Worst exercise/sporting injury you have had?

[cnov]

Jumping off a swing with roller skates on, broken arm. Probably about 13ish when it happened. Was not as skilled as I thought I was.

[griller]

Playing American football in High School, had a very uncoordinated 6'7" 265 lb offensive tackle fall into my left knee while I was engaged blocking a noseguard. Torn meniscus & partial ACL but was able to get it scoped and actually never missed a game that season. Two yrs later tore the ACL same knee playing basketball, coming down from a rebound attempt. Later years, in my late 40s, severe MCL & PCL sprain in the other knee playing racquetball. Gave up racquetball. 

Oddly, been boxing since I was 18 (35+ yrs) and just bloody noses & bruises/dizzy from punches but no injuries that required an ER visit. Still doing that but no more sparring.

[chasy]

9 hours ago, LaoFan said:

Came out to China to play hoops. 5'4 muggsy bogues 'the chinese version' decided to turtle shell in the paint when I hop stepped middle. my body momentum kept moving and my legs stopped at the knee. torn acl and meniscus. I just knew. But hey... Kobe recovered didnt he? (too soon?)

I spent the better part of a year rehabbing and getting back to prime shape. 3 months later I did the other knee in almost the exact same way. I decided it was time to hang up the kicks at that point..

After four years of college hoops, I quickly learned that weekend pick up games were far more dangerous. Always the bad players that will cause your injury. I stopped playing all together after a knee injury. I’ll get into again when my kids are showing interest, but the days of running full court 5s are behind me!

[Chibearsv]

6 hours ago, chasy said:

After four years of college hoops, I quickly learned that weekend pick up games were far more dangerous. Always the bad players that will cause your injury. I stopped playing all together after a knee injury. I’ll get into again when my kids are showing interest, but the days of running full court 5s are behind me!

Where did you play? I was a late bloomer and didn't go back to college after a hiatus until I was 23 (long story), so intramural college ball, street ball, and competitive leagues were my world. I agree about the bad players causing injuries, but weak officials got me cheap shotted plenty by good players, though that never really caused any bad injuries, just retaliation.  

I didn't even mention ankle sprains since they were inevitable, but that's ultimately why I gave it up entirely.  I miss playing, the memories are great, worth every scar, ache, and pain.

[pyrobob]

Nothing serious fortunately. Tendinitis from golfing used to be a sob!  

[MickVanWinkle]

I’ve lived an active life with a plethora of sport, exercise, and diy projects. I’ve counted myself blessed to have been spared from major issues.  
 

Then came Q4 and managed to squeeze in 2 hip labral surgeries. Almost recovered from the first and another 6 or so weeks before I’m back to sport with the other. I haven’t made my wife any promises on slowing down, but I’ve realized I'm not Superman. 

[Wookie]

Broken collar bone as a pee wee hockey player…dirty cross check into the boards. Broken ribs in ski racing. Ever been scared to sneeze?

[BlueWS]

Torn right ACL playing pickup football at 18. Rehab no surgery. Tore it 3 more times without a rupture and played 1yr of college basketball on it. No issues in college.

Police Academy at 27, full rupture, femur bruise, torn meniscus and they fired me. The city paid for my surgery and 11 months of rehab FYVM!

Tore my sternum in a motorcycle accident. That hurt. I would come home from work and pound a tall whiskey and that's not normal for me. I recovered no surgery.

At 38 years of age I had my right shoulder scoped. After 14 years of pain I had to have surgery and it was a great decision. Amazing doctor. No pain pills. Easy recovery.

Turned 40 and tore the left ACL playing basketball at a work lunch league. No one touched me. I jumped up, came down...knock, knock torn ACL. I rehabbed - no surgery. One year later back in the basketball league, 1st play, same spot on the court, SAME PLAY...ruptured it fully. That surgery was a piece of cake using a cadaver tissue. I rehabbed with no pain pills.

All total I think I spent two full years of my life walking with a limp from knee injuries. Now I don't do shit except hike and do yard work, because I think about how long it will take me to recover if I get hurt and it's not worth it.

[dicko]

Too many to mention! Started playing sports of all kinds at 5 and haven't stopped! Worst was torn ACL & 3x meniscus tears from a grappling takedown accident. Knee will never be right again although when they did MRI they said I had an ACL tear from years before haha. Also have now torn my MCL on same knee from golf lol.

Knocked out cold in aussie rules plus a nice scar on my cheek. Multiple chronic soft tissue injuries. Flash KO in muay Thai fight. Both elbows trashed from years of boxing/muay Thai and pushups. Fused discs in neck and back from years of grappling.

I'm 36 years old but I would say 80 on the odometer. List goes on...will never stop training though!! I also have many injuries from non-sports related shenanigans...hahaha!


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[Fuzz AI]

Dislocated both shoulders multiple times and dislocated my hip back when I did martial arts as a kid. Joints have never been the same and just get worse as I age. Got tennis elbow in both arms last Feb, and that lead to a 8mm tendon tear in my left arm. Still working with my physio to get it back to 100%.

[joeypots]

I tore ligaments skiing in my right knee when I was in second grade. That knee will ache when I stress it, there is no cartilage in either of my knee joints and replacements are inevitable when the pain gets too bad to live with. I’m ok for now. 

