jumping after breaking fibula

[graymadder 0]

anyone out there had a similar break? doc's said i had a spiral fracture to the right fibula and they used a titanium plate and screws to put it back together...
i went in a few weeks ago to get the staples out, they put a fresh cast on and said it should stay on four weeks.

what's next? can i start walking on it after they take the cast off? and more important: how soon can I jump?

[phoenixlpr 0]

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anyone out there had a similar break? doc's said i had a spiral fracture to the right fibula and they used a titanium plate and screws to put it back together...
i went in a few weeks ago to get the staples out, they put a fresh cast on and said it should stay on four weeks.

what's next? can i start walking on it after they take the cast off? and more important: how soon can I jump?

I broke my left fibula on 2002-06-02, I jumped again on 2002-09-07. I still have my plate and 4 screws. Do not rush it. You jump when you are ready for that. Its not your leg, its your mind.

[billvon 2,997]

> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

[phoenixlpr 0]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

[monkycndo 0]

I agree with Bill about recovery time. Get Doc's advice to jump.

For my anecdotal experience from same injury.

One month in hard cast after surgery, one month in walking boot non-weight bearing, one month in walking boot with increased weight bearing till finally one month in shoes. After I could show ortho that I could run, hop, stand one legged only on healed leg did he give me permission to jump. Total time away, 17 weeks. If I could do it over, I might have waited a bit longer.

Once you are doing PT, do it faithfully, even once you think you are fully healed.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[calledisrael 0]

i had the exact same injury two summers ago, spiral fracture of right fibula, about 3 inches above my ankle. i didn't jump for 7 months, because i didn't feel completely back to normal and pain free until then...

... but as everyone said, it depends on you and your injury and your recovery and your doctor.

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
(helen keller)

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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anyone out there had a similar break? doc's said i had a spiral fracture to the right fibula and they used a titanium plate and screws to put it back together...
i went in a few weeks ago to get the staples out, they put a fresh cast on and said it should stay on four weeks.

what's next? can i start walking on it after they take the cast off? and more important: how soon can I jump?

Ask your doctor when you can do contact sports like soccer and rugby.

[ladydyver 0]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

exactly! and it depends on how well you are healing...how your strength is in that leg. you don't want to come back too soon and re-break it. the other thing to think about when you come back is upsizing for a while.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[drdive 0]

3 months and 3 days after ACL reconstruction til next jump - don't listen to this wild and crazy lady

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

"

[ladydyver 0]

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3 months and 3 days after ACL reconstruction til next jump - don't listen to this wild and crazy lady

hey doc.....bite me!!!!! I did upsize on my canopy as well to protect the grafts

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[graymadder 0]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

but he's not gonna tell me what I wanna hear!!!

besides, I'm looking for the stories. I wanna know what other jumpers in my situation have done, how long they were out, etc...

[graymadder 0]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

yes, he said i'll be able to jump again. he just hasn't said when. the last time i saw the guy he said "i'll see you in a month." that was three looooooooooooooooooooong weeks ago.

[graymadder 0]

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i had the exact same injury two summers ago, spiral fracture of right fibula, about 3 inches above my ankle. i didn't jump for 7 months, because i didn't feel completely back to normal and pain free until then...

... but as everyone said, it depends on you and your injury and your recovery and your doctor.

ok, can you tell me how long your cast was on? and when they took it off did you get downgrade to a walking cast or were you able to move around normal?

[Andy9o8 2]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls!

Nonsense. Medical school, residency, advanced training in orthopaedics and surgical experience doesn't teach anyone a damned thing about skydiving.

[billvon 2,997]

>Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

Uh, yeah. I can think of 4 off the top of my head.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

Uh, yeah. I can think of 4 off the top of my head.

But there's no shortage of them that would say you shouldn't jump again, even if you came in in perfect health. I wouldn't trust a fully qualified, but randomly selected doctor to answer this question. Their risk/reward setting is not aligned with my own.

[gpdm 0]

I managed to do a tib/fib break in the left ankle in September of 1995. They put in a steel plate and eleven screws, was in a hard cast for six weeks, walking boot for four or five weeks, and then an air splint for a few more. Did physical therapy after cast came off, which helped a lot. Doctor said OK so I jumped again in March of 96 with no problems.

[billvon 2,997]

>But there's no shortage of them that would say you shouldn't jump again,
>even if you came in in perfect health.

You know, I haven't found that. My current doctor is a sports doctor, and thus doesn't have that issue. But throughout the years I've talked about skydiving with several other doctors, and none of them have said "you have to stop doing that."

>Their risk/reward setting is not aligned with my own.

Right, but it doesn't have to be. They just have to be able to understand yours, which (in my experience) most do.

