DENVER -- He’s still running the state but from a hospital room, not the capitol.

Gov. Bill Ritter’s doctor said the state’s top executive is recuperating and is now in fair and stable condition following a bicycle crash Tuesday in Denver.

'He had a small scrape, kind of on his nose. I think it's clear that if he hadn't had a helmet on he could've been at risk for, you know, a severe head injury" Dr. Carlton Barnett said.

Paramedics arriving at the scene of the crash early Tuesday near 23rd and High streets were told by other riders that the injured man was the governor.

"And he was kind of classically holding his rib cage," said Kalee Tilli, a paramedic who said Ritter was quick to joke about his crash.

But, Tilli said their medical treatment was all by the book.

"We bring our stretcher right next to him. And then, with some assistance we stood him up and turned him onto our backboard. Uh, we placed him on a backboard and in a "C" collar for precautionary spinal cord injuries," Tilli said.

Barnett said Ritter suffered six “subtly” fractured ribs on his right side, toward the top of the shoulder.

Physical and respiratory therapists are working with Ritter several times a day, to ensure range of movement and the he’s breathing deeply, Barnett said, something some patients may feel could be done at home.

"But I would say as a physician I would have a hard time following that type of regimen at home. So I think it's just safer (to keep him here)," Barnett said, adding that the damaged tissue would form around the breaks and should heal within about six weeks.

Ritter also has a separated shoulder, Barnett said, which was categorized as a Grade 1 of 3, meaning it was more of a “stretch” that also should heal completely.

And despite getting antsy, Ritter will need to stay longer, Barnett said, cracking a smile when realizing he was telling Colorado’s top elected official what to do.

“Yeah, I think we have to do that for this. I mean, he's not his doctor,” Barnett said. “People go home too soon or you want to go out. It costs you a lot of time if you end up back in the emergency department."

Denver Health Medical Center sees two to three similar injuries each week, Barnett said with the average patient remaining hospitalized three to four days.

"They don't look too bad. But they don't breathe deeply. So over two or three days if they don't have adequate pain management they'll start to accumulate secretions in their lungs and are at high risk to develop pneumonia,” Barnett said. "If he was a football player, I mean as soon as he could tolerate the pain you could go back and start playing. He's not really at risk for anything bad happening. It's just a painful, painful injury," Barnett said.

Ritter’s spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said photographs, video and telephone calls with the governor were not possible for the media Wednesday.