Skydiving and Hip Replacement

[okalb 104]

My uncle is very interested in learning to skydive but is nervous because of a hip replacement that he had done. He is in extremely good physical shape, he is an avid tennis player and heli-skier.

Obviously he will talk to his doctor before making any decision, but I generally find if you have the sniffles or stubbed your toe, and ask a wuffo doctor if it is ok to skydive they will say no.

I just wanted to get some opinions from people here. I know we have quite a few doctors on these forums. I really wanted to hear from them as well as anyone who may have undergone hip replacement.

What do you guys think?
-OK

Time flies like an arrow....fruit flies like a banana

[billvon 3,080]

Has his doctor put any restrictions on his activities outside skydiving? (i.e. hiking, biking, stairs etc)

[matthewcline 0]

As well as what billvon has said I will add I have Tandemed a few ladies and gentlemen who have had hip and knee replacement with out issue, 2 went on to the FJC and are very close to the good ole' "A" license.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[bozo 0]

Ive got a total hip replacement. Ive made probably 450 jumps since I got it done.
Dont bullshit your Uncle....youre playing with fire jumping with it because it can work loose early.
Having said that....its worth it to me... but standup landings are a thing of the past. I wont chance the jarring of a standup.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[mnealtx 0]

do you slide in, then?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[bozo 0]

Quote

do you slide in, then?

Yup. I have perfected the skydiving homeplate slide. Not much different than the landings I used to do with tandems.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[mnealtx 0]

Cool...glad it's working for you and you can still jump!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[bigorangemd 0]

After he is released to normal activity it is something he can do with a few dangers he needs to be aware of. As long as landings are normal no problem. He is at increased risk of dislocating his hip. Also if he should have an accident and break around his prosthesis, it can be a real problem. People play pro sports with prosthesis so they can handle abuse, but he has to be willing to accept some extra risk. Flying a lightly loaded canopy will always be a good idea. Also the tandem slide is an excellent idea. Hope he makes the choice that is right for him and doesn't look back.

[bozo 0]

Quote

After he is released to normal activity it is something he can do with a few dangers he needs to be aware of. As long as landings are normal no problem. He is at increased risk of dislocating his hip. Also if he should have an accident and break around his prosthesis, it can be a real problem. People play pro sports with prosthesis so they can handle abuse, but he has to be willing to accept some extra risk. Flying a lightly loaded canopy will always be a good idea. Also the tandem slide is an excellent idea. Hope he makes the choice that is right for him and doesn't look back.

well damn....I said almost the exact same thing and I aint even a doctor. go figger.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[bigorangemd 0]

Well having one kinda makes you an expert

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Kramer has had a hip replacement (among other things...) and he says the hip doesn't bother him at all on skydives.

[doorgirl 0]

From what I know about hip replacements, after you get your first total hip replacement you usually have one good shot at a revision hip replacement. After that, things get much more difficult. For that reason, your uncle should be ok with putting his replacement at higher risk. Then again, there are much more common ways to loosen the implant and those of us with our original hips only have 2 (or 3 if you can get resurfacing) more chances to get a new hip anyways.

If he is serious about skydiving and concerned with this he should probably seek out the opinion of an orthopedic surgeon who is comfortable with active patients. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) has a search function where you can find doctors by town. Through referrals from his doctor, or calling around to AAOS doctors’ offices from the site, he should be able to find a doctor who is comfortable with skydiving itself (or with other physically demanding sports and the ability to consider skydiving as a sport and not a daredevil stunt) and then can look at his case without wuffo concerns and evaluate it based on his unique situation.