Skydiving and Health

[borimex 0]

I was wondering... Obviously you have to be in good health conditions to be able to skydive... but what are the implications of skydiving to the human body? Im a med student and curious about it. Does going 13,000 k feet in the air has any implication? Does the change in pressure affect something? Is there any major concern when breathing up so high?? I'm so curious about this because me heart rate seriously increases just before jumping from the aircraft...

PD. I already know the physical implications of landing without a parachute.

[scdiver89 0]

I would imagine that it effects your hearing as well but as to the extent im not sure at all...

[drdive 0]

If you are a med student, I assume you have taken basic physiology by now. If so, you should be able to answer your own ?. With higher altitude, the oxygen levels decrease, you will become gradually more hypoxic, especially if on an aircraft with a slow ascent rate extending your time at altitude. And the sudden descent does affect your ears and sinuses but most people clear this quickly.

Did you also think that maybe with 6 jumps your heart rate may go up because you are nervous/excited/stressed?? My heart rate is always up before a jump.

And no, you don't have to be healthy to jump - hang around the DZ for awhile, you will see some overweight, out of shape, smoking, heavy drinking people who are awesome skydivers.

"We saved your gear. Now you can sell it when you get out of the hospital and upsize!!" "K-Dub"

"

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Adding to the above (hypoxia and ears/sinuses):

Hard openings can be hard on the spine.

I experienced a spontaneous pneumothroax while jumping.

If jumping from VERY high, frostbite can be a problem.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[Andy9o8 2]

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If jumping from VERY high, frostbite can be a problem.

If jumping naked, shrinkage can be a problem

[jdfreefly 1]

Things I worry about wrt long term impact of skydiving:
Hearing - Noise from engines and freefall
Exposure to Toxins - I've been noticing lately that after a day of jumping my clothes smell of jet fuel...that's probably not good.
Neck/Back - Even soft openings take their toll and the occasional slammer can't help.
Knees/Ankles - Running out HP landings can take its toll after a while
Shoulders - I love sitflying but I have a feeling it's taking a toll on my shoulders.
Sinuses - There's no telling what the constant compression and decompression does to what is a very sensitive part of our body, although I'm sure they've done studies on military pilots that may provide info.

That's about it...

Methane Freefly - got stink?

[borimex 0]

I AM a med student who just started the physiology course about a month ago (second semester, still a long road ahead)... Probably the reason why I can't answer the question by myself. But that makes sense, hypoxia and heart rate elevates to compensate for the oxygen needs... Obviously I know my heart rate will elevate because im stressed and excited but I noticed it went up too high... I felt breathless for a moment... I really dont know to what extent I should find out more about this... or if I should worry!! There is another factor here, I'm in Mexico, its very elevated from sea level... I calibrate my altimeter before we jump and we jump at 9,000 feet but the real altitude is approx 12,000!! I noticed a difference in jumping from Puerto Rico than jumping from here. Am I making sense??

[cmdrjay1 0]

The increased heart rate and blood pressure that people are talking about is as a result of the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Prolonged activation of the sympathetics is linked to several health problems including: immune system compromise, gastrointestinal issues (digestion etc), and sleep problems.

[topdocker 0]

I think that the skydiving and altitude are the least deleterious things skydivers do to themselves on the weekend!

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Jump more, post less!

[cmdrjay1 0]

Especially at your house, Craig!

[topdocker 0]

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Especially at your house, Craig!

I have no knowledge of anything like that!

top

Jump more, post less!

[kallend 2,026]

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I would imagine that it effects your hearing as well but as to the extent im not sure at all...

Speak up, will you! The ringing in my ears makes it hard to hear you.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mtbriles 0]

For some reason i always feel the need to just let out a huge fart at about 10k...

hope this helps.

Why not?
My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!!
Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
D.S. #55

[VideoFly 0]

I can tell you from first-hand experience that repeated deployments with heavy cameras on your head can cause spurs on the vertebrae, arthritis, ruptured discs, and as in my case, during a hard opening after many camera jumps, pulverized neck parts.

[Travman 6]

I definitely fart more at altitude.

[fasted3 0]

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For some reason i always feel the need to just let out a huge fart at about 10k...

hope this helps.

Sad, but true.

But what do I know?

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

As a mostly serious answer, I don't think the pressure changes have much long-term effects.

My reasoning for that comes from the pilot perspective.

The jump pilots are going up and down all day long.

