Skydiving and Concussions

[Muenkel 0]

Hey folks,

As you can see from my profile, I'm in the middle of my aff training. It is on hold indefinitely due to a serious head injury (non skydiving related). I'm expected to make a full recovery by next summer. However, my neurologist has warned me to avoid another concussion at all costs as the repurcussions would be much worse than this one. I can't imagine going through this hell again. Basically what I am getting at is when I fully recover, I have a decision to make as to whether I should resume my aff training. I know concussions are ofcourse possible in this sport, but does anyone know how common they are? This may seem like a stupid question because there are so many other ways I can suffer another concussion.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,

_________________________________________
Chris

[ChrisL 2]

Concussions are possible in any activity.

I would say its not exactly an every day occurance and that if you make sure to wear GOOD head protection:

IE not a fancy expensive cool looking helmet that offers minimal protection, but rather, use a not-quite-so-cool but very tough Pro-Tec helmet, you chances of getting a concussion can be minimized. Be a conservative canopy pilot and load your wing lightly, take a canopy control class, basically follow all the best practices with regard to safety and JUMP YOUR FACE OFF

__

My mighty steed

[MarkM 0]

Most of the injuries I've seen have been legs, ankles and even a wrist type of thing. Basically parts of your body that you're putting towards the ground on a bad landing. Though I've heard of concussions from strikes with the airplane on bad exits. Some high timers probably have more of a perspective of things though.

You could also look into ski helmets for better protection than what a skydiving helmet would provide(which is practically nothing).

[Casquito 0]

Concussions are a risk with any activity especially any that involve moving at high speeds. Luckily there shouldn't be that much to hit on a fun jump in the sky except the plane, other jumpers, and the ground. Which are not insignificant depending on the jumps you do.
You just accept the risks and consequences associated with something you love. You do your best to minimize it, but it's still there. For each and every one of us.
On a lighter note, there's no consensus on closed head injury / concussion in sports. There are loose guidelines, but nothing backed up by science- it's all anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt. Here's a summary from the 1997 American Academy of Neurology Quality Standards Committee summary statement:
Grading:
Grade 1: Transient confusion, no loss of consciousness (LOC), with symptoms resolving within 15 minutes.
Grade 2: Transient confusion, no LOC, symptoms lasting more than 15 minutes.
Grade 3: Any LOC

Recommendations for return to activity:
Grade 1: >1 week of no symptoms
Grade 2: >1 week without symptoms
Multiple Grade 2: >2 weeks without symptoms
Grade 3 (short LOC): 1 week without symptoms
Grade 3 (prolonged LOC): 2 weeks without symptoms
Multiple Grade 3: >1 month without symptoms.

This is assuming injury occurred during one episode. Multiple or repeated injury over several episodes are not included.

Take the above with a big grain of salt. There is no evidence out there (these were compiled as a literature review of 71 articles cited on MEDLINE as relevant to "brain concussion" and "athletic injury" but included no evidence considered Class I. Or even Class II probably but they don't say...) and if you need good info, look it up yourself or pay some neurologist to give it to you.

PS: I had a grade 3 concussion a few months ago and was jumping within weeks. Look at my profile; most of my activities have potential for head injury.

[Reginald 0]

Well, take your Dr.'s advice seriously. As far as concussions go you do run a risk of biffing a landing and wacking your head or having a collision in freefall. My biggest concern would be a hard opening though. I’ve had 1 and I’m pretty sure I got a mild concussion (I saw stars which is typically indicative of a concussion), the whiplash and bruises on my legs and chest and shoulders and the like sucked too. A friend of mine had a VERY hard opening this past weekend, the hardest of his 3,000 jumps. He was knocked unconscious and came to under canopy drifting away from the DZ, shortly before landing. If he was knocked unconscious he did get a concussion.

It is up to you and your Dr. to discuss the likelyhood of a mild concussion and its effects on your body but this is NOT a riskless sport. If you jump long enough you will have a hard opening.

Best of luck to you!

