Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => SUP General => Topic started by: toolate on March 10, 2019, 06:28:06 PM
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Anyone have experience with neck injuries when going over the falls?
I fear increasing age and big steep falling are a bad combination...
What worked for your recovery of you have been through this?
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I don’t think going over the falls will get your neck. As long as you keep your board out of it.
Now a high speed wipe out where your head is the first to contact the water will tweek or do worse your neck. When I’ve sustained this I let some days go by for the swelling to subside and then head back to my trusted manual therapy guy to get a reset.
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I guess it would depend on the size of the falls and how you landed. I've never been hurt contacting the water surfing other than some tweaks here and there but define big. I did hurt my back last fall in a wipeout on a wave from Maria but I got slammed into the bottom pretty hard too.
I was never even hurt by the water in high speed water ski falls but that was long ago. If I crashed like I did on skis when I was in my teens and 20's I'm pretty sure I would just shred and spew body parts all over now....:)
I do have a bad neck...blown disc and other damage. But it's all from other stuff. I think a water ski crash started it but it wasn't water I hit....I somersaulted into the beach on my head/neck/shoulders doing about 30 mph while trying to impress/spray my then girlfriend....despite that she still married me.....:)
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TL, I am a clumsy old fuc and go off a lot ...but, like SJ said, the only time I got scared were the fairly numerous times I blew up at high speed and felt 'the tingle' during a decade of kiting. C'hit happens tho'...
Jim
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Being an Australian amateur rugby coach (and former lifesaver) we take prevention of neck injuries quite seriously. I still do neck stengthening exercises at 60.
We were taught when falling not to tuck heads - that is when problems occur. Better to graze/hurt face than neck. So falling in water with neck/head straight or even chin up a bit and then tuck into a ball for the pumelling.
Most contact sports should have info on neck strengthening and how to fall.
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Better:
So dont tuch when falling but tuck later?
Not sure i can get that.
And can you recommend some strengthening ?
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Yes, that just sounds a little counter intuative, would like to hear a followup for sure.
Are there no circumstances in which we should tuck our head in a fall?
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best head/neck advice i had was when tiago at mauka told me to always hold the paddle in front when diving under a wave-so youll know if a rock is there, be able to adjust and shield face neck head
re my head i sometimes surprise myself that impact with water is no joke---whether ducking into a wave im riding that's closing on top of me, or kicking out and getting some air time, before landing on side, incl face/head---i get a tinge of headache, which fades immediately--but might be i am concussing slightly--cant remember when this happened last...........
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You mean like this idiot (I mean awsome dude)? ;D
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best head/neck advice i had was when tiago at mauka told me to always hold the paddle in front when diving under a wave-so youll know if a rock is there, be able to adjust and shield face neck head
re my head i sometimes surprise myself that impact with water is no joke---whether ducking into a wave im riding that's closing on top of me, or kicking out and getting some air time, before landing on side, incl face/head---i get a tinge of headache, which fades immediately--but might be i am concussing slightly--cant remember when this happened last...........
that is what i mean.
Sometimes more than a tinge. Especially if going over large falls
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or this mess!
nice creek view!!
that day was a tough paddle out--fortunately i made it back outside-- i was really enjoying that wave--lost focus and caught an edge or something--pissed me off--when i had time to think about it after a couple severe beatings!