DroptheMan04 0 #1 July 21, 2006 I'm curious, if anyone has exprience neck injury after pull to deploy the canopy and before full opening? How to handle the injury while pilot the canopy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #2 July 21, 2006 There's a good article that helps reduces neck injuries. It doesn't quite say anything about neck injuries, but more about stable openings, but it helps! (things like looking at the horizon while opening, etc) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 2 #3 July 21, 2006 Yeah... A few weeks ago I got an instant opening of my vengeance, was jumping 2 camera's. Got slammed by my chest strap into my windpipe which broke the skin and my helmet slammed into the back of my neck. I just hung there for a while. Very lucky my vengeance opened straight and without damage (although I did find some small holes later on). Couldn't even move my head to look up much. Pulling the slider down to be able to undo my brakes (I have triple risers) took a fairly long time, but I felt I had to pull the slider down because flying with triples with a slider in the way sucks. That accomplished, I just hung there again. Note that I never even checked my canopy for damage, couldn't have moved my neck that far anyway, the canopy felt normal. Piloted my canopy real slow. Luckily I could flare, sort of, so I landed ok. But couldn't walk after that, couldn't MOVE. Was hurting all over, tailbone to neck, and half in shock I think.... The van had to come pick me up. Spent over 3 hours in the hospital, pictures showed a possible tear in one of my vertebrea, but turned out to be ok. It was more my back than my neck that hurt. My ribs still hurt, right now. But I did make some jumps again when i could MOVE everything again (not smart, ok, but it hurt as much on the ground as in the air so no difference really) Thing is, I got myself down in one piece because I HAD to. Would've liked to curl up and cry, but had to wait untill I was on the ground (and curling up was not an option untill a week later )... I was real lucky I didn't break anything and that I could move my arms and stuff. Still trying to figure out what caused the slammer, but have jumped the same canopy again, we're back to the usual slow openings again. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reginald 0 #4 July 21, 2006 Okay, I’ve had a degenerative disc between my C6 and C7 for as long as I can remember. It only caused pain so I just lived with it and didn’t know there were any other options really. Jumping didn’t help it any but wasn’t the cause of the problem. I had a sleeping incident last February, where I woke up with severe neck pain. While I was working out that week I noticed that my right triceps was weak. I figured it was just muscle strain. Jumping the next weekend I noticed I was struggling to do things like pulling, an odd feeling at 3K feet. I also noticed that I was so weak that I had trouble pulling on my toggles to release my brakes. I had to put all my strength onto flaring, which normally took little effort. This all kept getting worse over the course of the weekend. Finally, after one jump I just about couldn’t release my brakes; it took all the effort I could muster. When I was coming in for landing and after I planed my canopy out by pulling down on the brakes about 6 inches, I tried to finish my flare but right arm just refused to function, only my left arm would move. In that fraction of a second as I was now executing a hard left turn at 3 feet I tucked and rolled doing the best “PLF” of my life. It made for a spectacular dust cloud right on the beer line! Talk about getting some attention. With a right arm that wouldn’t function I figured I should maybe talk to a Dr., fortunately a very experienced trauma Dr who jumps was there, and I got checked out. He told me to get into my Dr. the next morning. Long story short I had my C6 and C7 fused 2 months ago, pics attached, and I’m no longer in pain and have the strength back in my arm. The surgeon told me I should be jumping again in September or so. My overall experience with physical injuries in the air is that you do what your need to do, find the strength you need even if it is through force of will, and get yourself down. Then you can lay on the ground whimpering and waiting for help. Can anyone say Dacron lines and big sliders?"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #5 July 21, 2006 My opening/neck issue was similar to the others posted here. Got slammed on open, wicked riser burns on my neck, absolutely no ability to move for several seconds. Like the others, I was lucky to have a good canopy over my head. Basic will-power to land ok. I flew in 1/2 brakes with only mild toggle input since that was really all I could do at the time. Flared as best I could. Someone else had to reel in my gear and carry it for me, no way I could have. Trip to the ER should 'age related degeration (and I'm only 32!!!!!)' but no permanent damage. I know a couple of people who had compression fractures on open, so I was lucky. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
