16th of July 2008 was the date of my epic cycling fail, when this happened:
I was cycling over to the gym on a Wednesday when it happened, so yesterday I decided to have another go. This time it was actually slightly less fuss than usual apart from having to avoid a few roadworks but I still felt a bit nervous, especially after someone else got injured close to the same spot on Tuesday (4th paragraph). I was pretty worn out after the gym so I cycled back fairly slowly.
After the accident I was off work for 10 weeks and off Thai boxing for 3 months, but since then I’ve lost another stone, got three stripes for BJJ and finally had my first Thai fight. In some ways it set me back 3 – 6 months, but the delay gave me a chance to work on other bits of strength and fitness. I’m pretty much fully recovered with full range of motion in my shoulder, although there’s a bit of roughness and moving my arm in some directions can be a bit stiff and painful. I think being active has helped with the recovery, and it was almost certainly wearing the right kit (gloves, tough jacket and helmet) and knowing how to take a fall (from various bits of martial arts training) that stopped me turning into a drooling vegetable with only one arm.