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Kiteboarding and Body Pains

Lots of valuable articles from Rick Iossi, FKA Inc.
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RickI
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Kiteboarding and Body Pains

Postby RickI » Sat Apr 10, 2004 3:43 am

The following is a repost from the FKA list:

Any tips from the 30 plus kitesurfers about back pain caused by
> kitesurfing and how to prevent it.
>
> 1. What is the best type of waist harness? Who offers the most back
> support?
>
> 2. Stretching or exercises to alleviate neck and back pain after
> kitesurfing.
>
> I'm lying here on the couch in Tarifa thinking what happened to my
> body today.
>
> I can't complain some people have sore backs from sitting at a desk
> all day!
>

Everyone is a bit different in this I suspect with varied body characteristics, past injuries, etc. but some of the things that I try to do to keep at it for 5 to 7 hour sessions follow along with some other ideas.

1. First, harnesses, for me a waist harness is a rapid means of developing back pain anytime that I have used one. With a good seat harness like the Dakine Fusion or Cabrinha seat harness I don't notice any discomfort. So, you might experiment with a good seat harness and see if it helps. The Fusion is really well padded for support.

2. Warming up and down. Critical stuff particularly to try avoid pains and even injury. ChiroJoe down in the Yucatan prepared the best guide for kiteboarding warm up/down that I have seen. It is located at:

http://www.kiteboardmexico.com/web/KSSG_elbow.htm

It takes time and you have to think of it but it can make a huge difference in flexibility, injury minimization and banging hard at it for lots of hours. Working out irritated muscles through swimming or other appropriate activity can also help sometimes.

3. Some folks swear by taking potassium (bananas or supplements) before going at it. Hydrating well before, during and after the session can also help to minimize pains and loss of energy.

4. If you do have some pains and how many people don't at times, elevating the area and placing ice over it for about 10 minutes a few times per day can help in the case of extremities. Sometimes people alternate the cold compresses with hot ones throughout the day. Amazingly enough the "Cold" penetrating salves actually seem to work and should be considered. For your back, lying on an flat ice pack and moist heat pad alternately can help. Sometimes lying on a concentrated surface such as tennis ball can bring relief.

5. If you think it might be a bit more serious seeing a doctor about it only makes sense. Some folks swear by regular visits to the chiropractor and the massages/ adjustments are sometimes covered by medical insurance. I remember when I was last in Cabarete, massages were $13. USD for an hour! So, I got them everyday while I was there, it helped.

Some other posts about this subject appear at:

http://kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2315982

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7980

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1990


Some posts about kiter's elbow, which is quite a common complaint, appear at:

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2301415

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2298434

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2298502

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=11457


Feel better!
Last edited by RickI on Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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RickI
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Postby RickI » Tue Apr 20, 2004 2:02 pm

Some guys have developed ankle pain related to kiteboarding, I did some months back myself. The pain would rise during a powered up wave sesson and even motivated me to come in late in the day recently. I had been icing and elevating the ankle when it occurred to me to do so up to that point. That night I bought one of these lace up ankle supports with small stiffening elements sewn into it. Some ankle braces appear at:

http://www.painreliever.com/anklebraces.html

The next day I went out for a several hour session in the waves and guess what? NO PAIN! I was impressed to say the least. Going at it so hard after having inflammed the joint area the day before wasn't the best move but the good conditions drove me offshore. I still don't have any sensation or discomfort a few days later without the brace in place.

So, how to try to avoid ankle pain?

1. Don't have bad landings, particularly with only one foot in the straps.

2. Use straps/pads with adequate padding and "ducking" or side slant of your foot. Having your feet to close to parallel to one another may promote ankle irritation.

3. Elevate, ice and rest irriated ankles and try to avoid taxing the areas until healed.

4. Consider using an ankle brace if appropriate. Wearing it below a neoprene bootie should help to protect the brace from sand, abrasion, etc.

5. As always, if you have a need for proper medical attention, evaluation and treatment, GET IT!

6. As with anything else, reasonable warmups and warmdowns should help to avoid problems.

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RickI
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Postby RickI » Wed Aug 25, 2004 2:52 pm

Thanks to jasvinda, I just came across a very complete website dealing with sports injuries at:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/index.htm

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RickI
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Postby RickI » Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:30 pm

ccc


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