Surfing Elbow?

by **LOLRuss** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:29 pm

Last week during the big swell here I was trying to get up, with my elbows locked, and the wave broke on me... as they often do. Dunno if thats what caused it, or if its just stress on the joint. When I came in my elbow joints were aching like hell. Same thing happened yesterday and the day before too. Today it hurt like all hell and I had to come in.

I'm taking a couple days off but... is this normal? Like... tennis elbow or something? Am I doing something wrong in my paddle?

**Sponsor**

by **parrysurf** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 7:46 pm

dunno if you are doing sumthin wrong, but I have gotten surfers elbow before. usually when I have been surfing every day.

I believe it is tendonitus, exactly like tennis elbow. For me I am sure it is caused by pushing up to stand. Also pushing the board under on duck dives.
I usually just work thru the pain.
good luck.

by **LOLRuss** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:26 am

Thanks for the reply. After coming in I put menthol goop on it, iced it, soaked it in a hot bath, and more menthol goop. Took today off. Hope its better tomorrow - if there be waves!

by **drowningbitbybit** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:28 am

Yum, menthol goop... :wink:

Ibuprofen gel works pretty well for tendonitis-type injuries too.

by **LOLRuss** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:08 am

If it keeps up I'll get me a cortisone shot. There's a swell coming.

by **drowningbitbybit** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:14 am

LOLRuss wrote: There's a swell coming.

A swollen elbow? :wink:

by **LOLRuss** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:08 pm

Both. Yes.

by **Johno** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:01 am

Snap av got the same in my right elbow, I think i got it from the wind catching my board when carrying it and causing like a wiplash efect

also used to get it from Thia Boxing from snapping punches out, av found if u stretch the tendens in your arm by doing a push up holding it and leaning forward stops it happeneing.

Its a horibul pain but if you work threw it i found it just disapered

by **seanydee** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:50 pm

If it happened at the time it's more than likely to be a strain. If you rest and ice for a few days and it goes away you should be o.k. if it doesn't, go to see your g.p. You could have tendonitis, ligament or cartilage damage or even a stress fracture. Don't take any chances with it.
And finally try not to lock your elbows out when popping up, if you maintain a slight bend and a wave breaks on you it gives you some shock absorption.
Hope this helps and you get back out there soon.

by **LOLRuss** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:58 pm

I went out for... all of 10 minutes today before concluding that I couldn't make it out over 2 feet of whitewater every 5 seconds. My elbows didn't hurt. Then again, I never tried to pop up. Hopefully it cleans up tomorrow.

by **Bub** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:22 pm

Trying to diagnose how you got an injury from surfing can be one of life's great mysteries. Dealing with waves crashing and whitewater, you sort of lose touch with reality at times while surfing and you don't know whats going on, where you are, what is causing you pain etc. I've had a few bizarre/unexplained pains I've gotten from surfing and I can never really figure out what happened to cause it. The most mysterious was when I first started surfing (literally my 2nd or 3rd session out) I got a pain in my right arm between my elbow and shoulder (in the tricep area of the arm but I felt pain in the bone, not a muscular bruise or pull. It went away in a day, but it was quite a strange pain being in the bone, never had that pain again. Never felt it before in my life in anything else athletic I've participated in.

by **LOLRuss** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:32 pm

My elbows go out on me in about half an hour of paddling. They hurt after an I ice em + Advil. I'm taking Calcium/Vitamin D and Glucosamine/Chondroitin (just in case it works).

The pain is manageable, but I have to take a day off every couple days. If it keeps up I'll go to a doctor. My main concern is irritating it to the point that I have to stay out of the water for a month or more, if it is tendonitis. At this point I would lose my mind if that happened.

by **seanydee** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:41 pm

Sounds like it's a little more serious than a simple sprain or strain. Which also means that, every time you go out with the injury, you're probably making it worse and slowing down the recovery time, as welll as risking further injury. If I were in your shoes I'd see a doctor and take at least a week out. This probably sounds excessive but if you delay getting it sorted you are just storing up more problems for the future and the length of the time that you are able to paddle without pain will reduce to a point where it won't be worth your while going out.
Good luck.

by **LOLRuss** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:47 am

I did ok yesterday. I was out for 3 hours and had loads of fun. Every part of me hurts (muscles) but not my elbows. If it comes back, I'll go to the doctor.

by **Thibb** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:02 am

Take days off. Anyone into sports will tell you that muscles need 48 hours to repair themselves after a heavy work out. Of course I shouldn't really be talking because I did the same thing as you (consecutive days) but I now have seriously sore shoulders to show for it. Not even four days rest has solved the problem. Luckily (...) I got cut quite badly this weekend so I am now forced to stay out of the water for a good week.

by **LOLRuss** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:31 pm

Thibb wrote:Take days off. Anyone into sports will tell you that muscles need 48 hours to repair themselves after a heavy work out. Of course I shouldn't really be talking because I did the same thing as you (consecutive days) but I now have seriously sore shoulders to show for it. Not even four days rest has solved the problem. Luckily (...) I got cut quite badly this weekend so I am now forced to stay out of the water for a good week.

Oh, muscle pain is constant and continuous since I started surfing.

That kind of pain I enjoy. Just not in the joints.

by **Johno** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:17 am

got elbow pain again yesterday was forced to get out of clean waves coz i couldnt padle any more and the pain was throbing, was going home then decided to fill myself full of pain killers and give it another blast, glad i did coz had a good sesh and the elbow pain has totaly gone!!! strange

by **surfh2o** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:31 pm

I get this every now and then. I'm on the right coast and went out on Sat. and did more paddling than anything. So for me I think the pain was more from water resistance while paddling and a little from pushing up. I don't really surf in the winter so it's been a few months since I've been out. Hopefully my body just needs to get back in shape. I've also had this before from long bicep burn sessions. The pain is fairly sharp and small section on both elbows. I think it's almost like a RSI Repetitive Strain Injury or Tendonitis. Maybe I'm just weak.

by **RoyStewart** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:48 am

It's probably due to an allergy, I get elbow knee ankle wrist and toe joint pain if and only if I eat potatoes and members of the same family like tomatoes, chilli, green peppers etc. Tobacco is also in the same family.

So it might not be the potato family but it is a common allergen and one to watch as there is a naturally occuring poison present which tends to go for the joints.

In general an overly acidic diet will also not help, get it alkaline.

DON'T take cortisone it won't help at all in the long run and will cause problems, also application of oils and so on to the joint is a bit of a waste of time really, best to fix the underlying problem.

.

by **RoyStewart** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:52 am

My wrists got so bad at one point when we were building our place in raglan that I was toting heaps of bandages and could hardly lift a tool.

As soon as I realised it was the spuds tobacco etc and stopped eating them and smoking it cleared up in a few days.

.

Surfing Elbow?

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