Surfing injuries...
Twelve weeks out 'cos of a thumb?!
I've got no experience in this at all, and I wouldn't openly suggest cutting corners, even though I often do that myself. You'll be the one to know how it feels after 3-4 weeks and if you can start looking for options.
At least it's one of the few parts of the body that doesn't also rule out bodysurfing.
Pooley...take it slow and don't push it.
I fractured my left thumb socket and snapped the ligaments completely. They initially plated the socket back together but this failed as I pushed the recovery too quick and it's now an artificial socket. The ligament had to be replaced from sharing the ligament from the forefinger. I now can't move the thumb and finger independently after a point. All up the healing process back to now what is normal for that hand was about 10 months and 4 surgeries. The hardest part is gripping your board to duck dive through turbulence and also quick take offs.
With thumbs the turtle wins the race mate!
I had a footy injury where i fractured my pinky and snapped the ligaments took me 6-8 weeks in a brace and another 4 with rehab for a stupid pinky. But i must say the doctor said that i would have 'mallet finger' and after a quick google search i must say 10-12 weeks is worth not having a finger which was buggered for life especially as a teenager when it happened.
I'd be taking it easy, Board hit my hand smashed the ligaments in middle finger hard enough to sprain my wrist. Didn't surf for a year.
Pooley bit of bad luck mate,anyway i broke one of the carpel bones in my hand about six months ago just doing a pop up heard it go too and was in pain when ever i put weight on it so after four months of no change had a PRP injection in it and now shes all healed up .....my advice is depending where you are, find someone who does PRP injections near you and do it don't do cortisone .Look it up and take responsibility for your health.Good luck.
OK Pooley....after reading through those replies you'd do well to ignore my advice.
After reading all this i reckon i'll take the docs (and my wife's) advice and take it easy. I've actually come out of it pretty well. In the money i save on wax i'll probably have a new board by the end of it given the local surf shop is selling sex wax for 6 bucks a pop.
Could be worse, it could be the start of winter....
Pooley, that's definitely what I'd recommend. I've had more serious injuries than anyone I know (lacerations, broken bones, tendon damage etc), and in my experience, full healing often continues for a lot longer than you think, despite how the body part might feel or look. You don't want to push it too early and end up with something permanent.
Plus, It's a great excuse to sleep lots, eat well and hunt for that new board.
haha, yeah it just sucks not being able to surf. It's a sad day when watching the WSL just makes you sad!
Pooley ive had a few injuries over the years and I watched surf movies to keep me
motivated in the past and recently wsl for the same reason works for me. To me a
little bit of professional advice followed by letting your own body tell you its time
to work on it and presto your back. I currently have 5 fractures in my back and pelvis
and I started today all by myself and I feel fantastic for it. Injury 6 and half weeks ago
Hawaii 8 weeks plan surfing next weeks swell. Its in the head.
My two cents on injuries
Had 3 broken up wrists, cracked sternum, cracked ribs, broken ankle, compression fracture in spine and thoracic fracture, broken toes, fingers broken and dislocated, hyper extended knee, the list goes on.
Just coming back from torn muscle in lower back.
Coming back from Injuries is part physical part mental, stay off the drugs they give you and maybe smoke some erb.
Don't come back to soon, eat right, sleep right,
The older we get the longer it takes to heal
In the end if you wanna dance you gotta pay the band
Cut the top off my ring finger surfing. lesson here don't rent a board with a cheap leg rope.
one day at Snatches took off late caught, lip drove me and board straight down my foot hit one of my fins then rocks. gash on my foot, tennis ball size hole in boards rail. still till this can't work out how my board turned.
on a mal went for pop up floater board turned on the lip (no idea again) knackered my self. had 5 guys LOL at me : )
Have u fully recovered from your spine injuries inzider? I had a 40% compression fracture in t7 &t11 ,3 broken ribs(1 of em really badly) and a broken collar bone in July last year after headbutting a south coast rock shelf! Its been 6 odd months and I can still feel it,I have good days and bad days but over all im pretty lucky to not b in a wheelchair or drowned! I am surfing again! To what extent did u compress ur spine and how long to heal?
