Common kiting injuries, opinions needed

[PerfectlyFit]

I'm a Physical Therapist, and am putting together a series of injury prevention and recovery for kiters. I was going to do the basics, elbows, knees and such. What other areas would you like to see addressed?

Here is an example of a video of core exercises to address back pain: http://catchsomeair.us/articles/tips_ho ... ding.shtml
And a basic instructional on elbow pain:http://catchsomeair.us/ontheboard-forum/about500.html

Feel free to check out my website to get more exercise tips. http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/

Thanks for your input! I really appreciate it.
Sarah

[kiterMD]

Very informative website! My shoulder likes to dislocate during glides and handle passes. Could you add that to your list? Thanks!

[robertovillate]

Nice information Sarah,

This subject (IMO) deserves a lot more attention that it seems to get. Most people end up with chronic injuries because they haven't trained properly. This sport is so "spontaneous" and most people just think about when they can next get to the beach and ride and don't do much in between to train. That all seems fine until injury sets in and then it takes weeks or months to get over it. It's frustrating enough for people to wait for wind - but when you're injured it seems like it's going to be windy every day .

This is a great resource to share with students, new riders, injured riders.

Is there one particular web link that can easily be navigated for all this info?

Keep up the good work!

Thanks

Roberto

PS: I would say the injuries (not including impact trauma) that I most commonly hear about are:
knees, hips, shoulder joint, elbow, feet, wrist, back.

It would be great if people could start an injury thread that describes the medical diagnosis so that there could be a data base. Toby, what about starting a thread for that to make injury info search easier? just an idea.

[recoprianto]

Lots of broken toes and fingers

[Hybridkiter]

Hamstrings

[Caesar]

I'm a Physical Therapist, and am putting together a series of injury prevention and recovery for kiters. I was going to do the basics, elbows, knees and such. What other areas would you like to see addressed?

Hi Sarah,

Great idea and very informative.
Definitely knees and shoulder.
What helps my 47 year old knees are bending exercises during kite sessions. Put your feet approximately 15cm apart from each other and bend *slowly*. You don't have to go far down. I'm sure you know...

Cheers
Caesar

PS: http://catchsomeair.us/articles/tips_ho ... ding.shtml
Your links on the bottom (shop, lessons etc) point locally.

[The111]

Been doing this about 5 months now. Roughly 30 years old. My only major complaint is my wrists.

If I do a lot of one-handed riding for several sessions in a row (even with 2-3 day gaps in between sessions), my wrists start getting super sensitive to where it hurts to use them at certain angles, and they crack and pop like crazy. It sucks because I really like riding one handed. I've experimented with different grips on the bar, overhand, underhand, thumb in, thumb out, etc. Nothing helps. I know that the source of the problem is holding a torque in my wrist to keep the bar straight. I can minimize the torque by holding it in the center, but I still have to add small amounts of torque in one direction or the other to keep the kite parked and not falling or moving up the window.

Easy solution... less one-handed riding.

[Antigrav]

Easy solution... less one-handed riding.

Better solution, buy a powerball and work on your wrists

Another solution, buy a kite with lower bar pressure

Another solution, use a stopper ball so your kite doesn't fall out of the sky and so you don't need to put as big an input in on the kite to keep it in the air

[Toby]

I hear about quiet often about broken or injured rips.
I had an injured rip as well...took 6 weeks to be back on the water.

Most of the time it is losing control of the kite and the kite does an unwatend loop and you crash with the side where your rip is.

And of course the knees...and form possible!
Hard landings or crashes where one feet stays in the strap, the other is out, and then the board starts to rotate around your knee of the fixed foot...

[tr3v]

Excellent website thanks!

I have recently developed pain at the top of my right shin just below the patella. The only time I notice it is when I kneel on it (almost impossible), and kiting, especially jumping on a "port tack" which I tend to favour (being natural). I run regularly, but running does not seem to affect my knee, nor does the injury affect my running.

I looked up "knees" on your website, and the first thing I found was exercises for preventing what sounds like my complaint. I will visit a physiotherapist.

The other injuries I have had have been bruised ribs, and ankle sprains. The sprains were caused by falling and having one foot trapped, especially in waves. I think I was susceptible to this in the early days and always tried to keep my board attached after a fall. Nowadays, I make a conscious effort to get rid of the board when I know I am baling.