Getting hurt in other activities (fear of)...

[davy4575]

So, Ive seen a couple other motorcycle road racers on here by profile photos. I road race, its a dangerous sport. Frequent injuries to the wrists, fingers and shoulders. It goes through my head, occasionally that it could have negative impacts on my playing ability if I sustain injuries doing it. I race more conservatively because of it. I raced motocross and enduros as well, and got banged up pretty good doing that. Any other racers on here and even just in general have activities that you do that put you at risk of injuries that you worry about and if so, what do you do about it?

 

[kobass]

Hand injuries can happen anywhere/anytime. Gotta live your life...


Enjoy!

 

[Groove Doctor]

Snowboarding, esp jumps. Plenty of stacks, but snow is soft & I always wear top notch wrist guards & helmet.

Sat on an 1876 Penny Farthing bike today, but being 9ft up I was too worried about falling off to ride it... plus it was worth $7000 and didn't want to damage it either.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

This is the reason I don't participate in other activities, except taking long walks.

Lately I've been forgoing that for several climbs up the stairs at a brisk pace, because it's been raining off & on all week.

 

[5544]

I drive a car so the risk of injury by getting it caught in a closing door is greater than if I didn't drive a car.

I also open and close the refrigerator door and that puts me at risk for the same injury.

I won't even talk about the fear I have of closing the bathroom door or putting the toilet seat down.

 

[Fat Freddy]

I've built myself a bubblewrap suit.....

Doesn't work very well 'cos I can't resist popping the bubbles!.....

 

[Gluvhand]

I'm an electrician by trade and an ice hockey goalie for fun. Hand injury risks in both. Been lucky so far, I guess. I can't afford to not do my job and, while I have cut back on hockey considerably due to the aches and pains of being 51, I just enjoy it too much to stop totally.

 

[BaileyMan]

I've stopped rock climbing for fear of injuring my wrists and fingers.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I get that injuries and accidents happen all the time, and can happen anywhere - but I think the likelihood of those injuries raises dramatically if one chooses to play in traffic as opposed to in their backyard.

Not sayin we should live in constant fear, bubble wrap ourselves and not experience things, but the more risks we take, the more chance there is of us being injured.

That's what'cha all get for talking me out of a motorcycle! ! !

 

[JRA]

just in general have activities that you do that put you at risk of injuries that you worry about and if so, what do you do about it?

like all of us: daily chores, building/repairing stuff with tools, cooking meals... all of those activities and more = can lead to injuries of the limbs and digits we use for playing. sometimes i think about the possibility of injury ahead of time (and i still might experience an injury of some kind), and sometimes i don't think about it at all (also with mixed results).

i agree that '$hit happens' and that we have to take things in stride. i also agree that we can do some things, at some times, to give us the greatest opportunities for living/life without injuries which would interfere with playing.

i can't eliminate the risks, but i do try to minimize them. most of the time. when i think about. rationally.

 

[JRA]

That's what'cha all get for talking me out of a motorcycle! ! !

i wondered if you would chime in here, joe!

 

[Zooberwerx]

I wheel my trash cans to the curb once a week...and I wear a helmet.

Riis

 

[AngelsBassBall]

I grew up racing moto-x and desert in so-cal and eventually got into sport bikes as well. In my 30's I worked in publishing for a motorcycle magazine and pretty much got to ride every style of motorcycle all over so cal and loved it...never thought I wouldn't ride. I no longer ride motorcycles. Partly because of expense, partly for fear of an injury that would be either life threatening or have an impact on my playing.

That being said I still ride road bikes (bicycle) as a way to stay fit and get my two wheel fix. (You could argue that this is also inherently dangerous and you would be right)

I am also mid 40's now and would rather be at home playing music than riding a motorcycle around North Carolina (where I currently live).

Not sure if this helps at all but I just got to the point (age) where the risk was not worth the reward....but I had a solid 30 years of consistent motorcycling so I had my fill.

 

[sharkbait130]

If everybody stopped doing what they enjoy for fear of being hurt or injured , it would be an incredibly boring world. My advice.....go forth boldly , just don't be stupid about it.

 

[electracoyote]

You can be like George Costanza walking around on egg shells with oven mitts on your hands, or you can exercise a reasonable amount of caution and live a full life. But you can't do both.

I've busted up my hands doing all kinds of risky stuff, and yes, it has had a negative impact on my playing. But I heal up, stretch out what's left, and go back to being a musician.

Interestingly, of all my risk taking, one of the worst, most profound, long-term hand injuries I've sustained came from shoveling snow on my sidewalk. Nerve damage to the palm in the thumb muscle area of my picking/plucking hand. No more speed picking for me.

So, since you never know how or when it's going to happen, maybe it's better to not live in fear and worry, but live your life and enjoy today.

 

[Biggbass]

yes

It cost me a few broken bones but what a blast it was during the years I was active.
I got into motocross in it's early years when bikes had metal gas tanks and evolved thru enduro and cross country racing. Retired from the sport about 15 years ago.

 

[Rev J]

Well I fractured my right wrist twice working as a bike messenger in SF. I fractured my left wrist once Rollerblading and once freestyle skateboarding. The second one ended up needing 2 plates and 5 screws, plus took me out of the game for about 9 months.

Wrist guards will do as much to prevent a broken wrist as knee pads will to prevent broken knees. at best they will act as a skid plate when your hands hit in a slam.

I still skate and 9 times out of 10 I run out of falls. If I cant run out of it I generally throw my arms up and out of the way and let by thighs/butt take the brunt of it as that is where most of the meat/cushioning is.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[Goatrope]

I gave up road racing about 2 years ago. I never had fear slow me down, only old age.

I did bend my left pinky all the way back at the first knuckle while mountain biking about 15 years ago. That never quite straightened out again, but never stopped me from playing more than a few weeks.

 

[pbass2]

I'm a mountain biker and I used to box. Never had any problems regarding playing as a result of either. Did more damage mousing at a damn computer.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

I had no choice in taking risks of hand and wrist injuries. My previous job was as an aircraft riveter for nearly 20 years. I had my share of joint, wrist, hand, elbow, shoulder, neck and back injuries, but I have never had an injury that limited my playing as much as from playing the bass, itself. While playing bass, I was using a lot of left hand, 1-finger-per-fret technique, and I pulled the ulnar tendon in my wrist so badly, it took almost 2 months before I could even touch a bass again. Be sure to do your stretches before before playing.