Off-topic, but I need to gripe. I did a charity bike ride yesterday, and despite it pouring rain for the whole 30 miles (after 2 months of drought, great timing!), the ride went great. I hit my fastest pace yet, averaging 12.66 mph. But right past the finish line, a volunteer was holding out medals for riders. I tried to grab mine from my bike but was coming in too fast, and as I tried to brake, I skidded on the wet pavement, squeezed my brakes harder, then my tires found traction and I stopped all at once, flipping over the handlebars in a spectacular wipeout. I'm absolutely covered in bruises and cuts from my shins to my face.

I took Tylenol which did nothing for the pain, so I wound up having to go to urgent care for a script for Tramadol now that I can't take NSAIDs. I'm really glad I did the ride (it was for the American Diabetes Association, a cause near and dear to my heart), but damn, I am in a world of hurt and am NOT looking forward to going to work tomorrow! The area under one of my incisions has been a little tender even 2.5 months post-op, and as luck would have it, that's right where I got jabbed with my phone mount in the cra****'s almost as swollen now as it was right after surgery! I'm trying to ice the bruises and heat the areas of muscular pain (mainly my shoulder), but does anyone have any tips on how else to minimize the pain and maximize my range of motion to survive work tomorrow?

Wow, first of all congrats on the bike ride. Sorry for the wipeout. I had a friends husband die from that and it can be really scary. Glad you are OK.

Oh geez, I'm sorry to hear that. It certainly makes me feel lucky that my wounds will heal!

Alternating ice and heat is the only thing that I've ever had help.  Gentle stretching once your initial pain goes away is not a bad idea, but don't pu****

And yes, I had a BIL who broke his collarbone in an accident like that.  You are indeed lucky to be not more seriously injured.

I have no suggestions on pain relief... other than rest, ice and heat. That doesn't really help with having to go to work today, though.

Just wanted to say congratulations for finishing the race (albeit in a harsh way) and your fastest pace.  You rock!!

If you have some swelling in your shoulder area your best bet are natural anti-inflamatories.  Tumeric, Cinnamon and Sweet Potato are my go to items for recovery. 

Owwww! Wipeouts are the absolute worst, I've had a few ugly ones thanks to clipless pedals :(

I have a lot of luck with epsom salts for bruises. Pour some in the bathtub, or soak towels in warm water with the salts and let those lay on your skin for a bit. The potassium is really good on sore muscles!

I've also used bio-freeze (fancy version of icy-hot) for deep muscle soreness after a crash. If you keep it in the fridge it goes on nice and cold, and helps work the kinks out.

Are you sure you are ok?

Darn, NO good deed goes unpunished does it?

You did an awesomely wonderful thing.

If anyone at work says anything, look at them and tell them "The competition was stiff and things got rough"  Ha!  That will fix them AND make you look like SUPER JOCK!

I am proud of you for doing the ride and getting off those meds!  It is totally random bad luck that this accident happened.

Actually, it's funny you should ask if I'm sure I'm ok...last night I started to get nauseous and got a really bad headache. This morning I went to the ER, and 6 hours later, found out that I have a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. No brain bleed on the CT though, so that's a good sign! I came home and took Flexeril for the first time ever, after which I was out like a light for 4 hours.

Nods.

I have dislocated my shoulder 3 times. Sometimes it is a 12 on a scale of 1-10..other times it was just a 3 that got steadily worse.

When you said you flipped. I figured you may have hit your head. There are lots of concussions in figure skating. They can give you BRAIN damage. 

There is a really nice woman on the synchro team that has had 3 concussions and had to give up skating for a year due to it (not sure why or the back story). The doctor told her one more like that and she would probably end up a vegetable.

I know you didnt MEAN to fall and that you were being careful. That is why accidents are accidents. But always always always wear your helmet.  Brains are a terrible thing to lose!

Get better soon and dont push yourself too hard. If you still have headache/dizziness after the doc told you that you should be better..go BACK to the doctor.