Jumping when you are supposed to be grounded??

[funks 1]

Ok, I have a decision to make, let me know what you think....I totalled my motorcycle July4th, had surgery July 14th. Pretty much destroyed every single ligament in my right knee. Doc says wait 6 months before jumping, that gives me 3 more months.

My questions is...I normally jump a sabre 170, I am thinking if I rent a student rig and jump a monster 240 or 288 or whatever I can guarantee myself a soft slow landing...worth the risk? Anyone ever upsize while dealing with an injury? I want to do anything to get back in the air, but the knee still has a ways to go....cant even walk fast on it, let alone jog or run out a landing...arghhhhh

[andy2 0]

I think in skydiving there are no guarentees. I've seen students slam down hard under 288s.

Only you can say. It's your body.

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[billvon 2,991]

Don Swayze injured his foot while BASE jumping a while back. He had surgery, then kept jumping. He had another bad landing (during a skydive) and they ended up amputating his foot.

It's 99% likely that you'll be fine if you jump with a "monster" canopy. But canopy collisions, dust devils, bad spots, and gopher holes don't go away out of respect for your injuries. Think about whether you want to risk a few more surgeries (or worse) because you had to land in a parking lot, or got picked up and dropped ten feet by a dust devil.

[AndyMan 7]

I did something similar, hell I jumped the week after I broke my ankle. I didn't jump the biggest canopy I could find, but it certainly was large. I jumped the biggest canopy I needed to be able to comfortably butt-slide every landing.

I'm sure the whuffos got a kick out of people carrying crutches out to the landing area so I could get back. Also, the picture of me getting lifted into the otter must've been humurous.

In hindsight, it wasn't smart. That said, the preasure to jump when you're grounded is strong, and I certainly understand where you are.

My advice to you is that if you choose to jump, don't even attempt stand-up landings for a while.

Personally, I did not attempt stand-up landings until I was able to run a light jog AND jump off a 12 inch high ledge on only the bad leg.

When you consult with your doctors, don't just ask "can I jump?", but think of comparable forces you put on yourself in daily life - like running and jumping, and ask about those. When the doc ok's those other activities, then think about standing up your landings.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Nightingale 0]

not worth it...

wait three months and then you can jump all you like. injure yourself again, you may find yourself permanently sidelined.

I see this with martial artists all the time... people take an injury that's fairly simple and re-injure it and make it way worse, and then they're out for much longer than they would've been had they listened to their doctors in the first place.

get a second opinion if you like, but if both doctors concurr, do what they want you to do. you have the rest of your life to jump.

[Jayruss 0]

I can't count the number of people in this sport that I've met that suggest "DON'T jump until you are fully healed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and their speaking from experience.

DON'T BE ONE OF THEM

__________________________________________________
"Beware how you take away hope from another human being."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

[councilman24 37]

When I had 800 jumps I shattered my ankle. I jumped about 8 months later, still in a brace. While I was still in a cast I had ordered a Raven 4. (this is 1987) I jumped that for awhile but wanted something softer landing. I couldn't take a running step so if I had any speed left I had to slide on my butt. I bought a Manta. Then I had a screw taken out and could run (a little) again. So I bought a Sabre 190 for a second rig. When I wanted to ensure a soft landing, I grabbed the Sabre. The difference between landing a normal size ZP and an oversize non ZP canopy is huge. The Sabre had enough "flare power" to put me down soft. Where my own not ragged out Manta couldn't be trusted.

Sooo... If you can't jump your Sabre, you probably shouldn't try to jump something else just because it's bigger.

That aside, if every hurt skydiver waited until their doctor told them they could skydive, a lot of them never would be again. If you stupid or horny for a jump like alot of us, go ahead. If your doctor has ACTUALLY said you can jump again, you might want to wait for his time frame. But don't think that student main is going to guarentee a soft landing.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[mnischalke 0]

I totally agree. I can get waaaaay softer landings on my Samurai 150 than I can get out of my Fox 265 BASE canopy.

Personally, I would let the healing process run its course and jump when you're 100%. That won't stop you from riding right seat as an observer or stuff like that, but it will prevent you from causing further damage in that one screwed-up landing or god forbid, a reserve ride into someone's back yard.

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[freakydiver 0]

IMHO - don't be stupid - 3 months or the rest of your life?

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[Hooknswoop 19]

Quote

I totally agree. I can get waaaaay softer landings on my Samurai 150 than I can get out of my Fox 265 BASE canopy.

Be careful here. If your Fox 265 was a 9-cell air locked ZP, it could land you softer than your 150-sq. ft. 9-cell ZP air locked canopy. A smaller canopy does not necessarily land you more softly than a larger canopy. In fact I would argue that the opposite is true, all other things being equal. What would land softer, a 100-sq. ft. F-111 square 7-cell or a 200-sq. ft. ZP 9 cell?

Fabric type, aspect ratio, and canopy design play critical roles in how a canopy performs and lands.

