Public Service Announcement - Learn from my mistake

[Catavarie]

Ouch, hope you have a quick recovery. Of course that doesn't look like a hammock you are laying in in that pic, so are you sure you didn't hit your head too?

[IRONFISH45]

So sorry to hear you hurt yourself. I think ER makes you tell your story over and over again so they can have a good laugh. Anyway, I always carry a splint and some basic first aid things just incase, something goes wrong.

Just for in the what it is worth section, if you are not a quick fix, there is a little goodie called a "Knee Scooter", if your insurance won't buy one they sell on CraigsList and FleaBay. They are great, you can get around without putting weight on you ankle. Otherwise, keep the leg elevated (above your heart), ice is a wonderful thing. A heat source on the tummy while icing makes the whole body feel warm. Stay off the ankle let it heal. I had a lot of success with a acupuncturist, she made my pain disappear with out drugs.

[ntxkayakr]

I was moving to full time hanging and had a most flukey accident related to hammocking. Thought I'd share in hopes it might save someone else some misery. I had been laying in the hammock and was getting ready to get up so had swung my legs up over the edge. I got distracted by something and sat there for a while and realized my leg had gone to sleep as a result of my leg over the edge of the hammock...

You should feel free to hang your hammock however you wish. However FYI, I grew up with indigenous people in the Amazon Jungle who only slept in hammocks for hundreds or possibly thousands of years and they never had this problem. The reason is because the adults almost always hang their hammocks low enough so that when they were using them as a chair (and typically this was the only chair they owned) their feet were resting on the ground and the edge of the hammock was not applying any significant pressure to the bottom of their knees or thighs, thus no loss of circulation.

[nc_robin]

Since I am a noobie it may be related to how the hammock was hung, although it was maybe 8-10 inches off the floor (I'm 5'4). More the culprit, I think, is that it's a double size hammock (I thought it would give me a flatter lie - instead it just gave me more material). I think because of the excess material, it was more gathered at knee point. Hard to say. Now rethinking what hammock might make more sense for daily use with Turtledog stands....

[CoreyR]

I feel for ya. I have a permenant ankle injury and have to keep a walking stick near my hammock to help with getting out of it for this reason.
I hope you heal up ok.

[dukhntn]

My legs fall asleep all the time, but I'm usually sitting on the toilet reading hammockforums. Haven't broken my ankle trying to get up yet though, that would be hard to explain to the er.