How long to wait after MCL injury

[theplummeter 14]

Five weeks ago I tore the Medial Collateral Ligament in my right knee (Class 2). The ER sent me to an Orthopedist who just recently cleared me to do "anything you want, as long as it's not painful and you're wearing a hinged brace for anything high impact."

I'm thinking someone here must have done this and am wondering how long you waited to come back to jumping. I normally jump an elliptical canopy at 1.6psf, but have access to a much larger seven cell that I would load below 1.3psf. I haven't been in pain since a few days after the tear and can easily bear my full weight, but I am stiff and have been mulling the idea over of starting back up in about a week with the larger slower canopy.

I ran all of this by the doctors who had no input and just advised me to trust myself or seek out others who have had a similar issue.

[faulknerwn 36]

I have never had that injury - but I would definitely want to be confident that I could flare well - i.e. not high with a "drop" at the end - and I would definitely want the first jump back to be on ideal winds - a no wind landing where you have to sprint would not be the best idea.

[sammielu 3]

Sounds like the doctors said it's ok as long as you wear a brace so wear the brace and do everything you can to prevent high impacts in freefall (chose who you jump with, watch out for other groups on the plane who might slide into your airspace, don't trust anyone, etc to be safe) and under canopy.

You can always go jump off something 2-3' high (a porch, back of a truck, etc) and see how that feels. Questions like that are easier for doctors to understand than the unknown world of skydiving.

And consider the consequences if something unforseen happens and you do reinjure. Can you handle the medical, financial, and mobility consequences if you or another jumper makes mistake?

[ds8221 0]

Do not underestimate the traction your knee will undergo during a canopy deployment. I tore my pcl a few years back and "thought" that I was ok to jump after 2 months even though it was still a bit sore and stiff. I did a hop n pop which was incredibly painful. AHHHHHHHH! I waited another month before I jumped again. I ended up upsizing to a Storm 150 from my Katana 135 and I'm still pondering ever going back even though my knee now feels fine. Use good judgement, upsize until your knee heals. Or else!

[theplummeter 14]

I can walk and run pain free, but just not quite as fast as before due to a little stiffness. The plan is to go from a Crossfire2 139 to an Omni 169, both for the injury and because I need a reasonable wingsuit canopy. I have also lost 25lbs since the injury so the loading just keeps going down.

I held out for a bit, but will give it a go this weekend with a hinged brace.

[SeanNolin 0]

I completely tore my acl and meniscus back in February. Did hard rehab and was back to jumping in a month. I bought a custom donjoy defiance brace and I've put 37 jumps on it so far. No issues at all. Plan to have surgery in the winter.

[NWFlyer 2]

I tore mine in 2010 and waited 5 months to go back. Probably could've gone back a month or so earlier, but I wanted to be confident. I should add that I didn't just wait, I did lots of physical therapy to strengthen the surrounding muscles. I did not jump with a brace (in fact, my doc only recommended the brace for the first few weeks after the injury).

For me, I waited till I felt a "normal" amount of stability in the knee and till I was confident moving around in all kinds of situations. (Early on after the injury I was really tentative in crowds, for example, because of the possibility of having to make a sudden lateral move and having the knee give out on me).

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke