"Drop Foot" and scuba diving

banjoman1948 · Oct 18, 2011

I had a back injury last August that resulted in a "drop foot" in my right leg which means I'm not able to walk on my right heel or lift my right foot up at the heel. I had back surgery in September to alleviate the pressure on the nerve causing the problem. The nerve was badly bruised and may take months to heal, if it heals at all.

The surgeon gave me permission to swim in a pool. I swam using a snorkel and fins, but had difficulty finning since my right foot had no strength.

Is there anyone out there who had an experience with this condition, and how did it affect your diving? Thanks.

Dragon Down · Oct 18, 2011

I recently took a course on instructing Adaptive Scuba, that focused on teaching people how to dive with a multitude of different "disabilities", amputees, neurological issues and even quadriplegia. It sure opened my eyes to the possibilities for everyone.

If your doctor approves diving, get a good buddy to take the adaptive course with then do a few "easy" dives to see how everything works out. I would imagine that your kicking style will adapt as you practice.

Without knowing anything about your condition, just going off your post, if you still have the strength in your legs and it's 'just' your foot/ankle, maybe some kind of brace to hold your foot in the correct position and kick from the hip? I'd recommend talking with your physical therapist for ideas.

There are a few organizations out there that have a lot of information, such as Dive Pirates Foundation | Bringing Adaptive Divers into the Mainstream Diving Community. Wander that site and search for others and you'll find all kinds of ideas.

TSandM · Oct 18, 2011

You might want to post this in the Divers with Disabilities forum. I know there are some HSA instructors on this board who post there. HSA specializes in training instructors to work with divers who have physical issues. In this case, a brace of some kind might just be the answer.

blackvans1234 · Oct 18, 2011

Don't you use an AFO?

Just wear it with your fins

Or you could go without and see how that works out

I would experiment in a pool or something

cudachaser · Oct 18, 2011

I have "drop foot" in both legs and use AFO braces for walking. My wetsuit and booties afford the same support as the braces for me. Swimming underwater is somewhat enhanced with the drop foot since you want your feet pointed out for a proper kick.

The AFO's underwater will keep your feet perpendicular to your legs, an inefficient position for fin use

banjoman1948 · Oct 19, 2011

Thanks for all the responses. I'm reposting the thread in the Divers with Disabilities forum.

banjoman1948 · Oct 19, 2011

I did a lot of boat diving before my injury, especially wreck diving. When swimming with fins in the pool, I noticed I've lost a lot of finning strength. I'm concerned that if I boat dive again I might face a sudden surge of current at depth and wind up in trouble.

Any commets?

Wookie · Oct 19, 2011

I have a friend with a drop foot who got it the same way you did. I will put you two in touch outside of SB if you like. He is a liveaboard diver, quarry guy, and has done many working dives for me with no troubles at all. Or if he had troubles, he didn't tell me about them. Send me an e-mail and I'll get you together.

Spree@spreeexpeditions.com

cudachaser · Oct 19, 2011

You could try going finless in a confined situation. This can build your confidence of maintaining your space in the water column with just your arms and precise buoyancy control

Tom Winters · Oct 23, 2011

Geez, I never heard of this drop foot stuff, and now it turns out that all these people have it or know people who have it. Now there's another thing I can get that I didn't know was out there. I guess Steve Martin was the only person to get happy feet.

"Drop Foot" and scuba diving

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