Avoiding Common Surfing Injuries

5 September, 2016

Surfing may appear as a low risk sport for non-surfers, but the reality is the possibility of getting hurt can be as conspicuous as other sports. As surfers progress with the sport and elevate the level of their performance by riding the large waves, the risk of getting hurt also increases. A surfer can sustain progressive or spontaneous injuries while surfing. But no matter what injury you sustain keep in mind that they can be avoided with proper safety measures. Check out this safety tips that Surf and Sun strongly suggest:

• Preventing eye injuries. Your eyes need protection. The most frightening accident that will happen while you are in the water is getting poked in the eye with a wayward surfboard tip. Getting your eyesight permanently damaged or losing your vison through this accident is surely unacceptable, so how can you avoid this accident from happening? The crowd of surfers that go to the beach to surf is an uncontrollable factor so the easiest precaution you can take is to attach a nose guard to your surfboard tip. The nose guard will serve as the soft cushion that will lessen the impact of contact if the accident occurs.
• Avoiding head trauma. The most common acute head and neck injuries involved in surfing include fracture to the face, skull, teeth, jaw, spine and even concussion. Wipeouts can happen to anyone. Hard contact with the coral reefs and rocks are the seldom cause to acute surfing injuries. In order to avoid head trauma, beginners often choose to ride soft top surfboards and some experienced surfers even wear helmet when surfing against treacherous breaks.
• Deep cuts and lacerations. Cuts often happen to your feet when surfing. The sharp blade on the fins of your board, coral reefs and rocks often cuts your soft skin. A deep cut on our skin results to a number of stitches and if you are not careful enough it can also lead to infection. Surf lessons South Australia from Beyond the Boardroom suggests wearing booties that will protect your feet from cuts once you hit the surfboard fin or some submerged rocks and reefs. Using softer fins on your boards also helps prevent cuts.
• Muscle strain. Paddling in the waters is an important part of the sport which explains why the shoulder muscles of a surfer are the most vulnerable muscles to get strained. Old surfers and beginners are both faced with this problem because of poor paddling techniques and the overuse of the muscle area over the years. Keep in mind that a good round of stretching before enjoying the waters help promotes proper blood circulation. Make sure that you spend at least 10 minutes of stretching.

Improve your surfing skills while keeping your body away from harm by following these tips. The sport will only get better and better if you know how to observe safety precautions. Enjoy surfing with everyone and share precaution tips with your friends so that they too can be away from harm’s way. If you want to learn more about surfing, the Beyond the Boardroom team will be more than happy to help. Call us today!