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

[tigra 0]

Chris,

When my sister was in college she had a couple of serious head injuries in about the same location (on her head/brain) over a relatively short period of time. She developed "acquired epilepsy" which she managed with medication. Being a young college student, she had a hard time with the medication- remembering when to take it, IF she took it, that kind of thing. She was also a competitive springboard diver, on scholarship. When she dove from a 3 meter springboard, she'd have seizures. It didn't take long to connect the 2 and she had to stop diving. The epilepsy went away (with no need for medication) at some point after she stopped diving. 20 some years later and she's fine with no trace of epilepsy.

Yes, the concern is real. In my sister's case it took more than one injury over a short period of time to cause the epilepsy. Keep in mind that even after you've been given a clean bill of health and are able to resume your normal activities, your brain will probably still be healing. It is something to consider. Skydiving for anyone is a personal choice and you have assess the risks for yourself.

The other side of the argument is that you have to live your life and you can't spend the rest of it wrapped up in gauze! And yes, there are many other ways you can get a concussion.

Good luck to you!

[Muenkel 0]

Thanks folks. There's some really good info here. I'll cross the bridge when I come to it. I appreciate all your help.

_________________________________________
Chris

[slug 1]

Hi Muenkei

In my opinion you have to look at potential gains vs losses.

We witnessed one jumper under a go fast canopy do a 180 and fly into another jumper. The go fast guy broke his leg when impacting the other jumpers head.

One reason for the go fast guy breaking his leg was the other jumper was wearing a pro tec helmet.
This type of mid air owee maybe rare. But their ae other ways to get a concussion when jumping, Freight trained doing RW (witnessed that twice), Corking, etc.

Don't know the type of damage your Dr is talking about if you get your bell rung again, only you can decide if the risk factor is worth the happy factor.
You can minimize your risk of head injury while jumping but you can't eliminate the risk completely.

R.I.P.

[falxori 0]

like people said, its as likely to happen in skydiving as in any other acticity (unlike a broken leg for example)

i got mine (a minor one) when i was 5 and someone ran into me, and another while playing soccer.

anyway, no one can take this decision for you.
your friends and people here will tell you jumping is worth the risk and your doctors will most liekly play it safe and tell you to stay still.
who is right? both.

its all about how you feel about it.
we'll welcome you even if you stay grounded

O

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

You could also look into ski helmets for better protection than what a skydiving helmet would provide(which is practically nothing).

With the exception of the aforementioned Pro-tec helmet
which offers very good protection.

__

My mighty steed

[Tonto 1]

Quote

I would say its not exactly an every day occurance and that if you make sure to wear GOOD head protection:

Remember a hard opening can result in concussion. Your head doesn't even have to touch something for you to be concussed.

If the doc's this skitish - maybe that says something.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[skydude2000 3]

I don't think concussions are very common in skydiving, although they do happen. I had a hard landing on my 10th jump, and didn't realize what it was until a few days later. My doctor said nothing about whether I should stop jumping, but of course, this was under a round T-10. I think there is a much slimmer chance of serious head injury under a square, as long as you are very careful.

Jump Safe

Skydude

[steve1 5]

I think Falxori pretty much summed it up. Many of us may advise you to jump, which may not be the smart thing to do. A lot of doctors are over cautious. So this is something to think about it.

I've only had one concussion, (when I landed on my head off a bronc.) Was unconscious for about 45 minutes and took the ambulance to the hospital. Broke my arm in the same fall. The doctor never said anything about taking it easy, so when I got out of the hospital the next morning, I got on the phone and entered another rodeo for the following weekend. I never claimed to be too bright. But I am a lot older now, and hopefully a little wiser.

I suppose it all depends on the type of head injury you had. It would be smart to heed your doctor's advice. If you are like the rest of us it would be very hard to hang up skydiving.

Dan Brodski was told he should never jump again. He broke his neck and was unconscious for weeks. He's made thousands and thousands of jumps since then. Maybe this wasn't smart, but it was worth it to him. His neck still bothers him a lot, every day, but he still jumps.

So this will undoubtedly be a tough choice to make. In my mind there are better more important things in life than jumping. Your long term health is one of those. But then again skydiving would create a huge hole in my life if I quit. So I don't envy the choice you have to make....Steve1