I have a probable type three shoulder separation. Skiing, what else? The right one hangs about 2” lower than the left and I have a serious lump that counts as a minor disfigurement. My wife calls it Alli because it looks a bit like an alien is about to pop out of it. When I exercise hard the shoulder can ache something awful. I may get a nipple tattoo on my bump, just for fun.😃

[Drguano]

Probable concussion skydiving in January. Poor landing on a frozen grass runway. Below zero cold as my ex-wife’s heart Minnesota day. My feet were numb from hanging out the door in the 90 knot slipstream at -10°F and I landed like a sack of spuds. I recall a little kid running up to ask “mister, did you just land in a parachute?” I was seeing stars and growled “What the f*ck do you think!” I think he pissed himself. I actually have a photo…

[Chibearsv]

5 hours ago, Drguano said:

Probable concussion skydiving in January. Poor landing on a frozen grass runway. Below zero cold as my ex-wife’s heart Minnesota day. My feet were numb from hanging out the door in the 90 knot slipstream at -10°F and I landed like a sack of spuds. I recall a little kid running up to ask “mister, did you just land in a parachute?” I was seeing stars and growled “What the f*ck do you think!” I think he pissed himself. I actually have a photo…

Damn surprising. Who would think that skydiving in Minnesota in January could go poorly? I'm sure a "good" landing with that parachute on frozen ground would have gone much better. 🙄  

[bredy387]

On 1/21/2025 at 7:58 PM, El Presidente said:

I have been damn lucky.  20 years of rugby......pretty much nothing. A couple of thumb strains due to poor takling technique, but really nada. 

Last three weeks. Meniscus ligament strain that brought me to heel (excuse the pun). Yesterday, Level 2 ligament wrist tear after warming up on the monkey bars at gym. FFS, I do it all the time! This one is the most painful I had had. 

Getting older (60 Feb 12)  may mean a slight rethink. 

Overall i have been lucky in terms of exercise/sporting injury. 

Your worst sporting injuries? 

I know it's been a while, but I'd still like to leave my experience here.Yeah, ligament stuff creeps up on you… mine was shoulder, AC joint grade 2, thought it’s nothing, next day couldn’t lift my arm at all. I did sling, ice, then super slow physio, like tiny movements first, then bands.

At some point I went to Dr. Thornton, an ACL surgeon in Dallas, where he handled my case, adjusted the rehab steps, told me when to push and when to stop, that part saved me from making it worse. Took about a month and a bit, but it healed clean.

[helix]

Jan.17th playing hockey broke my wrist.

Surgery and titanium. 64 years old not recommended, recovering well however. 

[El Presidente]

Damn! That doesn't look like it tickles. 

Wishes for a fast recovery! 

[loose_axle]

Doing an intense training programme for work and ended up with cerebro-vasoconstriction syndrome which lead to thunderclap headaches and inability to pick up anything heavier than a pencil and on blood thinners for 6 months. Fortunately it went away without explanation but it wasn't a fun time. 

Then doing the scuba ticket had an accident where due to a number of factors I sunk far faster than was meant to and then when I sorted that surfaced like a depth charged submarine with blood coming from the ears and nose. Cleaned myself up in a flash and pretended it hadn't happened when the instructor got to me and continued the dive and got the ticket. Hearing slowly left my left ear and I couldn't walk properly for the next two weeks like a drunk penguin. The doctor says I nearly blew an ear drum and tore me a new one about my stupidity saying if that had happened I wouldn't have surfaced again. Had infrequent ear bleeds and lessened hearing in the left ear since. 

[Deeg]

Playing catch with the (American) football with my buddy Brian when I was a kid, ran into an oak tree chasing one of his errant passes. Concussion.

[El Presidente]

10 hours ago, Deeg said:

Playing catch with the (American) football with my buddy Brian when I was a kid, ran into an oak tree chasing one of his errant passes. Concussion,

Reminds me of my first game in A grade rugby as a junior. Caught a hospital pass ball only to be hit 100 mile an hour by a Tongan Thor. Knocked unconscious. Regained consciousness on the ground to see standing over me, the referee, my coach...and my mother. How embarrassing 🙄

[Li Bai]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

a Tongan Thor

🤣🤣😂

The same happened to me while playing football, I ran to punch a ball mid-air (I was the goalkeeper) and didn't see the 100kg hulk coming at me at full speed, I was faster than him but he mistook my jaw for the ball.

All I remember after that is I woke up laying down on the side of the field. My friends told me they took care of me but in retrospect I think they just dragged me out of the field by the ankle in order to go on with their game.

Football in my neighborhood was not for the faint-hearted back then.

[GVan]

Was a swimmer in college - tore my right shoulder rotator cuff in one of the swim meets. College offered to fix it - but it was my senior year and I was Captain so, I swam with it. Pretty dumb; to this day at 67 years-old can still feel it when the weather changes or I try to throw something. I gave up throwing a baseball or football long ago but, can still play golf!

[Namisgr11]

Tore the meniscus in my left knee as an 18 year old playing soccer in gym class. Wound up at high school graduation on crutches. Nothing else that bad from sports since. But the same knee swelled up again a couple of times over the years after skiing.

[helix]

On 3/19/2026 at 10:54 AM, helix said:

Surgery and titanium. 64 years old not recommended, recovering well however.

There it is.