Force Fin Question...

[CuttlefishCuddler]

So as the title states, I have a question regarding Force Fins, and if they would be a good choice for me.

I have a leg condition that has caused both of my legs to turn outward about 45 degrees below the knee. As you can image, swimming can be difficult and very painful. Most fins don't really allow my legs to move the way they have to due to the rotation. Right now, I am using split fins, which seem to let me swim a little easier and my legs don't get as tired as they do with traditional blade fins. However, I am wondering if Force Fins would be an improvement.
Any ideas?

 

[buddhasummer]

I'm sure Dan wil be along shortly. He is very knowledgeable about Force Fins. Good luck.

 

[Bob Evans]

I will leave this post to Dan, since he has first hand Force Fin knowledge to share on recent event's. Best Wishes, Bob Evans
.

 

[meesier42]

boy this is a really hard one, not being a doctor and fully understanding you medical condition its really hard to say if the fins will work better. I know the fins work really well for people with limited ankle mobility, but have no idea about knees.

 

[shawnhammer]

I'll jump in here with my thoughts. I've been diving Force Fins since '94 and though I cannot comment on your specific situation, I'll comment on how I use Force Fins and that could be useful to you.

First off, my kick is not the straight leg, pointed toes kick usually recommended. My kick is typically from the knee rather than the hip and frequently is only to get me moving forward a little rather than move me long distances quickly. I'll frequently feather the movement side-to-side to manage my position. My goals are maximizing efficiency and minimizing movement while avoiding positions that put my fins in a place to contact the bottom or to move silt into the water column.

From your description, it sounds like a straight leg kick would introduce significant twisting pressure against your knees and that the split fin allows the fin to slip a little more rather than apply that twisting pressure. If that's correct, I think it would also reduce the efficiency and increase the amount of kicking necessary to achieve the same propulsion.

I'd be inclined to suggest switching to a bent knee kick and set lower expectations about how much distance you're going to cover. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat off-line about ideas.

-Shawn