I’m a 59 yo male. Long time endurance cyclist. On September 27, 2025 I went over my bars at 20 mph and rammed head first into an object. This was a gravel race in the northern Maine woods and very remote. I laid 3 hours in agony waiting to be extracted.
Ultimately was admitted to Maine Medical Trauma units with compression fractures to T-3, 4 and 5 , six broken ribs and a broken sternum. Oh and a partially collapsed lung.
The sheer downward force of hitting my head so hard transferring the energy down my spine crushing vertebrae, fracturing, ribs, and fracturing my sternum.
I was sent home after six days in the hospital with a full CTLSO brace. My only follow up was four months after with a spine doctor at which they told me everything looked normal and there was nothing to be done. I had some “ mild kyphosis“ from the accident, but there was nothing to be done other than PT.
Kyphosis was actually quite extreme and worsening overtime. Eventually, I was allowed to stop using the brace and for the first time got to see myself in the mirror. It was shocking the changes in my physiology. My chest had collapsed from the broken sternum and the kyphosis had me bent for like an old man.
Despite second opinions and several visits with the surgical team from the hospital, I was told there was nothing to be done for my situation. My PT however, felt we should keep looking and she found a doctor in Boston who does thoracic plastic surgery. in getting ready to see him. He recommended. I see the head of orthopedic spinal surgery at Brigham And women’s hospital in Boston.
It was here that Dr. Kang showed me the upper part of my spine was collapsing into my chest because the sternum was not there to hold it structurally in conjunction with the fractures in my T3 four and five. He said that if it was not stabilized with surgery I was one fall away from a very bad thing happening.
I went into surgery the following week where he refused to C7 to T 11 with an osteotomy and bone graft harvest from my hip.
I am now eight weeks out from the surgery and I have just finished seven days withdrawing from opiates. I still have a lot of pain, but the opiates weren’t really doing much.
Besides the post surgical musculoskeletal pain, I cannot be upright and walking around for more than 10 or 15 minutes without my rhomboid and scapular muscles all freaking out, and it forces me to lay back down. No amount of muscle relaxant seems to alleviate this problem. I’m in PT 3 days a week.
It seems like my combination of vertebrae that have been fused is relatively extensive and not common. I would love to hear from others who have underground similar fusions, and what their recovery stories are like. I have always been an extremely active person and was in great physical shape when this occurred but in the seven months that have transpired, my muscles have atrophied. It’s been a pretty tough journey.
Thanks all.