Skydiving and Chronic Pain

[bkoch 0]

Got injured skydiving recently and according to my doc, I am looking at a three month recovery before I should jump again. Just curious about how many people out there have chronic pain from injuries related to skydiving.

[SkydiveMO 0]

I've dislocated both of my ankles and bruised a knee jumping... OK make that crash landing . Had a hard opening once that chipped a tooth and really tweaked my back. Believe it or not, I find jogging two to three times a week helps keep me limber and pretty much pain free. Keeping in shape will help your body heal faster and stretching will help avoid tears and pulls.

[Travman 6]

I injured both knees in a car accident when I was a kid, and injury my right knee skiing a few years ago. Sometimes my knees get sore from that, but nothing from skydiving - though I am still only just starting.

[TALONSKY 0]

I do not have chronic pain but due to a skydiving related ankle injury, I now limit my workouts to keep from agrivating it.
Kirk

[BigSky 2]

On my last jump I could not here my instructor tell me when to flare, and on the jump before that I flared too high, so this time I told myself not to flare until I hear him. Unfortunetly I hit the ground with out any flare. I can still feel it abit and that was like almost a month ago! The bad part is, right before my jump, I was telling my JM how I am made of rubber and could hit the ground at 65mph and get right up! Well I wont be talking shit about sky diving like that again.............at least not for awile

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th

[Reginald 0]

I used to have nagging neck, back and shoulder pain from skydiving; I hurt for a week form doing 8 or 10 jumps in a weekend. I started stretching and weight lifting regularly, lost some weight and maintain better general health. I can now do 20 jumps in a weekend and feel great on Monday! My mentor makes a clear point that he stretches 20 minutes every day and lifts weights 5 times a week.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[sunshine 2]

I have chronic pain in my ankle from my injury. I broke my ankle a bit over a year ago and it still hurts just about every day. I still have to wear a brace on it almost every day and take pain pills frequently. It sucks, but i'm learning to live with it. I still don't have much strength in it so i have to butt slide my landings.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[bkoch 0]

Poor packing on my part is what caused my injury. Sort of a whiplash type accident. Middle upper back has pain, but neck is really sore and it has been ten days. I didn't even know how bad it was until days later.

Lesson I learned- Pack carefully - slider all the way up, line stows tight and the right length, rubber bands strong enough to hold. If I hear a 10 minute call and haven't started packing and don't think I can pack well in that time, I will bump off the load and wait until the next one. My impatience waiting the hour between loads cost me...I have to sit out of skydiving for at least three months if I want a chance at complete recovery according to my doc.

I hope I make it back.
Skydiving has been so important in my life in so many ways.
B

"What kind of man would live a life without daring? Is life so sweet that we should criticize men that seek adventure? Is there a better way to die?"
- Charles Lindberg August 26th, 1938

[bkoch 0]

Any idea how long it takes for whiplash to heal anyone? Doc says no jumping for three months. Seems excessive, but he says a whiplash injury with another whiplash injury can cause extensive damage.

Anyone out there have whiplash before? How long until it healed?

B

[kamalasound 0]

Plenty of injuries especially to my back and lately to my shoulder.
Doctors continue telling me I should take from 3 months to 12 of rest especially after having broken something inside my shoulder. I should undergo surgery and rehab for 8 months..........so my decision is.........no more Rx RMN ecc. no more doctors, I just keep the pain and go on freflying and swooping!!

Blue ones

[bkoch 0]

Thanks for writing.

If the pain goes away, I'll be back in the air.

I'm really kicking myself for packing so poorly.
If anyone out there, whether seasoned jumper or a newbie is reading this - take time to pack carefully and learn to pack canopies that open softly. Save yourself the chiropractic bills and visits to orthopedic surgeons...

B

[riggerrob 558]

It's called "old age."
I have a variety of aches and pains from skydiving: sprained ankle, sprained thumb, creaky neck, herniated disc, etc.
My worst knee injury is the result of drunken football played on snow and ice. A ligament in my left knee never healed properly.
The only cure is regular exercise and learning to live with a little pain.

[bkoch 0]

Just got back from the doc. Basically my jump career is effectively over. Based on the MRI a repeat injury to my neck or back could cause the disk to slip all the way out causing unknown reprucussions. If I end up jumping again it probably wont be for a long long time.

Super bummed. Can't believe this crap. All because of a poor pack job on my Triathlon. I worried about a variety of things happening in my jump career of 264 jumps...PC in tow, horshoe...freefall collision, canopy collision...To be honest, I never worried about a Hard Opening. Now a hard opening has effectively ended my jump career for the forseeable future.

Pack carefully folks. Your spine is fragile. Safe jumps everyone. Thanks for the memories.
Brad

[sosexyandsober 0]

Skydiving is my life. Once had a hard opening doc said same thing but after a few month i had enough, this is my passion. can you go to a chiropactor? i have seen and heard worse. hope your back in the blue skyz soon.
gretchen

• Quote

[member 0]

I broke my leg and did alot of ligiment damage in my ankle 3 years ago .It took about one and half years to stop hurting me .I thought it would always hurt me . walking alot helped .you still have hope .blue skys and hope you feel better.

[bkoch 0]

I don't trust chiropracters at all. I feel like they have a vested interest in making sure my spine is screwed up and that they know enough about the spine to keep me needing to comeback.

I hope completely I can get back in the sky someday. Its been almost a month and neck and back still hurt. Who knows what the future holds. Just for today, right?
B

"What kind of man would live a life without daring? Is life so sweet that we should criticize men that seek adventure? Is there a better way to die?"
- Charles Lindberg August 26th, 1938

[mailin 0]

I would highly recommend seeing an Active Release Therapist (ART) soon then.

I started seeing a Chriopractor who also does ART last month after a crash landing on the runway left me with a very badly bruised tailbone/lower spine and a few bad openings on a Sabre1 left my neck pretty tweaked, both from January.

I can now twist my neck 90 degrees to both sides (hoping for 100 degrees within the next few sessions) and can sit for extended periods of time, almost completely pain free. In time I will have no pain.

My Chiropractor is saving my sanity - find one that listens to you and you won't be disappointed. I'm fortunate that mine is also the chiro for the New England Patriots, so he is very versed in 'sports related injuries'. He also does ART therapy for Ironman Tri's when they come to the New England area. I can't brag about ART enough - its amazing.


Jen

Arianna Frances

[sundevil777 93]

Quote

I don't trust chiropracters at all. I feel like they have a vested interest in making sure my spine is screwed up and that they know enough about the spine to keep me needing to comeback.

That is not my experience at all.

I saw a Chiropractor for the first time when my friend was in great pain and I went with him. I agreed to let him check me out also. I didn't have any symptoms, but he found some minor misalignment. The first adjustment that he gave me to my neck made me feel a huge rush of energy, and I felt like I had perfect posture without trying. At first he had me coming in 2 times/week, but it quickly reduced to once/week, once/month, and he later said I should only come back every few months. I always feel so good after the adjustments, but stopped seeing him after about a year.. My friend who really needed the help, was pain free for the first time in years after the first adjustment. We were both very happy when we left.

Years later, my wife needed help bad, orthopedic docs were no help, so I got her to see a chiropractor, and the results were also immediate. Again, she had frequent visits at first, tapering off with time. People can be more pleasant to live with when they don't have chronic pain.
You will hear some horror stories, but I strongly suggest you find someone that can recommend their own chiropractor and give it a try.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am