Here we are on the third and final part to the series on surfing injuries and how chiropractic care can help. If you missed the first two articles, you can find them here…. In those articles we covered the neck, shoulders, chest, ribs, lower back and hips. This final piece will cover the arms and legs.
Elbow
Paddling is an essential part of surfing which means elbow pain is common, especially on the inside of the arm. “Surfer’s elbow” originates in the flexor carpi ulnaris (a muscle responsible for flexing the wrist) because of the repetitive paddling and pop ups with each wave.
Elbow pain on the outside of the elbow can be caused when the biceps muscle is worn down. This could occur during long stalls in a barreling wave or during layback snaps. Tendinitis is common in this area due to the repetitive action. This could also cause inflammation or irritation in the ulnar nerve causing burning pain shooting into the tips of the ring and small finger.
The best thing for these injuries is stretching exercises that will release the tension in the flexor. There are also exercises that can strengthen the muscles in the arm to help avoid this in the future.
Knee
The majority of all surfers have suffered from injuries and arthritis in the knee despite the fact that the time spent standing is minimal (in most cases, less than 5%). We run into a bit of a sticky issue here though. There have been numerous arguments that many exercises associated with muscle development and/or rehabilitation have been documented to actually worsen arthritis in the knee. Treadmill running, squats and leg extensions are very popular in most training circles. You will see opinions going both ways on these exercises, but the one exercise that everybody agrees on is cycling. Whether you use a stationary bike or the real thing, cycling is a great replacement for both the aerobic training and knee rehabilitation.
Anterior knee pain syndrome comes from the overuse of the body in the different forms of physical stress involved in surfing. Rest away from the board is your best option for relief.
For some surfers, overly bent knees cannot be avoided in certain situations. If the surfer is riding a fast tube backside, the “pig-dog” position, where he crouches low over his bent front knee, back leg extends back, outside hand holds onto the outside rail and his inside arm extends up, touching the face of the wave will push the patella (kneecap) of the bent knee against the thighbone.
Landing an air also causes tremendous stress to the knee. Even the slightest amount of swelling or muscle strain can cause pain at the back of the knee. Unless the knee is extremely swollen or unstable, rest, ice, compression and rehabilitation will get you back out there in no time.
Another common surfing injury comes from prolonged sitting on the surfboard where the insides of the knees are in contact with the board. This can lead to numbness and tingling in that area called “saphenous neuropathy.” The healing time on this injury is from a few days to weeks.
Knee Knots
Like the chest and hip knots from previous articles, these come from board contact while knee paddling. These “knots” are benign masses and will go away with time away from your board. If you find that they are tender, show excessive redness or if you develop a fever, please seek immediate medical attention.
This finishes up my three-part series on surfing injuries. Neither the list of injuries nor the treatment for them is exhaustive. I hope this information has helped, and as always, if you have questions or need further information about this topic, please contact Dr. Lynn Kerew directly at drlynn@lynnkerew.com or visit her website at http://www.lynnkerew.com.