Other pilots fly at mid-high (non-oxygen) altitudes for extended periods (think FedEx).

The oxygen rules (in the US) have been in place for a long time. They seem to do the job ok.

The biggest breathing concern up high is hyperventilation. You don't get as much oxygen, so you think "I have to breathe harder". This purges CO2 from your system, without adding much extra O2. You still feel out of breath, and your system bases it's measurements on CO2 levels. So you eventually pass out if you don't normalize your breathing.

As others have said, the massive increase in heart rate isn't because of the altitude (not directly anyway), it's because your brain is trying to come to grips with the fact that you're about to go against every instinct in your body and jump.

We fart on the way to altitude because of Boyle's Law. As pressure decreases on the outside, the volume of the gas inside increases.

Take a balloon up sometime. Watch how big it gets at jump altitude.

As gross as it is to smell the farts in the plane, it would be a lot worse if someone were to explode, wouldn't it?

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[jsaxton 0]

you're just excited, wait a couple thousand jumps.

[airdvr 210]

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As gross as it is to smell the farts in the plane, it would be a lot worse if someone were to explode, wouldn't it?

Sometimes you can't tell the difference

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[airtwardo 7]

Not a lotta protein in Ramen Noodles...just sayin'.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[awagnon 0]

I started writing an article for Parachutist concerning medical contraindications and health considerations for skydiving. It was intended mainly for DZO's when a tandem or new AFF asks the question after reading the health attestation on their liability release. Then I read somewhere that USPA probably wouldn't publish such an article since they don't give any medical advice in their publications. Anyway, there is very little published concerning the medical effects of skydiving (based on studies of skydivers) compared with other sports. Nearly all data comes from the Aviation Medicine and Sports Medicine literature and is extrapolated from other activities, or worse yet, it's anecdotal.

I see statements such as "check with your doctor before taking up skydiving" all the time. I would bet most doctors would not know the literature in this area and their own bias for or against extreme sports would color their recommendation. Hence, that's why I started writing the article. Maybe Blue Skies Magazine would consider it.

Alton

"Luck favors the prepared."

[ryan_d_sucks 0]

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Adding to the above (hypoxia and ears/sinuses):

I experienced a spontaneous pneumothroax while jumping.

Did you receive any information as to what may have contributed to the 'spontaneity' of your pneumo? Pressure changes? Trauma? Anything?

[Harmless 0]

You have any thoughts on Epilepsy and skydiving?

"Damn you Gravity, you win again"

[awagnon 0]

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You have any thoughts on Epilepsy and skydiving?

It's risky, but if a person was seizure-free on stable medications for a year ( or what is required in your state to get a driver's license ) and used an AAD, then you might consider it. Avoid things that precipitate seizures, such as fatique, sleep deprivation, etc. Still very risky and epilepsy is disqualifying for a pilot's medical certificate. I wouldn't recommend it, except as a tandem passenger, unless you and the DZO were willing to accept the risk of becoming incapacitated after leaving the AC. Perhaps others with experience in this area will disagree.

Alton

"Luck favors the prepared."

[borimex 0]

Hyperventilation... I guess that was it. I remember saying that to myself... Breathe harder!! I'll keep that in mind. Thanx for the most serious answer hehe. About the pneumothorax... It can be caused by a barotrauma... same as with scuba diving it can happen as a result of a person going from hi to low pressure or the other way around. That only if it was spontaneous and not caused by a trauma or another medical condition.

Firstime sent me an info about a University that is doing research on the effects of a first tandem jump on people, obviously from a medical perspective. The link for this is http://skydivelongisland.com/sunystudy.shtml too bad I don't live nearby cuz they give free tandem jumps to people who are willing to participate. Interesting study. Like this guy said food for thought.

I already asked a doctor about this issue. I noticed he didn't have the right info cuz he really didn't answer my question. I have to do a research paper I'm thinking about linking it with skydiving or better said "The effects of the sympathetic stimulation caused by a real stress situation such a freefall from an airplane" (quoting somebody who wrote on this thread) Then I would then have the perfect excuse to go jump all weekends.

As long as the fart issue goes... I have only made 6 jumps and managed not to fart in the airplane. I guess it will happen someday. Poor of those who jump with me the day that happens.

It would be cool to be able to take the blood pressure, pulse and adrenaline levels of a person about to jump. In that instant the door opens and you know your going down.