Tunnel and reconstructive knee surgey

[YISkyDive 0]

Has anyone had to deal with MCL / ACL / reconstructive knee surgery? If so, how long post opp. did you stay out of the tunnel? Also, presume they won't let you fly with a brace, right? There's about a 0% chance my brace would go under my tunnel suit lol.

Any advice would be really appreciated. I've lost surfing / skiing / skydiving / kitesurfing for the next 10 - 12 months so I'm hopeful the tunnel is not the same situation.

[arwynn 0]

I've had ACL reconstruction (patellar tendon autograft), started flying RW in tunnel 2.5 months post opp, and then FF after a couple of weeks. But I wear a brace _under_ my suit.

Also, I started jumping about 3 months post opp, though with a low wing loading (about 1:1). Now it seems to me it would be better to wait at least 4 months, but everything went ok. However, you shouldn't take this as an advice, just my personal experience:)

[BigBUG 0]

It is very depending of what exactly you are flying.

Generally as an instructor I would not reccomend to fly if your body is not working for 100%, but then no one will be flying at all, so I won't.

There are two things you should consider - possible impact and static/dynamic load. If you flying something quite advanced, serious chances are that you'll hit the net or the wall. If you are trying to 'protect' your damaged limb, these chances significally increases (see Murphy's law :) )
Even without impacts, advanced flying could be very hard for legs, especially headup and dynamic. We have two instructors here who had problems with their knee - in the end one had to do a surgery and second guy won't fly for another 3-4 months.

So, please be very careful. Do not rush, try to squeeze this brace under suit (or get a bigger one), plan short sessions and listen to your body. And let your coach know (actually remind him ofthen) about this problem.

[boxhead 0]

It is impossible to say without knowing the details of your medical situation and tunnel experience. I can say that most tunnels are flexible and will TRY to safely accommodate an injury or disability provided it doesn't involve the neck or spine. Having issues with my knee (moderate pain and swelling that comes and goes), I find that sometimes is not worth flying when it is flaring up, but most days I fly fine as long as I take extra care to protect it. If you are already a semi competent flyer, it may be worthwhile to test the waters by flying a short session and sticking to what you can already do. If you are a complete beginner to the tunnel, I would hold off, as the first steps in the progression can be especially bumpy.

Good Luck!