broken femur? advise on getting back again please!

[wilcox 0]

What problems occured when you started physical training to come back to skydiving? Did you experienced anything that was particular helpful on your way back to normal physical strenght?
How long time did it take?

[Linas120 0]

In total it took me 6 months to get back in shape after broken femur. Half of that time was winter, when the weather was not good enough for jumping, so I didn't lose too much. As the major problem at the recovery stage was the overall weakness of the leg & pain while running. Later, when the leg got stronger, everything was fine. Advice for fast recovery - lots of walking & swimming in the pool. Of course, consult your physician.

[tso-d_chris 0]

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How long time did it take?

Under four months.

[selbbub78 0]

4 months... well i would have gone back earlier, but i had to wait for the torn aorta to be fixed...

...i didn't have too many problems once i started PT (1 1/2 months after the injury), but I really pushed myself. At first I was doing ALL the exercises religiously 3 times a day (as suggested by my therapist). Then when I could I started walking every day, sometimes twice a day. Even if it was just walking 1 house away, then back to my house. Eventually I started walking 1/2 a street, then 1/2 block, etc... I just pushed my leg to the limit within the limit of course. The main problems i had in the beginning was the movement. I had so little movement in my leg since it was sitting in one position for so long, that getting it to bend took a lot of time.

CReW Skies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[ripcord4 0]

I had my right femur broken in 8 places. I had 2 1/2 pounds of stainless steel in my femur for 2 years. I was off work for 6 months, had 8 months of physical therapy and limped for a year. After 2 years the metal was removed and I had to wait another year for that to heal. All in all, I didn't jump for 3 1/2 years on Doctors advice and wife's threats. Did a lot of walking and leg exercises, especially for the quadraceps - thousands of leg lifts with 5 pounds of weight strapped to my ankle. All for the best as I completely healed and do not limp.

[Zenister 0]

less than four months..

i used a hammock as a great physical therapy tool.. it allowed me to put as little or as much of my body wieght directly on the leg to build strength back..

my personal standard for jumping again was being able to run 2 miles in a reasonable time (18min for me YMMV) with only minor discomfort.. ie no pain..

after that i figured i'd be able to take a hard landing if i HAD to PLF on that side again...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[PurpleBadger 0]

The other standards I had when getting back into things was to be comfortable to jump off a small wall. Also be comfortable running up and down stairs.

Took 8 months to get back to it (but that was mainly due breaking the ankle on my other leg at the same time )

[bmoore21184 0]

Took me 6 months, probably would have been 4 if the screws in my knee didn't kill when i bent my leg. For the first 1.5 months while i was still on crutches, i walked in a pool and swam. Along with doing quad flexes constantly and working on range of motion. After getting off crutches i worked up to doing lots of sprints and jumping off taller and taller objects. After a month of building up, I couldn't go any further because of the pain in my knee. Waited for the end of gymnastics season (i was able to compete in gymnastics though my dismonts were very simple) and got them taken out. Then continued with squats and sprints. Made my first jump back without any problems. Good luck.

B Moore

'Turbulence is a bitch'

[snowwhite24807 0]

my grandmother is 70 years old and she fell and broke her femur in 4 different places. now stricken to a wheelchair due to barely being able to walk we are all wondering how long it is going to take her to recover. all this began in january of 2006 and now it is november 2006 and she is still having to stay in the wheelchair and can only get up to get in the bed and use the restroom. we were just wondering how much longer it is going to be before she is able to walk again.

[Cacophony 0]

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my grandmother is 70 years old and she fell and broke her femur in 4 different places. now stricken to a wheelchair due to barely being able to walk we are all wondering how long it is going to take her to recover. all this began in january of 2006 and now it is november 2006 and she is still having to stay in the wheelchair and can only get up to get in the bed and use the restroom. we were just wondering how much longer it is going to be before she is able to walk again.

I hardly think you can compare an elderly person to the average skydiver posting on dramazone.com. Better ask a physical/occupational therapist to get some real advice.

I shattered my femur in August of 2003. I didn't get to make another jump until March 04. If it hadn't been for weather I probably would have jumped again in January. However, even with a few extra months my leg was still pretty sore for the first few landings. Once I got over the initial shock that cleared up real fast.

[skybeergodd 0]

Broke mine in 2 places in 1996. I was back in the air in 2 months to the day. I still had a limp and just slid all my landings in on my butt for awhile until I was able to run. I had the limp and hip pain for probly over 6 months. What helped me the most was alot of stretching and getting range of motion back from the surgeon cutting the large muscles to put the rod and screws in. Also weight training helped get rid of the limp.

[chanti 0]

3 months (though I did not have a bad break - only broken in one place)

I couldn't believe how quickly my muscles became weak - if you don't use it, you lose it!!! I had physiotherapy once a week for 2 months and had tons of exercises to do. The worst part was the muscle stiffness - that took a long time to go away, and even now, 4 months later I still can't lie on my right side without pain and the hip rotator muscles are still stiff.

I was on 2 crutches for 3 weeks then 1 crutch for another 4 weeks after that. In hospital for 4 days and off work for 3 weeks. I started gym when I came off the crutches and for me that was the turn-around point. I worked hard but it paid off big time! As Tonto said to me:"Exercise like you're training for the olympics!". I did cycling, running and lots of weight training on the sore leg only. A wobble board also helps spatial ability to get rid of the limp.

Then there's the mental aspect as well - staying positive. (That is especially hard when all your friends are jumping and having fun!) And finally, getting over the fear when you make your first jump back ... that one I'm still trying to figure out!

-Chanti-

[peterpan 0]

I was back after 8 and a half weeks.
Do alot of swimming it helped me alot.

Regrets are just unfulfilled dreams