[jsaxton 0]

wait until you can run 1/2 mile, full gallop.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>But there's no shortage of them that would say you shouldn't jump again,
>even if you came in in perfect health.

You know, I haven't found that. My current doctor is a sports doctor, and thus doesn't have that issue. But throughout the years I've talked about skydiving with several other doctors, and none of them have said "you have to stop doing that."

My last two visits to hospitals (one minor issue, just to be sure, one major), I ran into them. Saw two at UCSF - one gomer, one as you'd describe. Fortunately I saw them in that order. For the big one, Stanford was full of the bad ones, the ortho surgeon in SF (recommended by a DZ.comer) was on the ball. His words were 'jump if you want this year (6 months) if you want, but if you get hurt, go elsewhere.' 8 months later I was good to go.

For these reasons, I strongly prefer a PPO system where I can be more selective.

[murps2000 86]

anyone out there had a similar break? doc's said i had a spiral fracture to the right fibula and they used a titanium plate and screws to put it back together...
i went in a few weeks ago to get the staples out, they put a fresh cast on and said it should stay on four weeks.

what's next? can i start walking on it after they take the cast off? and more important: how soon can I jump? ***

When I had a similar break after ground launching three years ago, my orthopedic surgeon basically said that when I can hop up and down on my injured leg I should be good to go. I waited until I could do that before I jumped again and I think it was a good decision. At around 30 jumps that will be more difficult for you, but it's worth it. I know it's tough to wait around to get back to the sky but the sky will wait for you.

I think I was lucky to find a doctor who was damn good at what he does, but I did my part in heeding his advice and it paid off. Although I felt like I could, I was warned not to attempt to walk until I got one screw that held my tib and fib together removed and so I didn't. I waited eleven weeks from the day I was injured. The day after I got it taken out I walked on it into work at my job as an ironworker. It hurt like hell after a few hours and swelled a lot but it still felt good to be rid of those crutches. It's a physical job, so I didn't bother with therapy and I really didn't need to. Three weeks later I could run up a flight of stairs. YMMV I think is how they put it.

One suggestion I have for you is to eat right while your healing. For me that meant yogurt in a blender with any fruit I had once a day and lots of greens with dinner. My doctor didn't think this was as important as I did but I need my legs for work and I figured it couldn't hurt.

Although I broke my fib pretty badly at 35 years old, tore ligaments in my ankle, and I still retain hardware, I can run about as fast as I could at 34 and my injury doesn't bother me a bit. At least for now anyway. And I realise that if I had broken my tib it might be a different story..

[Brains 2]

Billvon is right, we can't give you medical advice but we can give you experiences. I have rods and screws in both lower legs from two separate incidents. Remember that when you do decide to jump, make sure you are not still favoring your good leg, you will tend to favor it even more on landing and put more stress on it and possibly injure that one on what should have been a normal landing.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[Fast 0]

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

I broke my neck 2 months ago. Doc said I could jump in February. I'm inclined to listen to him.

For what it's worth, seeking medical advice online is a pretty stupid idea. As a doctor. Explain the rigors involved and or ask when you can do similar sports. Contact things like soccer and football, etc.

Plus, the answer is different for you and me. If I broke my leg I would probably start jumping way sooner than someone with a few hundred jumps. I have more canopy piloting experience and am willing to accept some added risk.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[phoenixlpr 0]

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Quote

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> how soon can I jump?

Perhaps you should ask the guy who has seen your X-rays, is watching your progress and who has training in how to make such calls! Skydivers can give you anecdotal stories but generally not good medical info.

Has any doctor told you that you can jump again?

I broke my neck 2 months ago. Doc said I could jump in February. I'm inclined to listen to him.

For what it's worth, seeking medical advice online is a pretty stupid idea. As a doctor. Explain the rigors involved and or ask when you can do similar sports. Contact things like soccer and football, etc.

Plus, the answer is different for you and me. If I broke my leg I would probably start jumping way sooner than someone with a few hundred jumps. I have more canopy piloting experience and am willing to accept some added risk.

Look, he was coming for a little hope, not for medical advice.

[brianfry713 0]

I broke my fib and dislocated my tib/ankle on a low pull 15mph downwinder into a ditch B.A.S.E. jumping. I had a soft cast for the first two weeks, went in and got the staples out and got a hard cast for a month, and then got another cast I still wasn't supposed to walk on for about a month. I was in a walking boot for a few months after that. I did two skydives 3 months after my break but it was still painful to walk at that point. The freeflying was fine and I upsized to a 170 and landed on one leg and slid in on my butt without the bad leg touching the ground. Two weeks after that I got all the hardware out and was back B.A.S.E. jumping two weeks after that.

BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI
USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative