Diver with both ankles fused

[DIVEFORFUN1]

I'M a Cert. Diver. I broke my back and crushed both ankles and heels in a car wreck . My back healed up ok but not perfect and I'm able to walk , but seeing that both ankles and heels have been fused together with a piece of bone from my hip. Each foot has 17 screws , 2 metalpates which gives me limited movement up an down and no side to side motion . I can't use a normal set of fins so I was wondering if anyone knew of a company the made special fins for a condition like mine , or does anyone have any suggestions. Has anyone been threw something similar. Desperate to dive again

 

[underH2Oman]

Sorry to here of your accident..

I do not know of any fins that might work. You should think about going with a DPV. You only need to use fins as a rudder to assist with making directional change.

I hoppe you can get back into the water soon.

 

[DIVEFORFUN1]

Thanks for the reply, will check into that

 

[Akimbo]

What is your Dorsal and Planar flexion range?

 

[DIVEFORFUN1]

I'M not sure of the exact range but i can tell you this . if i try to pull my foot upwards towards my shin, it stops at about a perfect 90 degrees angle. if i push down as if pushing down a gas pedal it stops at about 60-65 degrees angle. if standing my ankles won't roll side to side as if trying to stand sideways on a hill. . thanks for the reply hope this info helps

 

[knotical]

... if i try to pull my foot upwards towards my shin, it stops at about a perfect 90 degrees angle. if i push down as if pushing down a gas pedal it stops at about 60-65 degrees angle. ...

That pretty well describes my ankles without having been in an accident. Probably worth while getting in a pool and experimenting. You might find less difficulty than you expect. fwiw, my preferred fins are Force Fins because they put less strain on ankles.

 

[diversteve]

Have you tried split-fins? You might get a little more whip out of them. Maybe even some of those really long free-dive fins - you can "snap" them with very little effort. IDK if you have the mobility for that though - possibly a flutter kick might drive you forward - using mostly your hips to generate momentum. I kick my splits that way sometimes - my ankles/knees barely move.

Maybe contact an HSA (Handicapped Scuba Assn.) certified shop/instructor and see what they recommend. They don't appear to have any in MS but there's a couple in AL. And a lot in FL. or GA. https://www.hsascuba.com/

Your situation can't be worse than what paraplegics face. Some wear webbed gloves to help with propulsion also. http://www.amazon.com/Darkfin-Webbed-Power-Gloves/dp/B00AHHKY16

 

[tc]

Right off the top of my head the problem would seem to be that without the ability to extend the toes downward more than 25 deg. (ish) most conventional fins would be kicking with the tips straight down into the thrust?

There are kick techniques that could help with that- the one that I can picture is a modified flutter, by bending at the knee and then using a short kick the thrust would get directed backward without having to have a lot of flex in the ankle.

Here's a video of that kick- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhBeGVQmLjI

Another way to help- find a fin that has a bend downward near the toe so that the fin angle will be closer to the desired angle with the 90 deg. ankle position. I had a pair of TUSA split fins that had a bend just like that, not sure if they are still out there or not.

A more flexible fin would help but I think a force fin would be counterproductive in this case- the fin tips angle significantly upward, countering the gain you would get from using a bent knee kick.

 

[tc]

Here's another video of the modified flutter- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00KL5fFb7Mw

You can probably find a bunch more with a search.

Here's a gif of the angle I mentioned-

 

[diversteve]

Another way to help- find a fin that has a bend downward near the toe so that the fin angle will be closer to the desired angle with the 90 deg. ankle position. I had a pair of TUSA split fins that had a bend just like that, not sure if they are still out there or not.

It's these - what I use. Tusa. Scubatoys still sells them:

When using the standard, flat fin, when the leg is completely extended, there remains an angle of 27 degrees between the heel of the foot and the calf of the leg. This causes 10% of the propulsion that is produced by the kicking motion to be lost. Because the fin is angled below the body, during the kick phase, the body is pushed up and forward, instead of straight ahead. The angle of the Tusa XPert Zoom fins corrects this and gives you unparalleled performance.

Tusa Zoom Fins discounts on sale Tusa