Q and A: I broke my ribs now I can’t paddle and I am going nuts. What do I do?

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11 Mar 2013 Posted by mattwright


I havent paddled in 6 weeks because I fractured ribs and separated cartilage from my sternum surfing.Doc says at least another month possibly 2 before I can paddle. Ive been trying to stay in shape the last 6 weeks by hiking but thats allI have been doing. I’m going sort of nutty without being able to do yoga, surf or paddle. Anyhow I was wondering if you could recommend any sort of training I can do while I am recovering from this sort of injury.

- Anonymous, San Diego, CA

Hey – sorry to hear about your injury and the fact that you are going stir crazy because you cannot paddle. Managing the mental aspect of an injury can be as difficult as dealing with the pain. What you are experiencing is common but do not let it get the best of you. Too often athletes do too much too soon which only makes the problem worse. Hiking is a good way to stay sane but sometimes it can be difficult to get out to the mountain and walking on the sidewalk…we know…just not enough to keep your head screwed on straight and you are going to look like a crazy person walking all around town every day.

Your best bet is to get on a bike. Cycling will help you keep/build your fitness. Your ribs are going to take  long time to heal so anything hard at this point will make them hurt.  Use this injury to help build your fitness base. Keep your cycling in the aerobic zone. Do not worry about hard intervals for now. After 7-8 weeks, and with your doctors permission, you can start increasing the intensity. After 7-8 weeks, your ribs are still going to hurt but you wont be doing any new damage.  Unfortunately, you are going to have to suck up the pain at that point for a month or two.
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At this point riding on the road might be too much for you but that is your (and your doctors) call. The good news is that you don’t need to go outside to get a serious bike workout. Take a spin class or get set up with a bike trainer in your house. Here are our recommendations for getting going with a bike trainer and bike on the cheap. Getting your bike sorted out now will also be good in the long term. In The Riding Bumps program we are huge fans of cross training. Cycling is a good, non-impact, way to build fitness which will help your paddling.