Muenkel 0 #1 June 5, 2002 I injured myself during tunnel training. It is a stretched nerve caused by my shoulder being thrown back. I have since heard from other folks who have experienced the same injury in a tunnel. My doc feels the shoulder might have been jerked back as soon as I entered the tunnel.My question is: Does the tunnel simulator have a more intense effect on your body than normal freefall? I hope to begin AFF once the shoulder heals, but my concern is...will I do this again...and this time it won't be in a controlled environment.Thanks"JANE, HOW DO YOU STOP THIS CRAZY THING?"Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weid14 0 #2 June 5, 2002 more intense as you can slam into walls and a floor pretty easily if you're new (even if you'r'e not so new and trying something new). It may be a little harder on oyur body as you tend to have more "air time" in a tunnel vs freefall. but in my experience same amounts of time are equal on your body. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #3 June 5, 2002 The problem may have been that your shoulder muscles were slack when you entered the wind tunnel. Most people involuntarily tense up any time they get near the open door of an airplane. These tense muscles help stabilize your shoulder joint.If you were un-prepared mentally and physically when you entered the wind tunnel, then you increased your risk of injury.All that being said, I would go with the earlier, more obvious explanation: you probably hit the wall shoulder first.The long-term solution is an exercise program that will toughen up all the muscles in your shoulders. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkM 0 #4 June 5, 2002 The problem I had with the wind tunnel wasn't slamming into a wall or anything. Over the course of a day in it my left arm slowly went numb. Turns out I was pinching a nerve in my neck from arching hard.In freefall I would pretty much always do a sloppy relaxed arch. I could fall at my own speed. But in the tunnel your fallrate is forced by the airflow. This is a good thing, because you learn to control your fallrate. But there were times in the tunnel where I was giving 120% and STILL having to fight my way down against the air. Combine that with how much longer/frequently you're in a tunnel vs freefall and I think it just put too much stress on my neck.Took me out for a few months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muenkel 0 #5 June 5, 2002 Actually, I never hit the wall either. Also, I do work out every other day, so my shoulder muscles are in decent shape. I think MarkM's explanation makes more sense."JANE, HOW DO YOU STOP THIS CRAZY THING?"Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weid14 0 #6 June 5, 2002 well, its a buldged disk in the neck, I have one, and being on creepers really irritates it, but the tunnel and free fall really don't bother it. Make sure you aren't arching with your head, just lower back and chest. if you're fighting that hard, weights may be in order also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirils 1 #7 June 5, 2002 Last Spring my wife and I spent 42 minutes between us in the tunnel at Orlando in 1 day. I felt like a truck had hit me when it was all over. Exhuastion is a mild word for the extreme fatigue. I think freefall is more stressful then we imagine, the short duration makes it tolerable.Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
