Diving With Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

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rightisleft

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Messages
5
Reaction score
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Location
Brooklyn
# of dives
25 - 49
Howdy folks!

I’ve been recreationally diving with a disability for over 2 decade (primarily warm water). My partner and I just moved up to Portland OR and the dive conditions here are much different with very heavy cold water gear.

What is HSP? (HSP : HSP & PLS : Spastic Paraplegia Foundation)

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) is a group of rare, inherited neurological disorders. Their primary symptoms are progressive spasticity and weakness of the leg and hip muscles. Researchers estimate that some 90 different types of HSP exist; the genetic causes are known for about fifty. The HSP incidence rate in the United States is about 20,000 people. The condition is characterized by insidiously progressive lower extremity weakness and spasticity.

The hallmark of HSP is progressive difficulty walking due to increasingly weak and stiff (spastic) muscles. Symptoms appear in most people between the second and fourth decade of life, but they can start at any age. Initial symptoms are typically difficulty with balance, stubbing the toe or stumbling. Changes begin so gradually that other people often notice the change first. As the disease progresses, canes, walkers and eventually wheelchairs may become needed, although some people never require assistive devices. Other common symptoms of HSP are urinary urgency and frequency, hyperactive reflexes, difficulty with balance, clonus, Babinski’s sign, diminished vibration sense in the feet, muscle spasms, and congenital foot problems such as pes cavus (high arched foot). Some people may experience problems with their arms or fine motor control of their fingers but for most people, this is not significant.

What Problems does this cause?

Honestly, being in the water is one of the least painful activities I’ve ever done, and once i'm in i feel and perform great.

As I get older, the spasticity & hyperactive reflexes in my lower legs makes standing on 1 foot to enter the wet suit & pulling my leg up to put on my fins very very difficult (the fins more so). The addition of a 7M Farmer John suit really kicked my ass yesterday. I was completely gassed before even entering the water. I was also unable to bend my legs to put my own fins on,

I sat out the second dive. Bummer, but always be safe.

What am I looking for?

Are there any assistive devices that help with putting fins on?

Are there any assistive devices the help with balance while putting on a wet suit?

Are there any final thoughts on this type of issue when diving? Has anyone else dealt with this?

Thanks in advance!
 
I don’t have your condition, but with bad knees and sciatica, I have some experience with work arounds.

Sit down when putting on your wetsuit. Sit down. Get both legs in and then pull suit up to your knees while sitting. When stand up to pull it up to your waist. Then sit down go get your upper body into suit.

Do your fins have spring straps? If not, they’re a must. Lean on your buddy to get your fins on. Do a “figure 4.” Hold onto buddy’s shoulder. Bend one leg so the ankle is at the other leg’s knee. Repeat for the other leg. Ask buddy to hold other fin while you’re getting one on. Grab onto wetsuit leg to pull it up if necessary.

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help. I just did my full cave certification in the Mexican cenotes. Many stairs. We hired a porter (aka scuba sherpa) to haul all gear, including tanks. Porter even brought our sidemount harnesses to use at the water’s edge.
 
Awesome advice. Spring straps sounds like a win. I've seen them but never used them.

Interestingly enough, the figure 4 is the exact move i have problems with. My legs/hips just no longer bend that way. I'm even considering putting something on top of my wet suit around my shins/ankle that would allow me to 'grab and pull' my leg into that position.

Video to Figure 4: Donning Fins Correctly
 
Awesome advice. Spring straps sounds like a win. I've seen them but never used them.

Interestingly enough, the figure 4 is the exact move i have problems with. My legs/hips just no longer bend that way. I'm even considering putting something on top of my wet suit around my shins/ankle that would allow me to 'grab and pull' my leg into that position.

Video to Figure 4: Donning Fins Correctly

I’m not that flexible myself. I will sometimes grab my drysuit towards the bottom of the leg. And I’d grab the bottom of my wetsuit when I used to dive wet.
 
Awesome advice. Spring straps sounds like a win. I've seen them but never used them.

Interestingly enough, the figure 4 is the exact move i have problems with. My legs/hips just no longer bend that way. I'm even considering putting something on top of my wet suit around my shins/ankle that would allow me to 'grab and pull' my leg into that position.

Video to Figure 4: Donning Fins Correctly
I just bought fins with spring straps and only used them maybe 4 times. I have not had them come loose ever.

I have a wetsuit I use but for windsurfing, diving drysuit since late 90's, cert in 80.

While windsurfing a kite boarder
Instructor I saw was saying to a student that had trouble putting on a wetsuit, to put a plastic bag on foot and once easily foot it out bottom of wetsuit leg, remove the bag. It was like the thin bags in the vegetable section of the market. The arms same method. Oh, forgot but the park had those dog clean up bags, that is what was used. Free, don't say I said so.

Be sure to not let bags litter by getting away. Ocean needs all the help it can get. I was lucky I saw a blue whale while at the coast a few weeks ago. I was just having lunch an it spouted and the back glistening in the sun for quite a while with a darker backdrop of the ocean chop
 
If you can go for a dry suit. That will greatly increase your comfort and ease of donning gear. I like to dive wet (mostly because I don't want to pay for a dry suit) but even at nearly 37 I find it to be a pain in the butt.

Fin straps can be had on Amazon. I recently replaced the old cam locks for my Mares Quattro with their spring strap. They were about $45 and is worth every penny. The other possibility for fins is to inflate your BC then lay back in the water and have your buddy put them on. I do that for my short and shapely wife. One of my dive buddies does that for his very arthritic friend as well. It just makes everything easier and takes the stress away.

Get wet and blow bubbles
 
Honestly, being in the water is one of the least painful activities I’ve ever done, and once i'm in i feel and perform great.
I’m sorry, I don’t know a thing about your condition but am I getting this right that once you are relieved from gravity, your muscles are more relaxed? How about donning your fins while floating in the water? I prefer doing this over balancing somewhere on an irregular substrate when shore diving. Just trying to think with you…
 

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