Stress on lower joints in kitesurfing

[Ac3]

I guess this is kind of odd to ask..

Im very into the sport and want to start my self but i have a hip joint that i dont want to put stress on and wondered if kitesurfing(normal cruising nothing x-treme) is kind on the hip joints
Ive already asked some guys that i found on the beach who where kitesurfing and told me that the most stress is in the upper torso and weist due to the power is uplifting but i would like to know what you guys think too
Thank you in advance

[simplelife]

Perhaps a physiotherapist might chime in and you'll get lucky here. Some more detail about your condition would probably help. Finding out whether to use a seat or waist harness will be important should you dive in. A seat will limit flexibility, which in your case might be the ticket. In the beginning you will crash a lot, in which case there will be some jarring.

I can attest that the sport can be hard on the knees, but probably far less so than most other sports.

[Ac3]

Perhaps a physiotherapist might chime in and you'll get lucky here. Some more detail about your condition would probably help. Finding out whether to use a seat or waist harness will be important should you dive in. A seat will limit flexibility, which in your case might be the ticket. In the beginning you will crash a lot, in which case there will be some jarring.

I can attest that the sport can be hard on the knees, but probably far less so than most other sports.

Tnx for the quick responce! i have a metal cap on my hip due to athritis its like this ->

Its called hemi-resurfacing

[ORSales]

I would recommend you consider our Mako 150 as a board choice if you are considering getting into the sport and are concerned about lower joint strain.

The Mako 150 has a massive 18mm of concave that flattens out choppy waters. You can read more about the board on this thread in order to get a more objective sense of the board and its performance.

John Z - OR Crew

[Darktanyan]

Kiting is not easy on the hips ... transferring the pull of the kite to the board while edging hard puts a fair amount of strain on the hips.

[PhysioRol]

The glutes generate a lot of force to keep your trunk rigid to resist the pull of the kite. This is minimized with a seat harness.

To get your feet back in the straps requires a considerable amount of hip flexion. This would be only a problem if you were warned about your hip potentially dislocating.

As with any extreme sport your body and hips can at anytime be exposed to ballistic forces which may exceed the structural capabilities of your hip.
Obviously, this can happen to anyone of us with normal hips but a post-op hip would be a greater risk, most likely.

A lot depends on what you already do successfully with your hip (eg snowboard, ski, surf or just a stroll in the park) and you surgeons advice regarding future risk.

[Ac3]

First i would like to thank everyone for their answer

The glutes generate a lot of force to keep your trunk rigid to resist the pull of the kite. This is minimized with a seat harness.

To get your feet back in the straps requires a considerable amount of hip flexion. This would be only a problem if you were warned about your hip potentially dislocating.

About the flexibility , seating in a chair i can lift my leg under my shoulder (in height) and the 'good' hip goes just over
This kind of hip surgery has very litle dislocating risk's if any cause the 'ball' is as big or biger than your own

As with any extreme sport your body and hips can at anytime be exposed to ballistic forces which may exceed the structural capabilities of your hip.
Obviously, this can happen to anyone of us with normal hips but a post-op hip would be a greater risk, most likely.

A lot depends on what you already do successfully with your hip (eg snowboard, ski, surf or just a stroll in the park) and you surgeons advice regarding future risk.

Then main problem with this kind of condition is friction , i mean i swim at a pool about 2k and i have a descend stamina in water also although there is a lot of movement from the leg the actual impact to the hip is minimal cause there is no weight on it. So what i am trying to say is as long as the hip is in motion with litle or no weight has no problem
But to be honest my flexibility is not as good as my other one and also my muscles on this leg (especialy the glutes) are not up to par but this has not stoped me before

Damn... it would be cool to catch some air
Thanks.

[constantino7491]

I would recommend you consider our Mako 150 as a board choice if you are considering getting into the sport and are concerned about lower joint strain.

The Mako 150 has a massive 18mm of concave that flattens out choppy waters. You can read more about the board on this thread in order to get a more objective sense of the board and its performance.

John Z - OR Crew

first of all dont listen to the pimps (or most of them at least) u make ur own decision w/ whatever local kiteshop u have and u can consult that with them

secondly if impact and normal motion isnt a problem to you then i think you would be pretty fine, you dont need too much flexibility the more the better but if u dont have that much it might just limit u a couple of tricks maybe some grabs but tahts about it

also you might lose the board on the water and need to put it back on ur feet again, i would try that in a pool first maybe to see if your flexible enough to put a board on your feet while in teh water which i dont think would be a problem.

you might want to talk to a physician and maybe even a local kiteshop to be sure about everything though (if you dont have any maybe if u talk to a local kiter or two that'll do).

well i think the rest is pretty much up to you

-tino

[shredster]

IMHO - I don't think you will have a problem. Hips take some pressure, but not like the knees. After 30 plus years of Windsurfing I screwed up my hips and can't wear a seat harness anymore. The seat harness wraps your butt and hip joints putting pressure on the hip joint. I suggest you get a good waist harness and DO IT !

[Ac3]

Thank's everyone , for you thought's and support

i also found an article about a windsurfer that has the same hip surgery as mine and here describes hes first experience after the surgery windsurfing
http://www.bananarepublican.info/wind-resurfer.htm