Any doctors in the house? Snowboarding injury....
Discussion
Ok, before I get shot down with the usual 'just go to your doctor', I'm cheekily looking for a little free advice as I moved to america last summer and as a technically single young male, was advised for a 'low-ish' level of medical insurance, so just getting checked out will cost me a couple of hundred dollars..... even if the remedy is simply time. 
Anyway, I was snowboarding today, and on my second run combined with some pi55-poor technique, I caught an edge and got flipped onto my back. I wear an arse-pad to protect my coccyx, but I managed to hit the icy slope just above it, on my lower spine. Felt like a hell of a whallop, and I took a couple of mins to catch my breath, but in reality just felt like a bad bruise so I carried on for the rest of the day (also thankful for wearing a helmet as my head got thrown back too).
Later in the day I reached round and realised my lower back has swollen up A LOT.
It's stiffened up on the drive home a little, but I've still got full mobility (albeit with a little pain). The swelling is a little tender but bearable.
I feel like the elephant man right now though - how do I get the swelling to go down? I've taken Ibuprofen and I have an ice pack on it right now, is there anything else I could be doing? What have I done to cause this sort of swelling??
Anyway, I was snowboarding today, and on my second run combined with some pi55-poor technique, I caught an edge and got flipped onto my back. I wear an arse-pad to protect my coccyx, but I managed to hit the icy slope just above it, on my lower spine. Felt like a hell of a whallop, and I took a couple of mins to catch my breath, but in reality just felt like a bad bruise so I carried on for the rest of the day (also thankful for wearing a helmet as my head got thrown back too).
Later in the day I reached round and realised my lower back has swollen up A LOT.
It's stiffened up on the drive home a little, but I've still got full mobility (albeit with a little pain). The swelling is a little tender but bearable.I feel like the elephant man right now though - how do I get the swelling to go down? I've taken Ibuprofen and I have an ice pack on it right now, is there anything else I could be doing? What have I done to cause this sort of swelling??
not a doctor but spent a lot of time skiing - you've probably bruised you coccyx.
TBH even if you have broken it the docs will give you some painkillers and sitting will be uncomfortable for a bit - its not like they can put it in plaster...
I heard someone break their coccyx once and the noise that guy made was deeply unpleasant, I'd suggest you'll know about it if you've broken it!
Take some good painkillers and wait for the lovely bruise coming your way!
TBH even if you have broken it the docs will give you some painkillers and sitting will be uncomfortable for a bit - its not like they can put it in plaster...
I heard someone break their coccyx once and the noise that guy made was deeply unpleasant, I'd suggest you'll know about it if you've broken it!
Take some good painkillers and wait for the lovely bruise coming your way!
Thanks guys - agree with the bruise diagnosis, but seriously, the swelling is HUGE. I mean, it looks like a balloon has been inflated under there!! We're talking an area about 10" diameter, and it's swollen up nearly 2 inches deep in the middle!
I would take a picture if it wasn't so close to my arse....
Anyway, I've decided to go for some elevation too now, so am feeling very ridiculous with my backside stuck in the air, ice pack wrapped around my midriff, bourbon trying to be consumed without looking liek a total prat.
My girlfriend, after the initial concern, is now laughing at me somewhat.
I would take a picture if it wasn't so close to my arse....
Anyway, I've decided to go for some elevation too now, so am feeling very ridiculous with my backside stuck in the air, ice pack wrapped around my midriff, bourbon trying to be consumed without looking liek a total prat.
My girlfriend, after the initial concern, is now laughing at me somewhat.
Fortunately not me, but a friend fell of a rail in a snowboard park and fractured his coccyx. One of the unfortunate side effects was that he was in an awful lot of pain, the other was that his bowels involuntarily opened and he filled his (watertight) trousers with a significant amount of poo.
They had to hose the meat wagon down after taking him off the piste, I think I have a picture somewhere.....
Back to your predicament, if you start to get any loss of feeling or tingling in your lower limbs then cart yourself off to A&E. Even if you have fractured you coccyx all you can do is rest it, you can't put your arse in plaster!
They had to hose the meat wagon down after taking him off the piste, I think I have a picture somewhere.....
Back to your predicament, if you start to get any loss of feeling or tingling in your lower limbs then cart yourself off to A&E. Even if you have fractured you coccyx all you can do is rest it, you can't put your arse in plaster!
They are all correct.
I was unlucky enough to fracture my coccyx at the age of 15 playing basketball. Some idiot took my legs away whilst I was in mid air whilst playing on concrete.
I didn't s
t myself but in no way did I have any mobility.
If you can move, your bowels work normally and still have a sense of humour, I'd be guessing at bad bruising.
R.I.C.E - compression might be difficult.
I was unlucky enough to fracture my coccyx at the age of 15 playing basketball. Some idiot took my legs away whilst I was in mid air whilst playing on concrete.
I didn't s
t myself but in no way did I have any mobility.If you can move, your bowels work normally and still have a sense of humour, I'd be guessing at bad bruising.
R.I.C.E - compression might be difficult.
How much for an X-ray? You might have done something worse. Rather know than not know, do something else and end up in a wheelchair for life.
The Dirty Bubble said:
Fortunately not me, but a friend fell of a rail in a snowboard park and fractured his coccyx. One of the unfortunate side effects was that he was in an awful lot of pain, the other was that his bowels involuntarily opened and he filled his (watertight) trousers with a significant amount of poo.
Suddenly, snowboarding loses its cool.Edited by ShadownINja on Monday 26th January 07:44
Otto said:
Thanks guys - agree with the bruise diagnosis, but seriously, the swelling is HUGE. I mean, it looks like a balloon has been inflated under there!! We're talking an area about 10" diameter, and it's swollen up nearly 2 inches deep in the middle!
Err, that sounds a bit bad and I would get it checked out. The spine is sort of important and just look at anything below the level of injury and whether you want to keep it 
A couple of hundred $ is probably only the price of another snowboarding weekend.
Oh, forgot to say, I did a similar thing, caught the front edge went into the air, landed on my face, body flipping over my head. I realised something was wrong when I couldn't lift my head without the help of my hands (do you realise how heavy your head is??). Went to hospital and they were worried I might have fractured my neck so had a neck brace. Fortunately, I only tore ligaments. Hurt like hell, though.
Pic!
You can see, it's above my coccyx - I was wearing padded shorts to protect my butt bone after hurting it in the past. Luckily no loss of bowel control, just this swelling feels a little uncomfortable. It stiffened up over the evening...
Thanks for the advice so far - I'm going to play it safe and get it looked at today. The swelling went down a little over night, but also seemed to spread over a larger area. I struggled to get my trousers on this morning!!
You can see, it's above my coccyx - I was wearing padded shorts to protect my butt bone after hurting it in the past. Luckily no loss of bowel control, just this swelling feels a little uncomfortable. It stiffened up over the evening...
Thanks for the advice so far - I'm going to play it safe and get it looked at today. The swelling went down a little over night, but also seemed to spread over a larger area. I struggled to get my trousers on this morning!!
/monty python/ "it's only a scratch!"Ok, I realise it looks *quite* nasty, but seriously, it feels just like a bruise. I've had my knee swell up in a similar fashion before after an impact, and went to the doctor and a physician then, and it was always the same - ice and time.
I have full mobility in my back without any more pain than you would expect from a mediocre bruise.
Anyway, got an appt booked for this afternoon - I really don't think rushing to A&E is required.....
Thought you'd like the pic!
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