Bungee jumping is an exhilarating sport that everyone should enjoy at some point. There’s nothing quite like jumping from a high point only to be snapped back up before hitting the ground. Wow, what a rush! But, unfortunately, like all sports, certain people should not do bungee jumping, but who?
I will talk about the 10 people who should avoid bungee jumping at all costs. It is a sport known for stressing out the body, no matter your fitness level. So naturally, a percentage of the population has a higher risk of significant injury, and it’s crucial you know if you fall in these categories before you book your jump.
Can a Bungee Jumping Company Deny Me from Going?
When it comes to bungee jumping, the guidelines are strict for a reason: to keep everyone safe. Therefore, a bungee jumping company can indeed deny you from being able to take the plunge.
This happens for a wide variety of reasons. Below, I will break these reasons down for you so that you can better understand why they turn people away.
10 People Who Should Not Go Bungee Jumping
While I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should try bungee jumping at least once in their life, a select few should refrain from embarking on this journey. Let’s take a look at the list below.
1. If You Are Pregnant
Anyone pregnant should not go bungy jumping for a wide variety of reasons, but the main reason is that you’ll risk the baby’s life.
When bungee jumping, you’re fitted into a harness, and sometimes this harness will reach around your hips or your chest. The sudden pressure from the harness can cause a placental abruption which might lead to pregnancy loss or stillbirth.
During your jump, you will feel the jarring sensation of every flip, twist, and turn, putting a lot of stress on your ligaments. These ligaments are already under a lot of pressure because the hormonal changes within your body cause them to loosen up, increasing the risk of significant injury.
Lastly, when you go bungee jumping, you have to fit in the harness. Everybody is different in the way that they carry a pregnancy. Not to mention, there’s a difference in size between carrying one baby and carrying triplets. The harness most likely won’t fit correctly; if it does, it will put too much pressure on the baby. It’s better not to go bungee jumping until you give birth.
2. People with High Blood Pressure, Heart Condition, or Circulatory Condition
The whole point of extreme sports is to get that initial adrenaline dump. While this is typically safe, it can cause issues in those with heart or circulatory problems.
Experiencing this adrenaline level that bungee jumping will raise the risk of heart palpitations, fainting spells, and cardiac arrest In cardio-sensitive individuals. While you’re unlikely to die from bungee jumping even with a heart condition, it’s not a good idea.
Moreover, if your heart isn’t pumping efficiently and you have a clotting disorder, bungee jumping could bring enough force to dislodge a clot and send it straight to your brain, heart, or lungs.
3. If You are Overweight
Being significantly overweight is an issue for several reasons, and anyone who falls into this category should refrain from bungee jumping.
Most overweight people, at least 40 lbs or more overweight are out of shape, making that one issue for bungee jumping because being out of shape holds more risks for injury. Not only that, but it’s perilous to go bungee jumping, especially if you are over the weight limit.
It comes down to that the cords cannot hold more than x amount of weight, and if you’re over the weight limit, there’s a fair chance that the cables will give way, allowing you to fall further than intended, or they could even snap.
Furthermore, the harness needs to fit. So, if you’re obese or morbidly obese, you won’t be able to jump anyway if the harness doesn’t fit how it is supposed to. Having an ill-fitting harness will cause significant injuries.
Read our related post, “What Is the Weight Limit for Bungee Jumping?” here.
4. People Who Have a Back Injury
While it’s okay primarily for people with back problems to participate in extreme sports, this is not an umbrella type of consent.
It’s safer to parasail with back issues than bungee jumping. This is because with bungee jumping, your body is whipped around, and on the rebound, it snaps your body back up, which can cause a lot of stress on your vertebrae.
Many bungee jumping injuries include broken spinal bones, compression fractures, and herniated discs. These injuries can usually heal, but sometimes the damage is permanent.
When you have a back injury that already exists, the damage that can be done from bungee jumping is extensive. It’s better to stay off the cord for now!
5. People Who Have a Neck Injury
Just as people with back injuries should avoid bungee jumping, the same can be said for those with neck injuries. When you’re jumping, the force of gravity on your entire spinal column on the rebound is significant.
It’s common for even the most healthy individual to walk away from bungee jumping with a bit of a sore neck, and it might hurt for them to turn their head or look up and down.
So, when you throw in an individual that has a neck injury, this can exacerbate a pre-existing condition. There are some infrequent circumstances where the bungee cord has gotten wrapped around someone’s neck.
