Sep 11, 2011, 6:59 PM
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Upper Amputation
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I lost feeling and movement in my left arm do to a skydiving accident. I have recently had my arm amputated between the shoulder and elbow. I have been jumping with my bad arm taped to my gear and flying with one arm. Does any one know of any one else that skydives with one arm?
Why do you tape your bad arm down? Is it a strength issue? I'm a right arm, BE amputee. It's a different ballgame, since I have my elbow, but when I was jumping, I used my bad arm (with prosthetic) quite a bit.
He probably had permanent brachial plexus nerve damage to his left upper extremity; the plexus is responsible for sensation and movement of the upper extremity. With this injury there would be no motor or sensory functions. If the arm touched a hot stove, he couldn't feel it or move his arm out of the way. Securing the remaining part of the arm would help prevent uncontrollable movement.
Thank you for explaining this so well. You are correct about the brachial plexus it has been pulled from my spinal cord roots and all from c5 to t1. I have no motor function nor feeling from shoulder on. The amputation was a must since I still work at my business and do actvities as much as possible. You have a great day and God Bless!
Does any one know of any one else that skydives with one arm?
Heard an interesting story of a female skydiver who was born with her left arm only partly developed (lacks forearm). See here (Google translate should help): http://www.one-hand-skydiver.de/ She uses a prostheses. Another girl reported that this website made her go for it as well. Her left forearm is sort of way too short and so is her hand but she can grab with it etc, so they developed a totally different approach - Canopy (main AND reserve) modified so that she can work with the different lengths she is able to pull the toggles down in a sufficient way. Folks at the meeting were deeply impressed and applauded both girls.
Hey, as a relatively new to the sport amputee, I noticed a certain lack of info in the world as well. Actually, when I had my amputation (below knee) in 2003, finding amp info in general seemed difficult! Anyway, with that in mind I just created a community page on Facebook. www.facebook.com/AmpedSkydiving I hope you'll join to share what you've learned and maybe get some insights from other Amped Skydivers. Blue Skies! Andy
