How long before you were back???

[Myrka 0]

Sometimes getting a bit banged up is just a side effect of skydiving… With all the talk about them on the boards lately, what about your injuries? How long did they keep you away (if more than one, choose multiple option)?

[slotperfect 7]

I have been grounded three times due to jump injuries:

-4 weeks for a badly sprained ankle (landed on the downhill side of a ditch as a student)
-2 weeks for a bruised tailbone and sprained back (blew my approach on a demo and slammed my butt on the ground)
-1 week for a bruised heel (running out a hard landing in no wind doing target accuracy training on concrete)

All in all I am doing pretty well.

Arrive Safely

John

[Myrka 0]

haha! yes yes... please, more student stories (going on my 3rd week w/torn ligaments)

[BillyVance 34]

Two significant injuries:

Two badly sprained ankles when I had 50 jumps and jumped in 30 mph winds. Believe it or not I was back to jumping the very next weekend wearing two pairs of socks and high-top sneakers laced up tight, and jumped another 9 straight weekends.

Broken radius bone at the wrist after banging it on the otter door at a 100 way state record attempt. Had to wait 6 weeks for that to heal before I jumped, and another 6 weeks before I could do any floater slots with it (hanging outside the plane).

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Fast 0]

I was out a couple weeks when I first started jumping. I made a jump in some questionable winds and landed in a questionable place (hard). Had a sprained ankle, nothing new for me, have had them before. I strapped on a brace, let it heal some and then was back at it.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[MischiefManaged 0]

I'm a pansy... I sprained my ankle nearly seven weeks ago and haven't jumped since. Granted I also managed to fracture three bones (the base of two toes and some other foot bone), but it's the ankle that still hurts... I'll be sure to practice PLF's before jumping again (hopefully next weekend), and I'll definitely flare

[skybeergodd 0]

My only lay off was a broken femur from a stupid low hook turn. I was jumping again 4 weeks to the day I broke it. I borrowed a larger canopy and landed on my butt until I was able to run. It's the longest lay off I've ever had.

[Glitch 0]

I was out exactly 1 month for a dislocated L shoulder. The DZO wouldn't let me jump until I could do a couple of chin-ups in front of him to prove I could flare... circa '84

I was out 3 months with a broken tail bone (6am and a ground full of dew... Cochrans... no wind... feet slid right out from under my ass) circa '86

Currently reading the boards while I wait for my Ortho appt tomorrow.

Out a couple of months nursing a bruised lower back.

Out for numerous short periods of time for way too many stupid 'oops' moments.

Who says 'Pain is an excellant teacher'????

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[Myrka 0]

Ai, yikes, I should have made 2 separate entries for 1-6 months, and break ‘em into 1-2 months and 2-6 months… That would have been more fair!

Guys, thank you so much for the feedback. By all means I don’t take it as an endorsement that “accidents” are ok, but it’s encouraging to see so many D license holders share their “war stories”.

Hmm… Who skydived with the cast on?

[JohnMitchell 14]

I screwed up my knees after I lost half my canopy at 90 feet. I missed 6 weeks on that one. Lost a month or two to a sprain. Missed 3 months when Vskydiver was really sick. I didn't really care about that then.

Funny thing, we have 4 kids. Weather permitting, she was jumping the next weekend, like with a 5 day old baby. Now that's hardcore.

[Kiki32 1]

My altimeter broke my hand when I smacked it on the windsock pole. Had a cast for exactly 4 weeks and was jumping 5 days after it came off. I wouldve jumped with the cast if they let me.

Poetry don't work on whores.

[Peej 0]

I took six months off for a broken fib/tib after a botched hook turn in 2004.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[Tonto 1]

I've been out twice for injury.

1st for 7 months. Broke my ankle under a round reserve with no PLF on jump number 10 in Feb 1985. My body was fine after 3 months, but it took awhile to get my head around jumping again.

