CaTo 0 #1 November 27, 2003 a couple of weeks ago I was diagnosed with a cervicaldiscal hernia of C5-C6 (via an MRI scan). I'm recovering rather fast, no pain, just a minor twinkling in my left thumb left. But the big question is: what to do with skydiving?. Currently I am having physiotherapy to strengthen my neck muscles, but nobody can give me a good advise on how to go on, because they do not know what skydiving really means..... So is there somebody out there with the same experience (hernia) or (real) advise?Caren Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iowa 0 #2 November 27, 2003 I've been jumping with a herniated disc, C-6 - C-7, for a few years now. Hasn't bothered me (jumping wise) since it first happened. It was caused by a very nasty, violent malfunction on a Tandem. Blew three ribs nose to tail, six or seven line twists with my head pushed farther forward than I thought possible. Had to take a few weeks off jumping but didn't know I had the hernia for a year or so when I started having numbness in my left arm. Cortizone, physical therapy didn't seem to help but the numbness gradually faded. I still make 200+ jumps a year. I guess you have to weigh the risks/rewards for yourself. Another opening like that could wreck me but I still do tandems. Good luck. Keith ''Always do sober what you said you would do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.'' - Ernest Hemingway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #3 November 27, 2003 The good news is that herniated discs heal. That bad news is that they take time to heal. Sixteen years ago I herniated a disc in my lower back. The first winter I took the doctors' advice, just lay around and moaned about the pain. Drugs did nothing and visiting the physiotherapist on the far side of town was more trouble than it was worth. The second winter I swam three times a week and was far more cheerful. The third winter I took aerobic dance classes three times a week. The third spring I earned a Progressive Freefall Instructor rating. Since then I have done 2,600 tandem jumps and packed a similar number of reserves. Everytime I slack off on sit-ups or stretching, my lower back and legs remind me. Hmm! I really should do some sit-ups today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cruzlite 0 #4 November 28, 2003 Caren, Background; I sustained a compression fracture in lower back(L-4 area I think), on motorcycle in '79. Disk was vaporized & vertebrae above it now resides, (Auto-fused to), on top of what remains of L-4. Two years later I started jumping & made 300 jumps to '92, with no major problems. Traction-stretching exercises were crucial to relieving the occasional misalignments & resulting pain. (These [misalignments] were caused by anything from coughing to face plant from low hook). In '94 I herniated the disc above the fracture lifting 80#s at work. This injury was every bit as debilitating and painful as the fracture, however I gained instant relief with epidural injections of a cortisone-like drug. (although I now have to shave my tongue) (I stayed out of Skydiving from '91 to '03). I maintained ab. conditioning with swimming & sit-ups in a roman chair or on parallel bars. I have returned to the sport recently with no major prolems. That said, and keeping in mind that what follows are NOT recomendations, only thoughts, that is, putting myself in your position, heres my input... Just noticed your link, be right back... Looks like a sweeet site! (Was looking for discription of your injury-incident) Sounds like yours is an upper back, posibly neck injury...The higher up the spine the hernia occurrs... the more damage it can do by pressing against nerves, because the higher up the back you go, the more nerves are present. I would avoid hard opennings, (you may want to upsize & change canopies). I would avoid excess wieght on my helmet. (you may want to downsize camera equiptment-SIGNIFICANTLY-by the cursory glance at your rig) I would avoid hard landings. (Again you might want to upsize & or change canopies). I would avoid excess pressure/wieght on hands & arms at extension.(You may want to reduce the size of wing in camera suit). Generally, I would become much more conservative in my flying, both freefall & under canopy I would consider a lay-off.(Give your self time to heal). From the info. you have provided, it sounds like you have not experienced the kind of pain this kind of injury can produce... please be smart... take it slow...work your way back into it. Best of Lu7ck, D ps; I may be missing something here but, does Lightning+camera=hard openning+hernia? If so, I would go to (bigger) TRI or Spectre-I LOVE my new 5.0 TRI! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaTo 0 #5 November 28, 2003 thanks for the response QuoteThat said, and keeping in mind that what follows are NOT recomendations, only thoughts, that is, putting myself in your position, heres my input... Just noticed your link, be right back... Looks like a sweeet site! (Was looking for discription of your injury-incident) I did not yet put in on my website, family is watching that too What happened is that I had a weekend with 10 camera CRW jumps (filming the new dutch record ). first of all, I made all jumps those day's with video AND photo camera. The latter is a heavy one (Nikon 8008) and normally I only use this one for one or two jumps a day/weekend. Then secondly, one of my openings resulted in a MAJOR twist, with my head to my chest. Since I had to know where I was flying (and not going into the formation...) I used all my normal and adrenaline-strenght to pull my head through the twist. I think that that was the incident that resulted in the real pain... Afterwards I jumped 3 times (I just had to film the record...) using paracetamol to ease the pain. The night and day after proofed to be very painfull, and the feeling of my left thumb was gone. To make a long story short, after seeing some doctors, I received better painkillers, and was diagnosed with a hernia. That's all 6 weeks ago, and the pain is gone (already for 3 weeks) and today I almost have a normal feeling in my thumb. I am getting physiotherapy to strenghten my neck QuoteSounds like yours is an upper back, posibly neck injury... it is the neck.... QuoteI would avoid hard opennings, (you may want to upsize & change canopies). I would avoid excess wieght on my helmet. (you may want to downsize camera equiptment-SIGNIFICANTLY-by the cursory glance at your rig) I would avoid hard landings. (Again you might want to upsize & or change canopies). yep, my lightning has already been adapted by my good friend the rigger, no more spider but split-slider. he tested it himself and told me it opens like a baby About the video equipment: this is a very good reason to finally buy that supersonic digital photocamera which is half as heavy as my nikon. Furthermore we are looking for a split-camera (with firewire interface) with the lens on my helmet, and recording part somewhere on my body. Quoteps; I may be missing something here but, does Lightning+camera=hard openning+hernia? If so, I would go to (bigger) TRI or Spectre-I LOVE my new 5.0 TRI! my other canopy (for freefall) is a spectre, did not use it yet for CRW filming... maybe also an option future: i will take it easy for the next three month (its too cold anyway :-) and decide in march on how I feel. But giving up skydiving is not yet in my vocabulary.... carenCaren Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #6 November 28, 2003 I'm sorry I have nothing to offer in the way of advice CaTo , but I can offer some {{hugs}}~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
