Surfing injuries can persist for a long time if not properly treated. Most occur due to incorrect technique or poor physical conditioning, but many can be resolved or prevented with the right exercises and treatment. These are the five most common surfing related injuries.
Facet Joint Compression
The facet joints, or apophyseal joints, are located at the back of the spinal column. These joints enable smooth rotation of the spine by gliding on the facet joint of the vertebrae above. Facet joints are put under pressure when the back is arched or side-flexed. They can be injured through repetitive movements of the spine, for example when performing powerful turns. The joints will tend to load up at a certain spinal level, as one facet joint takes more pressure than the others, due to different areas of the spine having varying amounts of flexibility. The lower back is the most common part of the spine to experience compression of the facet joints. This condition benefits from a hands-on physiotherapy treatment to target the affected joints.
Shoulder Impingement
An annoying and painful condition that occurs as a result of poor flexibility in the upper back, as well as overuse of the chest muscles. If you have strong pectoral muscles, but your shoulder muscles are too weak to cope with the torque of paddling, then when you lift your arm to paddle the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder may be incorrectly aligned. This results in a sharp, stabbing shoulder pain. The problem can be addressed through stretching and exercises designed to correct the muscle imbalance.
Medial Collateral Knee Ligament Strains
The Medial Collateral Ligament, located on the inner side of the knee, is commonly injured during high impact surfing manoeuvres. This ligament is placed under stress during common surfing motions like taking a drop or coming down from a floater. These movements can partially or fully tear the MCL fibres. MCL tears can be improved through gentle exercise and stretching.
Ankle Pain
Surfing places significant load on the ankles, and can occasionally result in strains of the individual ankle joints. The most common type of ankle injury results from hyper-dorsiflexion of the ankle, which is compression of the toes towards the shin. This movement can occur when taking a steep drop and inadequately absorbing the forces through your larger leg muscles. To prevent this type of injury it’s important to strengthen the muscles around the hip and knee, so that the ankle doesn’t need to absorb so much pressure. Physiotherapy can be an effective treatment for the pain.
Neck Pain
Cervical spine pain is most commonly caused by an inadequate balance in the postural muscles around the neck and shoulders, resulting in abnormal pressure on joints in the neck. As surfing requires considerable endurance in the upper back, neck and shoulder muscles, these muscles tend to increase in size and strength. The resulting imbalance, with associated weakness of the frontal neck muscles, can place stress on the joints within the upper cervical spine. Because of the abnormal pull on the neck, certain joints are placed under greater load than others, causing pain. Stretching, strengthening and mobilisation of the cervical spine are an effective method of treating this condition.
The facet joints, or apophyseal joints, are located at the back of the spinal column. These joints enable smooth rotation of the spine by gliding on the facet joint of the vertebrae above. Facet joints are put under pressure when the back is arched or side-flexed. They can be injured through repetitive movements of the spine, for example when performing powerful turns. The joints will tend to load up at a certain spinal level, as one facet joint takes more pressure than the others, due to different areas of the spine having varying amounts of flexibility. The lower back is the most common part of the spine to experience compression of the facet joints. This condition benefits from a hands-on physiotherapy treatment to target the affected joints.
Shoulder Impingement
An annoying and painful condition that occurs as a result of poor flexibility in the upper back, as well as overuse of the chest muscles. If you have strong pectoral muscles, but your shoulder muscles are too weak to cope with the torque of paddling, then when you lift your arm to paddle the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder may be incorrectly aligned. This results in a sharp, stabbing shoulder pain. The problem can be addressed through stretching and exercises designed to correct the muscle imbalance.
Medial Collateral Knee Ligament Strains
The Medial Collateral Ligament, located on the inner side of the knee, is commonly injured during high impact surfing manoeuvres. This ligament is placed under stress during common surfing motions like taking a drop or coming down from a floater. These movements can partially or fully tear the MCL fibres. MCL tears can be improved through gentle exercise and stretching.
Ankle Pain
Surfing places significant load on the ankles, and can occasionally result in strains of the individual ankle joints. The most common type of ankle injury results from hyper-dorsiflexion of the ankle, which is compression of the toes towards the shin. This movement can occur when taking a steep drop and inadequately absorbing the forces through your larger leg muscles. To prevent this type of injury it’s important to strengthen the muscles around the hip and knee, so that the ankle doesn’t need to absorb so much pressure. Physiotherapy can be an effective treatment for the pain.
Neck Pain
Cervical spine pain is most commonly caused by an inadequate balance in the postural muscles around the neck and shoulders, resulting in abnormal pressure on joints in the neck. As surfing requires considerable endurance in the upper back, neck and shoulder muscles, these muscles tend to increase in size and strength. The resulting imbalance, with associated weakness of the frontal neck muscles, can place stress on the joints within the upper cervical spine. Because of the abnormal pull on the neck, certain joints are placed under greater load than others, causing pain. Stretching, strengthening and mobilisation of the cervical spine are an effective method of treating this condition.
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