2nd was a smashed femur in Feb 1987. I was on crutches for a year, but was jumping (stupidly, in retrospect) in less than 2 months.

I've not been injured since 1987. Amazing what a manual attitude adjustment can do.

Good luck with your recovery!

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[JohanW 0]

Back when I was invincible, somewhere between 100 and 300 jumps, I hammered into the ground on a low turn once. Happened on Tuesday, jumping again on Thursday, nothing broken, just sore.

Since then I have turned low-ish once or twice, but never anything I couldn't solve more or less gracefully. Or plain-and-simple digging-for-dear-life glad-I-barely-made-it absolutely graceless, once more.

And once, as a fledgeling student, I landed in a ditch. Through barbed wire. With my canopy in the branches of the tree on the other side of the ditch. That hurt an arm a little, but nothing that kept me from jumping.

Johan.
I am. I think.

[airathanas 0]

I've haven't injured myself significantly yet from skydiving (i just jinxed it didn't I?). But, i did take a 3 year break from skydiving due to college. I jumped for another year, and then took another year break.

http://3ringnecklace.com/

[ladyhawke 0]

My first jump I broke my ankle and was out for about 4 months. Then I slammed into a metal building and everyone thought I fractured my leg but it was just a really bad bruise (I have a scar tho) only out for a few weeks. The last time I flared too early and I crashed landing on my left knee. That time I had to have surgery and recovery was about 3 months. I've been lucky!

"It is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities." - A. Dumbledore

[skyjumpenfool 2]

In 1980, while attempting to land a 2 stack, my main canopy became entangled and... well to make a long story short, I rode a spinning streamer in from 400ft. Broke my pelvis in two places, broke my back in 3 places, did 12 weeks in the hospital in traction, and made a jump less than 1 year later.

I'm not tough, just stupid~

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[EricaH 0]

2 times for me.

On AFF level 2 I um forgot to flair cause I was focused on being freaked out that I was landing in corn. When my feet hit the top of the corn (approx 4' high) I flaired HARD. I totally forgot to PLF & fell like a total girl . When I fell, hands forward my pinking caught on a stalk of young strong corn & shattered, a plate & 4 screws, almost 2 months of cast + almost one month of therapy later I was back in the sky.

2 weekends ago on jump 830something, bothced out landing on the road. Destroyed my ACL and almost completely torn my MCL - this one'll take a long time. After the MCL heals and after PT for getting that fine I'll have ACL replacement surgery & face 5 - 6 months of PT for that. Hey, at least this time it's winter too!

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[tbrown 26]

Three times. Once, long long ago for a sprained ankle, for about a month. Three years ago I was out for a broken leg and trashed ankle. Had a pin in my ankle for 4 months, about a month after the pin was removed (lucky me), I was ready to jump again. Right now I'm out for a month at my doctor's suggestion after being really beat up by an unbelievable slammer opening that blew up my canopy. He says I look like some people he's seen who were wearing their seatbelt & shoulder harness in a pretty good car wreck. I'll be back though.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Kiki32 1]

Quote

Right now I'm out for a month at my doctor's suggestion after being really beat up by an unbelievable slammer opening that blew up my canopy.

Hey I was there that day and saw the canopy man. Really sorry to see that happen to someone. Did you find out why that happened? What kinda canopy was it?

Poetry don't work on whores.

[jwynne 0]

It's not good the amount I have to write.
3 months on a dislocated shoulder repair-hard opening with a container that didn't fit me well many years ago.
1 year with a healing post sx back fracture-hit a fence landing, PLFed for all I was worth, but it wasn't enough
2months on right shoulder rotator cuff repair-not skydiving related
6 weeks for a ACL replacement-running out a downwind landing, foot in gopher hole. Spent 2 years jumping with aan unstable knee, got really proficient at butt slides, so I didn't wait long to come back, just kept babying my knee.
Know everythings working well and I'm back to stand up landings. Try my best to swear off orthopedic surgeries.