On April 23, 2024, I tripped and fell and broke a bone in my left pinky finger. Not ideal, especially given that it was the start of mountain biking season. Six weeks later, my bone was healed, and I started physiotherapy to get my muscles, tendons, and ligaments moving again. My first bike ride back (5 days after getting my splint off) was…. well, it wasn’t exactly as I imagined. My hand, hurt! I couldn’t ride my bike like I wanted to; my hand didn’t have the same strength. I was excited to be back on the bike, but I was also annoyed that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I knew I needed to give my finger time to heal, but, like many of us, we aren’t too patient with ourselves.
Healing, whether it’s physical or psychological, isn’t quick, and it certainly isn’t easy or comfortable. Looking at my hand, you couldn’t tell that my pinky finger had been broken, but making a fist is a different story. Healing is kind of the same; healing is doing the hard underneath stuff. It’s rebuilding muscle or creating new muscle memory; it’s practicing new skills for emotional regulation; it’s practicing healthier forms of communication; and it’s being intentional with our movements. I wish my hand would just do what I needed it to do. I wish I could just do the physiotherapy exercises during physiotherapy and that that would be enough, but it’s not. I have to do the exercises everyday if I want to get back to biking. Understanding what I need to do to get my grip strength back and actually doing the skills to improve my grip strength, are two very different aspects of healing; and one of them isn’t easy.
Each day, my hand gets stronger and stronger, and I get closer and closer to making a fist, and riding my bike feels better and better…but it still (sometimes) hurts! haha! Being kind to myself, taking breaks/resting when needed, and icing it after a ride are how I care for my hand and help it heal.
How can you help support yourself, while you’re on this healing journey?
Krista Roberts
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