Doing a PADI Open Water course with an injured knee.

[UnexpectedDreamer]

Hi guys,


Last year I did a Discover Scuba Dive and decided I had to come back to do my Open Water course! Even though I almost drowned myself and panicked, I just felt I needed to get back in and really get the hang of this! I did love it before the panic thing though...

Anyway, I've now booked a trip to Thailand for December/January and I'm all excited about it, and then my physio and orthopeadic surgeon tells me I need surgery on my knee - but the wait is more than 6 months, so it won't be fixed in time for my holiday!

My question is - will I be able to dive with my injured knee?

- I got a fracture in my tibial plateau in early June - it should be healed by now. This caused:

- a meniscus tear that is irritating everything else inside my knee.
- some muscle tearing (small) and possibly some rips/small tears in my ligaments.
- a severe case of "jumpers knee" - inflammation in the tendons.

At the moment I'm still on crutches if I need to walk more than short distances, the tearing should probably heal before December, and the inflammation might get less severe, but likely not disappear completely. The meniscus injury will be the same.

Any hope of become a certified Open Water Diver before Christmas?

Ps: I have searched online for this but can only find stuff about total knee replacements, and I definitely don't think that's gonna happen the next three months!

 

[tbone1004]

can you get into a swimming pool with fins? That will tell you everything you need to know. If you can flutter kick in the pool you should be fine. As a tech diver this hurts to say this, but you may want to consider split fins if you can snag a cheap pair on ebay. I had a full laceration of my calf muscle in a ski accident and that was the only way I could kick, though it was hilarious trying to frog kick in split fins, but my leg couldn't handle a jet fin at the time. The splits remove most of the resistance your leg sees so you might be able to kick around a swimming pool with that and it will work out.

good luck

 

[RJP]

Check out the medical clearance form and ask yourself if you - and your orthopeadic surgeon - would sign off on it.

Here's PADI's medical form...

https://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/forms/pdf/10063-ver2-0.pdf

There's nothing innately physically straining about diving in general, but that doesn't factor in your level of fitness/mobility/pain etc. Neither does that factor in divesite variances in things like water entrance/exits - do you have to walk up/down a large hill or lots of stairs? What about the need to climb a boat ladder? Just because you can tool around a a bit in pool - with or without split fins - doesn't mean you can handle four dives, in full gear, with whatever divesite logistics, and in whatever conditions you might find in the water.

Not suggesting you won't be able to handle it, just that you need to think about more than just "can I swim in fins"?

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

Agreed. Check out the medical form and see a specialist before committing. It may not be want you want to hear but taking your OW may not be the most prudent thing for your health. But we (for the most part) are not doctors and therefore the decision is not ours to make. Try contacting a specific dive medic/doctor who will have a much better idea of how the actual logistics and movements in diving (as outlined by RJP above) may affect, or be affected by, your injury.

Good luck

 

[UnexpectedDreamer]

Thanks for the info guys!

I'm starting to realise it might not happen this year, but I'll bring the form to my doctor and my orthopeadic surgeon and see what they say.

I originally thought the biggest problem would be to get in and out of the boat at the pier in Koh Tao

I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll be allowed to dive! Last time I went to Thailand I didn't see the point of wasting time with diving, only tagged along with my friends, now I don't see the point of going without diving!

 

[Pinecube]

Might be worthwhile to ask that if you're on any medication (for pain or whatnot) if it's ok to go diving while using it.

 

[DogDiver]

I had a total left knee done 3 years ago. My surgeon told me not to get the surgical site wet until it was completely healed. He didn't say anything about my dry suit. 30 days postop I was scuba diving. 34 days postop I did a Full Cave dive. Sidemount of course.


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[UnexpectedDreamer]

Pinecube: I'm not on any painkillers any longer, so hopefully it won't get any worse within the next three months! But thanks for the tip, there's a lot to keep in mind! The painkillers I do have (which I'm not using) have all sorts of warnings on them (don't drive etc), so probably coulnd't risk diving while using them.

DogDiver: This sounds very promising for me! Except I doubt I will get the surgery before I leave, so it means my knee won't like me doing much. But I'm hoping it will be a lot better, and that my doctors think diving is a great idea

 

[DogDiver]

Thanx. When I have my right knee done next spring, I'll have 12 weeks off. I'll do my rehab at CoCo View Roatan. [emoji2]


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[freewillie]

Short answer is possibly with a few caveats.

The tibial fracture should be healed. You can dive with a torn meniscus but the restrictions will be how much pain will you have with activity. Same goes for the soft tissue damage with the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

If you are still on crutches by December then no, you shouldn't seriously consider diving if you have to do any physical activity that would exacerbate the pain in the knee. This would include but not limited to walking in full scuba gear even for short distances and how does the knee respond to kicking for prolonged periods of time under water.

There are many divers who dive with physical limitations. Some divers will have heavy loads carried by others to the dive site. The scuba tank and BC is assemble with the regulator and placed in the water for the diver. The diver then gets into the water and gets into the scuba unit. This works especially well for divers with back problems who can't lift any weights. I read an article in Scuba magazine about the world's oldest diver in his 80 almost 90 and this is how he dives. Granted he only dives off of boats and does not shore dive anymore.

The other question then is how does the knee do when you are actually in the water. If you can get around both and you have no problems kicking underwater without pain then you should be okay surgery or no surgery. If the knee bothers you then no you can't dive.