Most Common Surfing Injuries
Will Moore March 9th, 2017 Posted In: Articles Tags: Surfing
Most Common Surfing Injuries
Surfing injuries plague novice, intermediate, and professional surfers alike, across the globe, each and every year! Surfing is viewed by most as a relaxing way to escape the hectic and stressful grind of life. Even though surfing is generally a very laid back sport, there can be some dangerous aspects that revolve around it, which brings us to discuss the crucial reality of the most common surf injuries.
Lacerations, and Sprains and Pains, Oh My!
Some of the most common surfing injuries include neck injuries, lacerations, and sprains. There have been many times where I have been surfing a sandy beach break, get pitched, and land in roughly two feet of water. Needless to say, if you don’t have adequate time to appropriately position your body for the impact, you could land in a way that causes serious bodily injury. Many times surfers will land on their neck, causing concussions, sprains, and even broken vertebra’s. It is always an unspoken fear among surfers that they may land wrong and become paralyzed by a wipe-out in shallow waters.
Yikes!
The most common surf injuries usually occur due to impacts to the human body, caused by none other than… you guessed it, surfboards! Many times surfers will fall, and pop their head out of the water a bit too early, just in time for their surfboard to make contact with their head. Other times we may be caught in the underwater washing machine as our board swirls around us, waiting to make contact with unsuspecting body parts. Often times the fins alone are the culprits to many surfing injuries. The sharp blades have been known to cut surfers to pieces no matter their experience level. Lacerations of the face, head, feet, and legs are also very common. The nose of many surfboards often seem to find their way right to our heads for a nice little welt, and sometimes a split of the skin.
Ouch!
Reefs, rocks, and sandy bottoms have caused thousands of injuries per year across the world. Surfers seem to love to wipe-out just inches above the razor sharp teeth of the tropical reefs below, making for nice scars and lacerations for the unlucky surfers, and maybe even a gnarly story to tell. As surfing progresses we can see more and more airs taking place, this opens the door to surfing injuries such as dislocation and sprains from landing incorrectly or awkwardly on our surfboards. Surfing injuries happen to everyone, even the most experienced surfers will suffer a few bumps and bruises, so always take precaution and research ways to best protect yourself during a wipe-out!
Have a crazy surf-injury story to tell? Whether it’s happened to you or a buddy, feel free to share in the comments below so that we can all take a little something away from an otherwise painful memory. Thanks for reading, and don’t forget that we’re always here for you, ’round the clock via live-chat, e-mail and phone (866).906.7848.
I have only been surfing about 2 years. I started while living in San Diego. However, I am a Maryland native. I am looking to meet people that know the areas and get input on the best times to get out and continue learning.