I just recently bruised the heck out of my ribs on the left side and separated/dislocated one in the back. I did this on a ride at the track last Sunday. I was following this guy a little too closely, and when he got in a rut after a sharp turn following a small downhil, he fell over, leaving me w/the lovely choice of using him and his bike as a ramp/speed bump or dumping it. Seeing as how this wasn't a race(open ride day) and that I'm not that kinda guy, I bailed off to the side after grabbing a hand/footfull of brake. Well, I landed on my left shoulder, compressing the ribs on that side. To say it's uncomfortable is putting it lightly. Anyway, I found that you really should follow dr.'s advice and not ride for a bit. Went out for a little bit on this small track and today I'm paying for it. Is there anything you can do besides putting up the bike for a couple of weeks? Also, how many others out there have ridden injured when they didn't need to, just to ride?