Skydiving w/ slight back pain

[Iko_ 0]

Hi all,

 

I wanted to know how dangerous it was to skydive with a slight back pain. I got a lumbago (and neck pain) a few weeks ago doing deadlifts at the gym. It has improved a bit (although it’s still slightly painful at times) and my GP told me it was totally fine for me to go skydiving. I am about to book a license A training 3 weeks from now (which in France amounts to 15 jumps in 6-7 days) and wanted to know from experienced skydivers if this was a major red flag?
 

I am asking because I have a 1-week slot to do this, otherwise I would have to wait for a year. Apart from this recovering injury, my back is normally fine. 
 

Many thanks !

Edited June 13, 2020 by Iko_

[sfzombie13 307]

you got the doctor to say it's ok, so go.  most of the folks at my dz has back pain or have had back surgeries.  some have cages around vertebrae.  one of the ti's has had a broken tailbone and still slides them in.  as long as you can arch and have full range of motion to grab your pilot chute you should be fine.  i am not a doctor, but have two herniated discs.  i don't know about the weather in france this time of year, but that is what i would be concerned about.  students, in the us anyway, are limited to lower winds due to larger canopies with lower wing loads, so i assume it will be the same there.

[20kN 93]

There is no one on here that is qualified to give medical advice. If you want a second opinion go see another doctor.

Edited June 14, 2020 by 20kN

[riggerrob 558]

Follow your doctor's advice and hire a personal trainer to teach you the correct way to dead-lift without risking re-injury.

[Travman 6]

I'm not going to comment on your situation but can provide my own example.  Many years ago now I herniated my L4/L5 disc, which resulted in massive tightening in my lumbar region and I had a lot of pain for anything requiring back flexion (bending forward). However I found back extension, (bending backwards) was no issues at all.  I was training with an 8-way team at the time and decided to push on, and I personally had no issues and did quite a few jumps over the training camp I had to get my teammates to help me in and out of my rig as I had limited movement, also couldn't run out any landings so was doing a bit more sliding but was otherwise OK.  Moving in the plane was also difficult but my slot on the team put by right be the door, so I didn't have to crouch down and go a long distance in the plane. My only real worry was a hard opening would hurt but I knew my canopy was not inclined to hard openings.

However bare in mind that at the time I was already an experienced jumper with over 1000 jumps so was aware of what I was putting my body through.  I also checked with my doctor and physio.

Only you and your doctor know your personal situation.  Personally as someone that has recovered from a bad back injury, you only have one back and skydiving will still be there in a year. 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Travman

[timski 80]

On 6/14/2020 at 6:01 PM, 20kN said:

There is no one on here that is qualified to give medical advice. If you want a second opinion go see another doctor.

50 grit reply. AKA abrasive AF! 

I personally would wait to book training until I knew that I was 100%. It's a lot of money with a window, with which the weather/conditions don't always play fair... Best of luck with the recovery. PS, stick to body weight exercises  

[20kN 93]

3 hours ago, timski said:

50 grit reply. AKA abrasive AF! 

 

It's the truth. Why would you ask for medical advice from untrained, unqualified Internet randos? Do you ask for skydiving advice from random people who have never made a jump in their life? Dident think so.

Edited June 21, 2020 by 20kN

[sfzombie13 307]

7 hours ago, 20kN said:

It's the truth. Why would you ask for medical advice from untrained, unqualified Internet randos? Do you ask for skydiving advice from random people who have never made a jump in their life? Dident think so.

he didn't ask for medical advice and specifically stated his doctor (i assumed that gp meant general practitioner) gave him the ok which is why i answered.  he was asking for advice from folks who have had his problem.  the only advice i would accept about jumping from planes would be from skydivers, not doctors who have never jumped.  or from pilots who fly them, depending on the advice, such as weight and balance.

[20kN 93]

On 6/21/2020 at 8:38 AM, sfzombie13 said:

he didn't ask for medical advice and specifically stated his doctor (i assumed that gp meant general practitioner) gave him the ok which is why i answered.  he was asking for advice from folks who have had his problem.  the only advice i would accept about jumping from planes would be from skydivers, not doctors who have never jumped.  or from pilots who fly them, depending on the advice, such as weight and balance.

His exact question was "I wanted to know how dangerous it was to skydive with a slight back pain.". That is asking for medical advice. There is absolutely no way anyone on this forum could know in the slightest what types of medical issues he has and so providing any advice on this would be absolutely nothing other than a completely random guess which completely worthless advice. There is no one on here qualified to tell someone their medical condition is or is not safe for skydiving.

Edited June 23, 2020 by 20kN

[sfzombie13 307]

his doctor told him it was safe.  he asked if any skydivers had done it.  i just read it again.  unless when he put GP it means something other than general practitioner, or doctor as i understood it.  i have slight back pain and skydive, as do a lot of folks i know.  it is not completely random and worthless, it is accurate and valuable, since it answered the question.  nor is it dangerous if you have a doctor who says it is not, as is the case here unless i misunderstood op. 

[timski 80]

5 hours ago, 20kN said:

His exact question was "I wanted to know how dangerous it was to skydive with a slight back pain.". That is asking for medical advice. There is absolutely no way anyone on this forum could know in the slightest what types of medical issues he has and so providing any advice on this would be absolutely nothing other than a completely random guess which completely worthless advice. There is no one on here qualified to tell someone their medical condition is or is not safe for skydiving.

Correct, HOWEVER sharing your own perspective from your own experience for comparison can go a long way. You sound as if you put a LOT of merit in the medical field, and if your NOT getting at least a second opinion, you don't understand how the world works... 

[20kN 93]

a

Edited June 24, 2020 by 20kN

[riggerrob 558]

I have done plenty of skydives while suffering minor back pain, minor leg pain, minor shoulder pain, etc.

Most of the time, I ended the day with only slightly more pain in my shoulder .... but a few times I had to rest my sore back for a week before I could return to work.

When in doubt, be cautious ... slow ... in returning to the sky. The sky will always wait for you.

[cargo 0]

On 6/19/2020 at 10:34 AM, Travman said:

I'm not going to comment on your situation but can provide my own example.  Many years ago now I herniated my L4/L5 disc, which resulted in massive tightening in my lumbar region and I had a lot of pain for anything requiring back flexion (bending forward). However I found back extension, (bending backwards) was no issues at all.  I was training with an 8-way team at the time and decided to push on, and I personally had no issues and did quite a few jumps over the training camp I had to get my teammates to help me in and out of my rig as I had limited movement, also couldn't run out any landings so was doing a bit more sliding but was otherwise OK.  Moving in the plane was also difficult but my slot on the team put by right be the door, so I didn't have to crouch down and go a long distance in the plane. My only real worry was a hard opening would hurt but I knew my canopy was not inclined to hard openings.

However bare in mind that at the time I was already an experienced jumper with over 1000 jumps so was aware of what I was putting my body through.  I also checked with my doctor and physio.

Only you and your doctor know your personal situation.  Personally as someone that has recovered from a bad back injury, you only have one back and skydiving will still be there in a year. 

Thanks a lot for your comment, it helps with my case