If you have a neck injury, there’s no telling whether you’d come out on the other side from this! You could end up paralyzed or even lose your life, and it’s not worth it.
6. If You Have Had Surgery Recently
Anyone who has had surgery within the last three months should stay away from bungee jumping, no matter the surgery. Yes! This includes everyone from those who had a tooth removed to those who have had a gallbladder out, hip replacement surgery, heart surgery, or an operation for a broken toe.
If you have ever been bungee jumping, you’ll know that it’s very taxing on the body, even for the healthiest of people. Gravity is accurate, and you feel the effect of it when you jump off a platform attached to a cord.
My point is that the jump will put force on the area that was operated on. Most people clench their jaws, stiffen their bodies, or ignore their body position because they’re too focused on the fear they’re feeling. This puts excess stress on the surgical area, whether from the harness, the force of gravity, or holding your body in an ill position.
I understand you’re excited to go bungee jumping, but instead of going now, why don’t you first talk to your doctor to ask how long you must wait? Then, suitable research bungee jumping tours in your area and book your jump in advance.
7. Avoid if You Just Consumed a Lot of Food
One of the biggest mistakes you can make on your big bungee jumping day is to eat too much food before the jump!
You might think it’s okay because you’re hungry, the thought of bungee jumping doesn’t scare you, or you’ve bungee jumped so many times that you don’t think it will affect you. However, when you’re standing on that platform, everything changes.
It doesn’t matter how often you’ve been bungee jumping; it’s never a sensation you ‘get used to.’ Every single jump is a different experience. You might feel more force in your back one day, but it could all be in your stomach the next.
The worst feeling is falling 300 feet off a bridge while vomiting upside down, and it doesn’t sound like a fun experience. So, instead of grabbing a large steak, potatoes, and ice cream before your jump, eat a protein bar or drink a protein shake with a piece of fruit. Once you’re off the jump, you can eat or drink anything you want!
The last thing you want to do is get sick from the jump and puke it all up, this could ruin your day.
8. If You Have a Leg or Ankle Injury
Another group of people who should avoid bungee jumping for the time being are those with leg or ankle injuries. It’s best for you to hold off on the jump until you’re completely healed and cleared by your doctor.
Some harnesses are designed to wrap around your ankles and legs. Of course, this isn’t a good idea if you’re trying to heal from an injury, as the pressure the harness creates is enough to make your injury worse.
It still needs to be a good idea, even if you jump in a chest harness. As the endorphins are surging through your blood, your pain receptors aren’t as sensitive to pain as the endorphins are natural painkillers.
While being out of pain sounds excellent, this is dangerous for your injury because if you’re holding your leg or ankle in an awkward position, or if you hit it on the cord on the way down, or whatever the scenario, you can make you injury worse without you realizing it until later on in the day.
9. Toddlers and Young Children
Overall, bungee jumping has a minimum weight and size requirement as it is, and this is because the equipment has specific guidelines. Most harnesses used are not fit for a little child, and the kid could easily slip out and fall to their death.
Bungee jumping usually has an age requirement that people be at least 14 or 15 years old with parental permission. (Remember, I’m speaking globally, not just in the USA, so always check the age restrictions when booking your jump with a particular company.) However, most companies require participants to be at least 18 years old.
Something else to think about is that kids want to commit to something but frequently change their minds. While they can step away from the ledge before the jump, they can’t turn back once they leap. Kids should be respected when they tell you what they want, but there are limits.
Read our related post, “How Old Do You Have to Be to Bungee Jump?” here.
10. Seniors
Lastly, this category is not to say that seniors can never go bungee jumping; however, most shouldn’t, as injuries are more likely to happen to an elderly jumper.
As you age, the body becomes less and less resistant to injuries, so the pressure that bungee jumping causes on your body can be enough to sprain your muscles or even break your bones. People have even gotten a bulged disc from jumping, which you don’t want.
If your heart is set on bungee jumping, I highly advise you to talk to your doctor and get a medical clearance. This is to reassure yourself that you are or are not okay to jump, and some bungee jumping tours will require doctor clearance for those over a certain age.
Read our related post “How Safe Is Bungee Jumping? (Bungee Jumping Safety Guide)” here.
When Heather is not participating in extreme sports you can find her working the events across the country, or writing about these amazing adrenaline rushes. She loves to go skydiving, snowboarding, parasailing, hang gliding, dirt boarding, off-roading and hiking.
