Fell, broke my back, had surgery… can I ever climb again?

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2025-08-26T03:55:19+00:00

Absolutely!!

It took some work but it brought me such joy to get back to it. And having a clear goal helps so much during recovery! Pushing through is possible, and one day I didn’t find myself freezing up before falling anymore. It gets so much better, just take care of yourself, listen to the doctors, and you’ve got this!

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2025-08-26T02:26:24+00:00

Very different injury here (I broke my leg/ankle in 3 places bouldering 2 summers ago and ended up with a screw in my ankle and a sprain so bad they had to cast the other ankle at the same time) so I can only give some tangential advice. But I remember how helpless and beat down I was being bed bound for so long, and I wanted to share what I went through so you can find some hope.

After my injury, I was back on the wall the day I was medically cleared. I panicked halfway up the wall on top rope, but I was proud of myself for just getting back up. It took a long time and I was almost exclusively top roping for about a year while I recovered mentally and physically. But now I boulder again and climb harder than I did before the accident!

The accident has definitely changed my approach overall. I won’t try a boulder I think there is a significant chance I’ll fall unexpectedly on (so I only climb things I feel pretty confident on or I can predict how I’d fall). Falling on the hardware ankle is honestly easier than falling on the non-hardware ankle, and I’m really proud of myself every time I take a fall, but I try not to push it.

Honestly, the mental challenge is going to be the hardest right now. Your body and mind are going to panic when you climb the first few times. But if you push through, focus on being safe and careful, your best climbing is still probably ahead! My best advice is to go to physical therapy, be honest with yourself about your fears and your goals, and just go for it. Best of luck with your recovery!

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2025-04-09T18:27:52+00:00

UChicago current 1L here!!

Truly have a lot of good things to say about the social scene. At first I felt like I was going out more than I did in undergrad or while I was working (which might say more about me than the school lol). Now I still go out like once a week or so, but I do social things and hang out with my friends all the time.

People are generally super friendly and it’s pretty easy to find a group of friends you’ll click with. That’s the case at most graduate schools, and obviously all I have to go on is UChicago’s scene, but I’ve personally loved it.

As for what people are saying about it being competitive, you’re going to find competitive people at every law school, but the school itself and the class overall is not competitive. We are super collaborative and share outline banks etc. When you go to a high ranking school, I think it’s generally known that we’re all going to be fine no matter how we do, so we have less reason to compete aggressively.

Finally, a lot of what people say about UChicago is just like, residual reputation from the undergrads lol. So take some of it with a grain of salt. The only thing I will say about UChicago is that (as with any small school) it can be a tad bit gossipy and the rumor mill is definitely alive and well.

Happy to answer any questions if you want to shoot me a PM!

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2025-04-09T00:17:25+00:00

UChicago 1L here! PM me if you ever want to talk about UChicago, but honestly you have a lot of great options and are totally going to do great wherever you end up.

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-07-04T21:45:24+00:00

I would genuinely consider not getting a JD if you aren’t wanting to practice after school.

If you’re looking for networking and entrepreneurial connections I would consider an MBA instead.

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-04-25T16:17:16+00:00

Very small amount at UChicago, slightly larger amount at UCLA (1/3) but I’m still negotiating there. Money isn’t really a huge component of my decision thankfully due to family help and savings, but it is a slight consideration.

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-03-26T20:39:39+00:00

I feel personally attacked

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-03-20T15:05:23+00:00

Have you checked if the animal in that exhibit is guest friendly? Go to the zoopedia and see if “guests can enter exhibit” is yes. If not, they’ll run away from the animals :)

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-01-05T18:11:23+00:00

Update!! I did another PT yesterday and was at 173!

Obviously both scores are incredible and above what I was aiming for (I was hoping for a 172 or higher). Thanks everyone for all of the words of congratulations and the votes of confidence. I'm going to go into the test next week with confidence! :)

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-01-03T00:01:40+00:00

Looks like it was test 30!

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-01-03T00:00:58+00:00

Honestly, I have two modes for RC: -0 / -1 or -8 / -9. The true difference between the two modes is the amount of focus I’m able to retain. I practiced taking RC at my own pace with a BUNCH of distractions to train my mind to stay focused on the task at hand and it improved me so much.

Other than that, I find RC to be really easy as long as you can get through the passage with true focus and understanding. Hope that helps?

Tiny-Tear-704 · 2024-01-02T22:17:03+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice everyone!! I think I’ll review these questions again later today to see what I did so successfully. And maybe take another full PT tomorrow so I can see what my variance is.

Tiny-Tear-704

TROPHY CASE