids don't ever wear a helmet, because they will talk my girls out of wearing theirs. It's not a fashion show.
Take care of yourselves. I give a shit about all of you, whether you like it or not.
Oh, and most importantly: My 'cross bike, Loretta, is OK. Handlebars and hoods were knocked out of whack, but that's all.
Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
I was doing a warm-up lap for a cyclocross race last weekend and dumped it. Wasn't going all that fast, didn't really get hurt that bad, but hit my head. I was wearing my helmet. At the time I didn't remember anything that happened, but rode up to the staging area. When they dropped the start signal, everything started to go black, I got dizzy, and found myself dead last at the first turn. I felt like Cheech and Chong in Up In Smoke where they're sitting in the median. I pulled off and recorded my first CX DNF.
The rest of the morning was a blur, and is still mostly forgotten. My buddy talked me into visiting the med tent where a lady ran me through a concussion protocol. Luckily, I wasn't driving home. When we got home, I rested the rest of the day and the headache continued to build.
The next morning, the headache lessened but persisted and I went to an immediate care facility near my house. She diagnosed me as having a severe concussion and whiplash. I had landed on my shoulder - not hard - but enough to snap my neck sideways. I was ordered to rest and avoid computers, reading, thinking too hard, strenuous exercise, etc. As a bike fitter by night and IT team lead by day, this is pretty hard to do - I thrive on mental challenges. I ended up taking all of last week off in what was quite possibly the most boring week of my life. Lots of sleeping, lots of Tylenol (I really need to contact them about being my race sponsor), lots of not doing a whole lot. My head hurts all the time to some extent, and there is numbness in my left cheek (the side of impact). I get dizzy when moving at all. Constant tinnitus in both ears. Balance issues. Forgetting everything. Going to Lowe's on Saturday was completely overwhelming and I gave up looking for what I was looking for and went home empty-handed.
My regular doctor confirmed the severe concussion, and is getting me in with a Neurologist. Other than that, it's pretty much just "give it time." I am back to work today, but this sucks. The plan is to take naps at lunch all week to just survive the week.
As a bike fitter, I talk with people about concussions and the effects on our movement all the time. Now I'm on the other side of the desk, and can unfortunately speak from experience. My hardware is mostly fine, but my software is jacked up. The difficulty of putting together a coherent sentence or even walking without stumbling is frustrating. If you thought I was a dumbass before, you should see me now. I have to put a lot of energy into my balance. It will take time to get back to 100%. I've had a few hard hits to the head in the last two months (other MTB race crashes, coaching soccer and getting beaned by exuberant 10-year-old girls with pretty decent kicks, etc.). There may be an accumulative effect, in this case.
Anyway, I guess I share this as a PSA: Make sure you and your kids are wearing their helmets. It might not take much. I'm really lucky I was wearing mine. It wasn't even a YouTube-worthy crash, and yet here I sit, constant headaches, constant dizziness, near constant confusion. My 'cross season is done. I'm not sure where I'd be right now if I wasn't wearing a helmet. I get pissed at my neighbors whose kids don't ever wear a helmet, because they will talk my girls out of wearing theirs. It's not a fashion show.
Take care of yourselves. I give a shit about all of you, whether you like it or not.
Oh, and most importantly: My 'cross bike, Loretta, is OK. Handlebars and hoods were knocked out of whack, but that's all.
Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador