Curious about injuries

[FL_new_jumper 0]

OK.. so I did two tandem jumps... loved the experience and signed up for AFF. I nailed my level 1 jump (exit count could have been better) but passed with flying colors and stuck the landing
Level 2, improved the exit.. nailed the dive flow.. great canopy control and approach.. however.. spaced the landing, flared early, locked my knees and ended up breaking my ankle in 2 places. Surgery, bracket, 9 screws.. all back together and can't wait to jump again. (maybe 2 weeks)

I guess my question is.. who else has experience screwing up early? I see so many people land without incident and I couldn't do it twice in a row. How often do injuries occur on landing?

[guineapiggie101 0]

Yikes!!! How long did it take you to heal up from that?

I'm a post AFF student, pre A-license, and I've screwed up early. Had a bad landing (flared too early) on my AFF 4 jump and sprained my ankle.

Since then, I've hurt myself a few times, finally got off AFF and was on my 2nd solo, when I had another bad landing (I was confused and made some bad decisions), and had a compound fracture of my tib/fib. Still healing up from that.

Good luck with continuing with AFF. It is a lot of fun. :)

[Nutz 0]

Learn how to PLF. I busted my ass for at least 50 landings.

"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

[guineapiggie101 0]

Yes, PLFing is a lifesaver.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Level #2 AFF, you should have been on radio. Why weren't you listening?

[FL_new_jumper 0]

In my 5th week of recovery.. hoping I can jump in another 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for the reply.. love hearing I'm not the only one

[FL_new_jumper 0]

My DZ's radio's suck! Can't hear a darn thing.

[-ftp- 0]

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My DZ's radio's suck! Can't hear a darn thing.

Did you tell them that? Chances are they would like to know that.

[nigel99 288]

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Level #2 AFF, you should have been on radio. Why weren't you listening?

Chris I don't believe anyone should rely on radios. The better question is why didn't they PLF? My wifes first jump she landed 2.5miles from the DZ - there is no way that she could be told to flare, but she had been drilled on PLF's until she was covered in bruises.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[shah269 0]

AFF-8, windy day, hadn't jumped in just under 30 days.
Should not have been up in the air but...me being me I insisted "thought" I had the right stuff.
Jump went well, opened well, there were some issues with the canopy that I was not aware of and my half flare and well serious fracture of the right tibfib.
Laid up for two weeks, had to learn how to walk again more or less, recovered and a year later almost to the day got back in the air.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[FL_new_jumper 0]

I agree on not relying on radios. Don't get me wrong here.. I screwed up. During AFF ground class we did touch on PLF (practiced a few times) but having stood up the first landing.. I was thinking about getting in the pick up vehicle before my feet even hit the ground. Just goes to show ALWAYS have your head in the game.

[guineapiggie101 0]

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In my 5th week of recovery.. hoping I can jump in another 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for the reply.. love hearing I'm not the only one

Nice, that's very quick healing time for an ankle fracture.

[LisaH 0]

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In my 5th week of recovery.. hoping I can jump in another 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for the reply.. love hearing I'm not the only one

Nice, that's very quick healing time for an ankle fracture.

That is not nearly enough healing time for an ankle fracture. It should be months, not weeks.

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[Namowal 0]

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I agree on not relying on radios. Don't get me wrong here.. I screwed up. During AFF ground class we did touch on PLF (practiced a few times) but having stood up the first landing.. I was thinking about getting in the pick up vehicle before my feet even hit the ground. Just goes to show ALWAYS have your head in the game.

That reminds me of something I read in the book Deep Survival. It pointed out that some mountain climbing accidents happen on the way down when participants* consider their climb "done" at the summit, and start to focus on later-in-the-day plans instead of what they're doing now.
I bet this is why people are often careless when they walk through parking lots. They're thinking of what they need to buy/do instead of watching for cars.
"Be here now" might be a cliche, but it's good advice.

*I know little about mountain climbing and am not suggesting most climbers do this.

My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

[NWFlyer 2]

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In my 5th week of recovery.. hoping I can jump in another 2 weeks or so.

7 weeks? That seems awfully quick, especially with surgery.

Here's a suggestion. Instead of saying "When can I jump again?" say "When can I jump off of a chair onto bumpy ground and land stable and without pain?" Say "When can I run on bumpy ground again and be stable and without pain?"

Presenting these questions to your surgeon and your physical therapist will help them to help you evaluate your readiness for jumping. That's exactly what I said to my physical therapist early this year when I was recovering from a knee injury, and it helped him to understand the types of movements I needed to be able to make to land safely.

"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

[cocheese 0]

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In my 5th week of recovery.. hoping I can jump in another 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for the reply.. love hearing I'm not the only one

Nice, that's very quick healing time for an ankle fracture.

That is not nearly enough healing time for an ankle fracture. It should be months, not weeks.

But Mom....