Derek

[flyangel2 2]

Ask yourself if doing one jump now is worth grounding yourself for six more months.

Too many things can happen that you can't control. Refer back to Bill's post, cause I can't think of anything else to add to what Bill already said.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[funks 1]

i think the biggest question here is how much i want to listen to common sense?????I will admit it is probably the best thing to do at the end of the day....arrgghhhh

[sdgregory 0]

I only have 22 jumps but I have downsized from a 290 to 260 and now to a 240. this past weekend I had to go up to a 290 because all the 240/260's were taken. I flared way to early because I had gotten used to the 240. Maybe there is really no difference and in my lack of experience I just assumed there would be but I took a hard landing and I would think that the risk might be greater for you if you have lots of jumps with the smaller canopy, but then again, you prolly gots much more jumps than me, either way I would not risk it. Although it sounds like you already decided to go the common sense route.

Stay safe for now, 3 months and you can return to the high risk behavior we all love so well.

[D22369 0]

three months isnt that long of a time frame......give yourself the time to heal..... then jump your ass off

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[mouth 0]

Tough decision. I broke my arm/elbow in June. The dr said I'd never be able to jump again because I would never be able to straighten it enough to flare. Near the end of August I could stand being grounded no more so a friend took me for a tandem. He let me help with the toggles and I realized my arm may be straighter than the Dr though it would be but nowhere near strong enough to flare my main. So I waited another month and used light weights to continue strenthening my arm before I finally came back.

All that to make a point. I though when I did the tandem I was ready, but I wasn't. If you know you are not ready then don't risk it.

Good luck and heal fast.

--
Hot Mama
At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit.

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

man, good luck with that. I don't know if I could do it, either. I'd probably just jump a trustable canopy and land on my bum with my legs out front of me. But, like others said, you never know when you'll be taking that reserve ride and landing on unfamiliar turf. In the end, it's your call. Obviously there is further risk involved given that you're already injured.

Angela.

[mnischalke 0]

Ummm, yeah, I know the difference between F1-11 and ZP and assumed that my response would be understood in those terms. The mains in the student rigs at (lots of)dzs are F1-11 and are similar in size to my Fox, hence the post. Maybe I should have clarified.

As to your question, it depends...

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[scottjaco 0]

He had his foot amputated? What on earth happened?

scott

[scottjaco 0]

I broke my fibula last summer. I was grounded for 2 1/2 months. After six weeks, the cast came off but the doctor said to wait another month before jumping.

I'm glad I did. I spent that month streatching the leg and running on the treadmill.

Listen to your doctor PLEASE! you will have the rest of your life to skydive. Trust me...if you jump now, YOU WILL FUCK YOURSELF UP! DON'T DO IT!

scott

[mjosparky 4]

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He had his foot amputated? What on earth happened?

scott

They cut his foot off.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[mjosparky 4]

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He had his foot amputated? What on earth happened?

scott

They cut his foot off.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[skymick 0]

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i think the biggest question here is how much i want to listen to common sense?????I will admit it is probably the best thing to do at the end of the day....arrgghhhh

I know what you are feeling mate. Ive been grounded for 5 months with a broken back and will be stuck on the ground for at least another 9 months (they put metal in me so im meant to wait till next year to get it out then a couple of months on top of that to let it heal up again)

But im in the same position you are in im VERY tempted to start jumping again by december (im told my spine should be healed enough by then) but the big issue is if i fuck up again i could be in trouble.

I still techincally havent made up my mind (still trying to get as much info about the risks etc from qualified people ie. jumpers/doctors) but I really cant see myself going all summer without jumping. In a perfect world I would wait but waiting to december is killing let so i dont see how i can wait for up to a year or more to jump again. But of course ill be ditching my canopy for a larger softer opening one, but before i decide im trying to find out how hard openings will affect me (or terminal reserve openings) if that isnt a big issue then ill probably jump.

So should you jump? Well from what ive read on these forums before the general consensus is that you should be able to at least be able to jog/run without pain before u jump. Also 3 months isnt a huge time to wait (not compared to over a year anyway) so maybe you should wait till your knee can handle it a bit better..but its your choice

Anyway just letting ya know you aint the only one in this situation

[scottjaco 0]

duh, I'm more interested in why they cut it off...
why couldn't they just fix it??

scott

[billvon 2,991]

>I can get waaaaay softer landings on my Samurai 150 than I can get out of my Fox 265 BASE canopy.

And the one time you misjudge the flare, or catch a foot in a gopher hole, or have to land out - the Samurai will put you back in the hospital a lot faster than the Fox will. It is not the nice landings that injure people, and that goes double when you're not back at 100% strength after an injury.

[Nightingale 0]

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duh, I'm more interested in why they cut it off...
why couldn't they just fix it??

scott

as far as I know, they couldn't clean it well enough because of the extent of the damage, and it went septic.