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CoolBeans

Gym training and conditioning (shoulders/neck/spine)

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Hey, I'm the loose jointed person, I happened to have subluxations (partial dyslocations) of a shoulder. Then I had shoulder surgery (torn labrum/SLAP) and finished the rehab recently. Skydiving is obviously difficult on shoulders but also neck and spine. I'm curious to hear if you do any sort of training targeting these body parts.

1. Training shoulders to deal better with 120mph+ wind blow
2. Training neck and spine to deal with potential hard openings

1) I've been using bodyblade during the rehab and it seems to work pretty well. Also, I've done bunch of exercises with elastic/resistance bands that aid shoulder muscle development well too.
2) I haven't done much in this area.

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I have some longish term rotator cuff issues. No tearing (not yet), but some impingement and a fair amount of pain.

I've been doing PT to build up and maintain the muscles in my shoulders for nearly a decade.

 

It's more for dealing with everyday life with as little pain as possible than for any specific purpose, like jumping.

 

I've found very little issues dealing with the force of the wind at freefall speeds. It's not that big of a deal.

However, dealing with my piece partners can be rather hard on my shoulders. Sometimes we pull harder than we should to hold a formation, sometimes we get a little overenthusiastic rotating pieces. The temptation to 'make a point' by grabbing as I'm falling by can sometimes be irresistible. Yes, I know I shouldn't. Yes, it usually does more 'harm' to the formation than help. 

I also find that packing can be hard on my shoulders. I have added a couple different 'motions' to my PT routine that mimic certain things I do when packing (specifically pushing inward while narrowing the cocooned canopy). 

 

I can't imagine any PT or training that would help mitigate the effects of hard openings. When they happen, they happen. I get less 'twang' on my neck and more on my back, particularly the lower part. It's kind of hard to describe, but its not a 'strength' issue. It's an 'impact' sort of issue.

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Bench press, overhead press, deadlift, chinups. Maybe squats to train a loaded spine. Find a quality coach, not just some schmoe trainer at the local gym. Barbell Medicine is an excellent place to start. Barbell Logic is also good. 

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On 4/22/2019 at 5:26 PM, CoolBeans said:

Hey, I'm the loose jointed person, I happened to have subluxations (partial dyslocations) of a shoulder. Then I had shoulder surgery (torn labrum/SLAP) and finished the rehab recently. Skydiving is obviously difficult on shoulders but also neck and spine. I'm curious to hear if you do any sort of training targeting these body parts.

1. Training shoulders to deal better with 120mph+ wind blow
2. Training neck and spine to deal with potential hard openings

1) I've been using bodyblade during the rehab and it seems to work pretty well. Also, I've done bunch of exercises with elastic/resistance bands that aid shoulder muscle development well too.
2) I haven't done much in this area.

I've known 2 skydivers who's shoulders dislocated in freefall. Both took time and PT before returning to sk6d8ve again. Both had subsequent locations within weeks of returning and eventually both stopped skydiving due to this problem. One with a broken ankle because he could not fly his canopy with both hands..

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So after reading some recommend bench etc. No, don't. Fitness is made to strenghten your muscles, not your core or ligaments/tendons. DON'T talk to "certified" gym trainers, talk to graduated physiotherapists. They will know best how to strenghten your joints without risking injury. They will provide you with the correct set of workouts, maybe add some laser treatment or manual therapy if you have the bucks.

I have a professional graduated physiotherapist in my family and can't stress enough how little gym trainers know about the actual structures of ligaments, joints, muscles etc.

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Hey there, sorry for writing in this old thread, but I can't open a new one as I'm a new member here. I need a piece of advice from an expert; during the pregnancy, I started having back pains randomly. I decided that I need to exercise as my spine would still hurt, even after the baby was born. What should I start with? Is it ok if I exercise with the pulldown machine? I'm not sure if that is the correct name, but here is a picture of it: https://fitbodybuzz.com/compact-lat-pulldown-cable-machines/ Or is there anything else I could start with? 

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Dear bycastory,

Lat pull-down exercises are unlikely to help much with weak/painful lower back muscles (lumbar spine). I suspect that your back pains started because you gained a lot of weight and all that weight was on the front, pulling your lumbar/lower spine at an odd angle. I suffer the same problem when my beer-gut gets too fat.

As another poster suggested, discuss back exercises with a certified physio-therapist. The correct physio' can save you many hours of training and much pain.

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Train mobility, there is plenty of info on the internet. The reason for this, if you're lifting any sort of weight with compromised joints, when your muscle fail do to fatigue or poor technique, you'll shock load your joints and do even more damage. 

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On 4/22/2019 at 4:26 PM, CoolBeans said:

Hey, I'm the loose jointed person, I happened to have subluxations (partial dyslocations) of a shoulder. Then I had shoulder surgery (torn labrum/SLAP) and finished the rehab recently. Skydiving is obviously difficult on shoulders but also neck and spine. I'm curious to hear if you do any sort of training targeting these body parts.

1. Training shoulders to deal better with 120mph+ wind blow
2. Training neck and spine to deal with potential hard openings

1) I've been using bodyblade during the rehab and it seems to work pretty well. Also, I've done bunch of exercises with elastic/resistance bands that aid shoulder muscle development well too.
2) I haven't done much in this area.

Trying contacting Dr. Nancy Grieger. She is a jumper and writes health-related articles for Parachutist. She can probably offer some advice.

https://www.blueskiespt.com/

 

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I haven't been jumping much lately, I have total over 80 jumps. But my shoulder is doing really good after surgery and I would totally recommend it / do it again if needed.

I did good research and put a lot of work into that project, including picking the hospital, picking the doctor, picking the rehab center and doing the rehab itself. It can also help to exercise before the surgery to achieve better results.

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On 5/8/2019 at 4:44 AM, douwanto said:

I've known 2 skydivers who's shoulders dislocated in freefall. Both took time and PT before returning to sk6d8ve again. Both had subsequent locations within weeks of returning and eventually both stopped skydiving due to this problem.

wait... If there were tears inside the shoulder joint, only PT wouldn't fix them.  Did they even try surgery or did they just quit the sport entirely after PT failed?

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On 4/22/2019 at 8:09 PM, wolfriverjoe said:

I can't imagine any PT or training that would help mitigate the effects of hard openings. When they happen, they happen.

I have some questions...

I understand that sometimes "things just happen", but can diligent packing and good body position when deploying prevent most hard openings? is the chance of having a hard opening on student canopies smaller than having one on smaller canopies? And if I exercise neck/spine muscles and make them strong, why don't you think they can't mitigate the effects of hard openings? 

one of the main goals in the next few years is to make my body strong just in case I need to deal with these kind of stuff in the future. 

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