ride restrictions - shoulder injury

[elheffner]

My son just fractured his shoulder (minor fracture)(hit a tree snowboarding) and is bummed thinking that next week when we go to disneyworld he wont be able to go on rides. He's 14 - so thats his major draw. He'll be in a sling only. Does anyone know what the ride restrictions would be?

 

[LaurenT]

Disney won't stop him..it's up to you to ask his orthopedist what he can and cannot do and then follow that advice so he doesn't compound the injury. I would think that anything that's not too jostling would be ok...it's a hairline fracture, not like there are little broken pieces in there that are going to move on him....

 

[ancestry]

I agree. You should talk to his doctor about what his restriction should or shouldn't be.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with the other posters that you need to talk to his doctor about what restrictions are recommended.
WDW won't stop a guest from riding - they put out warnings and it's up to you to decide how the warnings apply to you.

You can look at the park maps for the attractions with warnings - they are marked with a red triangle on the map and also on a sign at the entrance to the queue.
The wording for the general warning is:
WARNING! For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.

For Epcot here are the attractions with warnings:

• Mission Space
• Test Track

For Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway (this is mostly for being hit from the rear by other drivers)
• Space Mountain
• Goofy's Barnstormer (this doesn't have a triangle warning sign on the map, but does say that pregnant women should not ride, so not totally tame)

For Disney Studio

• Star Tours
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror

For Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest
• Primeval Whirl
• Dinosaur

Some are rougher than others. For example, Rock N Roller Coaster is a pretty smooth roller coaster, but does have inversions. Primeval Whirl doesn't look that wild, but it can really whip you around.
If in doubt, you can always ask the CMs at the attraction and you can wait in line and leave at the boarding area.

 

[elheffner]

thanks for the responses. we won't see the orthopedist till next week. I was looking for suggestions on jostling. I think tower of terror, his favorite will be ok. Everest and rocknroller coaster are the worries. we'll see what the doctor has to say. They are both relatively new and smooth coasters, but I think the risk is too great.

 

[curemyreed]

I'm probably the only idiot in America who has had this experience, but...
I've been on the AK Safari ride a least a dozen times and the last time I rode it the ride was extremely jarring. I remember actually thinking, "Gosh, this seems a lot more jarring than I remember." about one minute before our vehicle lurched hard and I jammed my finger against the seat back ahead of us. Ouchie-wah-wah! I've never had a finger get popped out of joint before and it was sure painful until it went back where it belonged. Sorry to be graphic. Just wanted to throw out there that some rides you might not think about being rough actually can be.

BTW, sorry this happened to DS just before vacation. My DS is also 14 and I know having to skip his favorite rides would really bum him out.

 

[curemyreed]

Also, have you been to WDW before so that you know what most rides are like? Or are you asking about the jostling because you haven't experienced any of the rides? If not, you can go to YouTube and enter something like "Magic Kingdom rides" or "Animal Kingdom rides" and a bunch of clips will come up that you could watch to get an idea of what some of the rides are like.

 

[CLR4321]

I have seen 2 different people get on RNR in casts - one on an arm and one on a leg. I would suggest asking his Dr if going on any roller coaster type rides would affect his condition or if the sling would prevent him from riding on rides with over head restraints like RNR has. Really, riding on rides is not any different than riding in a car. It's not like he's going to be bumping his arm around on a ride. On rides that tend to push you to one side or the other (BMTRR and EE come to mind), have your son sit with his bad arm on the inside of the car so his arm only bumps into a person rather than the side of the ride seat. The person next to him can hold themselves from sliding around and avoid bumping it. Space Mountain won't be a concern because the sides of the seat are so low, ToT and Test Track are no worry at all either. One ride he may want to avoid is Primeval Whirl, as this ride is downright impossible to avoid bumping around on. Dinosaur is another one that he will want to ride with his bad arm on the inside, being a very bumpy ride.
Tell him not to worry! He will still get to have fun!

Oh, and a last note....if he cannot get the sling wet, he will need to avoid KRR, as he is very likely to get soaked.

 

[smokeyblue]

I totally understand a young boy who doesn't want to miss out of the action. When I was young my brother split his chin open sledding. A week later he split it open sledding again! He was in the hospital for severe bronchitis and was on the football field the day after he was discharged. His fearless nature lived on until his mid-twenties when he had his first child.

However, in my opinion there is no way I would ride TOT with an active shoulder issue; or any other ride that jars you. The risk far outweighs the benefit; one or two minutes of a thrill is not worth the high risk for further injury. The shoulder is probably the most fickle of all our joints and so easy to reinujure. I've had lots of different injuries and surgeries in my life and my god a painful shoulder is the absolute worst!

 

[RMulieri]

You need to check with his Dr and FOLLOW his/her orders.I know it is disappointing, but the last thing you need is further trauma to that injury that will not only wreck your trip, but have a long lasting impact.

 

[twokids0204]

I agree... WDW won't stop you from riding anything...

Your own common sense however, should!

 

[TaraPA]

I think Dinosaur is the most "jostling" ride in all of WDW! I'd avoid that one with a shoulder injury, if it were me (or my son!). Just a side note - we just went through a round of treatment for DS12's shoulder injury - but it was muscular, not a fracture. He has been cleared for all rides at WDW (we go in 9 days & this was a major concern for DS as well, so I feel your pain!)

 

[Jenn1980]

I'm probably the only idiot in America who has had this experience, but...
I've been on the AK Safari ride a least a dozen times and the last time I rode it the ride was extremely jarring. I remember actually thinking, "Gosh, this seems a lot more jarring than I remember." about one minute before our vehicle lurched hard and I jammed my finger against the seat back ahead of us. Ouchie-wah-wah! I've never had a finger get popped out of joint before and it was sure painful until it went back where it belonged. Sorry to be graphic. Just wanted to throw out there that some rides you might not think about being rough actually can be.

BTW, sorry this happened to DS just before vacation. My DS is also 14 and I know having to skip his favorite rides would really bum him out.

Ouch, that had to of hurt!

 

[LaurenT]

thanks for the responses. we won't see the orthopedist till next week. I was looking for suggestions on jostling. I think tower of terror, his favorite will be ok. Everest and rocknroller coaster are the worries. we'll see what the doctor has to say. They are both relatively new and smooth coasters, but I think the risk is too great.

Is next week before or after your trip?
If before, just ask when you see him...if your next appt is after your trip I am sure he will give you guidelines over the phone, even if through his assistant.
Explain where you're going and ask what kind of movements you should try to avoid...

 

[disnut8]

thanks for the responses. we won't see the orthopedist till next week. I was looking for suggestions on jostling. I think tower of terror, his favorite will be ok. Everest and rocknroller coaster are the worries. we'll see what the doctor has to say. They are both relatively new and smooth coasters, but I think the risk is too great.

Your concerns might not be with the attractions but with the people walking around. There aren't going to be a lot of people who are going to be looking and saying "oh, a 14 year old boy with his arm in a sling, I'll go around him so I don't bump into him". I walked around Disney World during one Memorial Day weekend with my neck in a brace and no one gave me a wide berth so I had to deal with the little bumps all day long. I was pretty tired from doing that. If you can, try and protect that side of your son by walking in between him and other people as much as possible. My husband tried his best with me (still wasn't enough) but people are going to be bumping into him all day long. Not hard bumps, just brushing but it still could take its toll.