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Harris

Time out for injury

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I fractured my fibula two weeks ago landing from a jump. Needless to say I won't be jumping 'til mid march or april of next year. I've got 44 jumps and was actually starting to get pretty decent with my relative work. Now I'm worried that with this 4 month hiatus it will be like starting over when I get to jump again. For those of you who have had to take a break due to an injury or any reason at all, was it difficult to get back in the swing of things or was it like you hadn't taken any time off? Just wanted to get some feedback from those of you with a similar experience. I know it could be different for me, but was just curious.

Thanks!:)
Take risks not to to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping.


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Haha one thing I can thank my Army SL training for. I havn't had to do one yet but my buddy's first jump he flared a good 10 feet too high and didn't even have a second thought...straight into the most beautiful PLF that DZ had ever seen. :D Got up, bowed, and hasn't made the same mistake again haha.

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Don't worry too much about the time off. In Wisconsin, we take that much time off in a bad winter (one reason my numbers are so low). You obviously will have to do a recurrency jump, and probably a couple more solos to knock the rust off, but it should all come back pretty fast.
Good luck healing.:)

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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Yea, I figured a recurrency jump would definitely be in the cards. It's good to know that some people regularly take this amount of time off. Makes me feel a little better.:)

Take risks not to to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping.


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The doc didn't tell me what type of fracture it was, just that I fractured it in two places. I tore ligaments as well, so I'm sure that has something to do with recovery time. I'm really just guessing at march or april, but he told me I'd be walking in three months so I figured when he told me I was 100% depending on how I felt I'd give myself a buffer zone before I started jumping again.
Take risks not to to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping.


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That is one thing I'm worried about. I had a bad few weeks not too long ago where the fear was just horrible, it was like AFF nerves all over again. I'm hoping it won't be too bad when I get back. I had finally managed to get over and be comfortable again.
Take risks not to to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping.


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Sorry to hear that. I know ligaments can take longer to get right than fractures. A good sprain is as bad as a break in terms of getting back to normal. I sometimes sprain my ankles and am not right for 3 months if bad enough -- a cast for six weeks, crutches, the whole thing. And it's "just a sprain!"

I have 4 jumps, and I've always fallen. Even on that one perfect one where the radio guy said, "Flair, okay, now stand up . . . or don't," when I simply fell. No reason for it except it seemed like a better thing to do and I wasn't sure where the ground was. Feet were already together . . . seemed like falling was the thing to do.

I don't do a PLF well, but I do some kind of fall well! I'm really afraid to hang out a leg or two, not being real sure what my velocity or height is or my ability to manage it with all that junk on. I know you have much more experience.

But I'm happy to fall each time. Doesn't much matter to me. Unless someone hid a pitchfork turned tines-up in the grass. All kinds of perils.

Get well soon.

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I have been off going on 10 months now, I am jonesin like you can't believe to get back in the air. But I gotta admit there is a part of me that kinda dreads landing, I'm gonna give it a little more time, and when I can jump off the taligate from a standing posotion, and not feel like my body is going to break in half, I'll be ready :D

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I tore 3 of the ligaments in my knee and had to have reconstructive surgery. I now have a new ACL graft/repaired MCL/Lateral Meniscus which they say takes really a year to heal fully. The orthopedist was also very realistic in saying most won't stay out of their extreme sport for that long and said I could go back in 6 months ---- with a lot of hard work and therapy everyday I am back before that....and now jump with a splint to protect the graft. The difficulties for me have been getting the timing on my flare back. My first jump back I upsized 2 sizes and had a nice landing and no problem. I downsized by one size and have had ok landings but not the landings that I was having before. Again, I will be on this canopy for quite a while before I go back to my 168. The other problem I have encountered is due to my brace. It has changed my flying dynamic a little bit. I believe for me it will be more difficult until I can be jumping consistently ---as we are limited here with jumping with the winter weather.
DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

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I broke my pelvis in two places last march and was out for 12 weeks and i only had a few more jumps than you. Once I got over my anxiety and got back in the air, landing scared the crap out of me. Took a few weeks to get over. Even drove out to the dz a couple of times then decided I couldn't do it and drove home. Give it some time. I took Ian's canopy control course at the farm and that brought back a lot of confidence. It was extremely helpful and I highly recommend taking it when you get better, it will make you a more confident and better canopy pilot. No ian did not pay me to say that but maybe he should.
"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way."
- Homer Simpson

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Wait until you can run around the block comfortably.

I did my Fib in 2 places (unstable fracture) and was out for about 4 months, I didn't hace any tendon/ligament damage but OTOH I'm old (50s)

I did this at around 1000 jumps and jumped a bigger canopy for a few jumps when I came back.

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You won't forget! You will need some brush-up and procedures recurrence, and when your instructors tell you that you are ready, there you go.

I had a longer absence; 27 years to be exact! The biggest change was the gear: gone were T10's and chest-mounted C9 reserves, and Capewells and metal ripcords that you had to hang onto, and packing your parachute in the dirt outside and seeing a cloud of dust and twigs when it deployed on the next jump.

Logic says not to get overconfident too quickly, and logic is right. Even after a long absence one's brain/ body still somehow remembers the basics and you can arch and fly the freefall stable.

I am trying to build up experience and knowledge slowly and conservatively, jump by jump, without trying to race ahead when things seem to be working well. I figure that in the long run it will still be better progress than reading skydiving articles in traction.....

On the bright side, you will be ready for the start of the season!
Blue skies and all the best for 2009!
'To fly is heaven, to freefall is divine'

'You only need 2 tools. WD40 for when it doesn't move but should, and duct tape for when it moves but shouldn't'

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