[jhh166 0]

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OK.. so I did two tandem jumps... loved the experience and signed up for AFF. I nailed my level 1 jump (exit count could have been better) but passed with flying colors and stuck the landing
Level 2, improved the exit.. nailed the dive flow.. great canopy control and approach.. however.. spaced the landing, flared early, locked my knees and ended up breaking my ankle in 2 places. Surgery, bracket, 9 screws.. all back together and can't wait to jump again. (maybe 2 weeks)

I guess my question is.. who else has experience screwing up early? I see so many people land without incident and I couldn't do it twice in a row. How often do injuries occur on landing?

I definitely screwed up my first jump by flaring to high. I new it about half way in to the flare and nothing you can do but ride it out and keep the brakes in place (I was taught to never let them back up). My ankles were so swollen I had to stop the car twice on the drive home to ice them up...shit sucked.

I flared a bit to high again on the second jump and a fun jumper gave me some advice to not look at the ground directly underneath my feat because I will experience a ground rush. He told me to look out (in front of me) about 15 to 20 yards and keep the ground underneath me in my peripheral. I asked my instructor if it was good advice first! It really helped me with my landings (the very few I have).

One thing, hope for the best and expect the worst. I would wait until your ankle heals up to handle another hard landing.

[FL_new_jumper 0]

You hit the nail on the head. I too was looking straight down (which I was specifically told NOT to do) which made me flare early. I also was taught to ride out the flare, which I did. Sticking my foot out to meet the ground was my final mistake.. a decent PLF would have saved me.

In my case, it took a string of mistakes to get injured.. live and learn.

Just for fun.. here is an x-ray of my hardware

[jhh166 0]

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You hit the nail on the head. I too was looking straight down (which I was specifically told NOT to do) which made me flare early. I also was taught to ride out the flare, which I did. Sticking my foot out to meet the ground was my final mistake.. a decent PLF would have saved me.

In my case, it took a string of mistakes to get injured.. live and learn.

Shit man...looks painful!

Just for fun.. here is an x-ray of my hardware

[FL_new_jumper 0]

Didn't tickle

But walked away.. gathered up my 'chute.. dropped it off at the packing hanger.. went to dinner... wasn't going to let anyone know it was bad.. no one at the DZ had a clue.. next morning couldn't hide it though!

[SCOTT735 0]

I just broke two bones in my left hand during my landing of jump number 5. I am doing the static line training.
I was coming in fast (even though I flared when the radio said). I had my hands down on the side of my thighs instead of in front. I think I landed with my hand between my hip and th ground during my crappy PLF.
We never practiced PLFs in my traininng (they said more students were getting injured during PLF training than during th actual jumps, so they stopped doing it as part of training).
Well, I am going to practice PLFs ALOT before I jump again.
It sucks to be grounded this eary in the training. I hope to sort this out and get jumping again in March (weather will be bad before I heal).
Good Luck!

[devildog 0]

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I just broke two bones in my left hand during my landing of jump number 5. I am doing the static line training.
I was coming in fast (even though I flared when the radio said). I had my hands down on the side of my thighs instead of in front. I think I landed with my hand between my hip and th ground during my crappy PLF.
We never practiced PLFs in my traininng (they said more students were getting injured during PLF training than during th actual jumps, so they stopped doing it as part of training).
Well, I am going to practice PLFs ALOT before I jump again.
It sucks to be grounded this eary in the training. I hope to sort this out and get jumping again in March (weather will be bad before I heal).
Good Luck!

Really? Wow. I had to do PLFs over and over and over and over and over before my first jump (AFF) and if I hadn't, I'd probably have broken a few bones as I flared waaaaay to early and came crashing down on pavement. PLF saved my ass and all I got was a little bruise on my leg and little cut to the elbow.

You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions.

[Austintxflight 0]

I luckily have not had an injury, I'm still early, but I had some flare issues on some jumps, flaring too early and releasing it instead of holding it.

I uploaded the landing on my 11th jump which was my first coach jump and 4th since being off radio and off AFF. You can see I flare WAY too early, release it then reflare, which was totally wrong. I also should have PLF'd the landing instead of trying to run it out.

It really sucks you had an injury so early but on the plus side you will probably never space a landing again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya8WIYBCoHU

[FL_new_jumper 0]

I just wanted to thank EVERYONE for your responses! This forum has kept me occupied (and lessened the depression) while on the mend.

I have been practicing my PLFs and I WILL be back in the sky on Sunday!

Ankle took a little longer then expected to heal and weather sucked last weekend... but can't wait to continue AFF Sunday.

I will be paying a LOT more attention to my landings.
Thanks again!

[deltron80 0]

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Didn't tickle

But walked away.. gathered up my 'chute.. dropped it off at the packing hanger.. went to dinner... wasn't going to let anyone know it was bad.. no one at the DZ had a clue.. next morning couldn't hide it though!

you walked on that ankle? dang! that's some adrenalin gland you have... take your time and heal completely before jumping again. there's no rush.