Anyone know about strained long head bicep (shoulder)? Any one had this before? I jave been told 2-3 months but not much else.
Kbomb - a bit of a tricky one
Common injury - but controversial, so you are likely to get a few different opinions. Rest in the intitial phase is important, ie 1-2 weeks, with anti inflammatories. But then graduated return to exercise is important so things don't atrophy. Whether you even need a long heads biceps is a little controversial, but if its chronically inflammed it will be chronically sore so getting onto it is a good idea.
The question is why is it strained? is it exacerbated by compensating for a weakness somewhere else?
As a surfer you are going to be looking to reach overhead and put some power through the water above the head, so having a painfree LHBT is essential to comfortable paddling, but ideally the power applied in this above head position should be kept to a minimum, rather pulling most power with the traps as your arm comes further down past your body.
I reckon get an assessment by a good physio who is familiar with swimming.
- focus on scapular stability, shoulder mobility and stability, and thoracic and neck spinal flexibility, and pectoral/anterior chest stretching.
- they will probably want to look at the pelvis as well depending - its all tied together.
2-3 months out of the water seems excessive - provided you have the right guidance.
Obviously this is general advice... take with your own grain of salt
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK533002/
"Biomechanically, the LHBT has a controversial role in the dynamic stability of the shoulder joint. It has been demonstrated, mostly in biomechanical cadaveric-based studies and animal models, that the tendon at least plays a passive stabilizing role in the shoulder... Thus, in most healthy patient populations, the LHBT plays a negligible role in the dynamic stability of the shoulder. The main function of the biceps muscle is forearm supination and elbow flexion. The biceps also contributes 10% of the total power in shoulder abduction when the arm is in external rotation."
"The initial management of LHB tendinopathy is nonsurgical. A period of rest and activity modification is beneficial in the acute setting, coupled with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Physical therapy[2]
Successful physical therapy regimens target the underlying source(s) contributing to the LHB tendon pathology. Potential factors predisposing to biceps-related shoulder injuries include glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) in overhead-throwing athletes/baseball pitchers, poor trunk control, scapular dyskinesia, and internal impingement.
Strengthening protocols should focus on restoring muscle balance across the shoulder girdle, including rotator cuff and periscapular muscle strengthening programs. Focused stretching on the anterior shoulder structures, including pectoralis minor, should also be considered."
Thanks a heap seen!
Its a funny injury on my end. I did it trying to pull back on an atempted arm bar during training, me pulling against the force of the opponent. Didnt think much of it but that was 3 months ago and have only in the last month stopped all surfing, marital arts and gym work, however am now doing rotatir cuff stuff as recommend by physio.
I only really feel pain when my arm is straight and palm up, pushing against a resistance. Flys hurt at the gym as does putting my shoulder back it the postion it was when i first hurt it. Paddling is fine, no pain, however duck diving hurts when the force of the board pulling away from me pulls my arm with the board. Its not stopping me from doing anything really but ive been told to stay away from things that hurt it if i want it to recover.
It can take a long time to settle. My dad is a carpenter and he whacked his shoulder on a doorknob right on the long head and damaged it. It took nearly two years to settle (he had to keep working) but eventually got better
Surfing injury no.327 as follows
Near miss by one of my fins at Kalbarri many, many years ago......5 stitches to my throat....close but no jugular....7 day standby healing period...…….Stitches removed with strict instructions from Big Gail [ Local outpost Nurse] not to go near the water for another 7 days......Point pumping that same arvo……..paddled out for a few......sitting around in between sets and the boys inform me of gaping open wound on my throat...…..sheepishly return to Clinic...…...re-stitched with NO local anesthetic by big angry Gail...….14 days out...….
Long story short - had a gumby moment last week. Popping up, got hit by a mushy wave, pushed me forward and all my weight went through my thumb. Dislocated and tore ligaments. Doc is telling me no surfing and in a brace for 6 weeks, and then rehab for another 6 weeks! I've had surfing injuries before but this one is a first.
Has anyone had this happen? Is there any sort of brace I could use to keep me surfing?
6-12 weeks out of the water is gonna destroy me! :(