Yesterday I went to a Art Festival in downtown Phoenix with my friend Amy.  We rode our bicycles from her home to the festival, met some of her friends who were painting at the festival, and wandered around the numerous booths full of unique and fun wares being sold by their makers.

On the way back I went off a curb and lifted up on the front of the bike a bit so I would have a smoother landing off the drop.  Well, the plan was good, but the execution did not go as well.  My handlebars lifted off due to the neck not being tightened enough and that caused the front wheel to turn to the right and that began the process of me going over the front tire and heading face first into the street.  I was able to turn to the left and land on my shoulder which is much better than my face/head.  I was riding my Citizen Gotham 7 fold up bicycle and didn’t tighten the extension tube well enough even though I thought I had. Oops.

When I landed I hit the ground much harder than expected and I felt a little pop, but really didn’t think anything was wrong right away.  Amy helped me get the bike to the sidewalk and asked me if I was okay right away.  At first I thought it was just a hard hit, but as the adrenaline wore off it felt worse and worse.  By the time we rode to her house it was clear that a visit to an urgent care clinic would be necessary.  She drove me to a nearby clinic and after an x-ray and examination it turns out that I had sustained a grade 2 AC separation.

I had no idea what this meant so I looked it up:

The Steadman clinic

An acromioclavicular joint separation, or AC separation, is a very frequent injury among physically active people. In this injury the clavicle (collar bone) separates from the scapula(shoulder blade). It is commonly caused by a fall directly on the “point” of the shoulder or a direct blow received in a contact sport. Football players and cyclists who fall over the handlebars are often subject to AC separations.

In general, most AC injuries don’t require surgery. There are certain situations, however, in which surgery may be necessary. Most patients recover with full function of the shoulder. The period of disability and discomfort ranges from a few days to 12 weeks depending on the severity of the separation. Disruption of the AC joint results in pain and instability in the entire shoulder and arm. The pain is most severe when the patient attempts overhead movements or tries to sleep on the affected side.

Grade II Injury:

• There is moderate to severe pain at the joint.
• Swelling may be present.
• There is pain with arm movement.
• There may be a small bump on the top of the shoulder where the clavicle ends.
• The clavicle may move when pushed.
• The area of the coracoclavicular ligaments may be painful when touched.

So I’ll be taking it easy and will be sure to tighten up the handlebars (even though I thought they had been tightened enough) in future rides.

Be careful out there!!!