Surfing is an amazing sport– it’s relaxing, gets you in shape, gives you a chance to spend quality time with friends, and encourages an active outdoor lifestyle. However, many avid surfers struggle with shoulder pain. Does surfing cause shoulder pain? I decided to find out.
So, is surfing bad for your shoulders? No, surfing is not inherently bad for your shoulders. However, like with any sport, if you surf too much without proper rest or care, you can cause damage to your shoulders. Most surfing injuries are “surfers or swimmer’s shoulder” A.K.A. a shoulder impingement, or shoulder dislocation.
There are many different shoulder injuries that may be caused by surfing. Shoulder impingement or dislocated shoulders are the most common injuries. There are ways to prevent, identify and treat each of these injuries.
What Causes Shoulder Impingement From Surfing?
Shoulder impingement is commonly called swimmers or surfer’s shoulder. It’s a common injury with over 200,000 reported cases in the US each year. It’s caused by overuse – specifically by people who use their arms above their head frequently. Athletes such as swimmers, surfers and weight lifers are most susceptible to this injury.
More specifically, when you’re paddling out to surf, you’re constantly lifting your arms above your head. Every time you do this, you’re making the space between your acromion (a small bone near your shoulder blade) and your rotator cuff smaller. In that space are your bursa sack and rotator cuff tendons. By making this space smaller, you have the chance to squeeze your shoulder’s bursa sack and/or rotator cuff tendons. Your rotator cuff tendons are the stretchy tissues that hold your shoulder together. Your bursa sack is like a tiny jelly pillow that cushions the space between your bones. If you have shoulder impingement, it means that your shoulder’s bursa sack and/or rotator cuff tendons are getting trapped and pinched in the space between your acromion and rotator cuff. This can be very irritating and painful.
What Does Shoulder Impingement Look and Feel Like
If you’re surfing a lot and feel pain and tenderness at the front of your shoulder, you may have shoulder impingement. It may hurt more when your arm is in motion – either raising it above your head or putting it back down. The pain may be mild or severe. It may radiate down your arm, or may be sharp and strong when you pick something up or reach your arms above your head. Shoulder impingement may cause visible swelling, or it may not be visible to the eye. If you’re unsure if you have shoulder impingement, go see a doctor.
How To Prevent Shoulder Impingement From Surfing
There is no sure-fire way to avoid shoulder impingement. However, there are some good ways to attempt preventing this injury.
You know the saying “too much of a good thing is a bad thing”? We all know that cake is delicious, but if we eat too much we might get sick. The same applies to most sports! It’s great to be a long distance runner, but if a runner logs 20+ miles a day without proper rest or treatment, they are putting themselves at risk of injury. Therefore, just as running is not bad for your knees; surfing is not bad for your shoulders.
All things, including surfing, are good in moderation. Don’t surf too much! On a given surf day, you probably spend 80% of your time paddling or waiting on your board for the right wave. Be aware of how much time you’re spending paddling on a given day. Spending too much time paddling puts you at risk for shoulder injury. If your shoulders (or anything else for that matter) start to hurt, take it easy and rest for a day or two. Because shoulder impingement is an overuse injury, the best thing you can do to prevent this injury is to surf in moderation and listen to your body.
Proper surfing is also a great way to prevent shoulder impingement. If you have bad form paddling or standing up on your board, you are putting yourself at greater risk for shoulder impingement. Ask your buddies to take a look at your form!
How To Treat Shoulder Impingement From Surfing
If you think you have shoulder impingement, you should rest. If the pain doesn’t go away, you should see a doctor. Common preliminary treatments for shoulder impingement include rest and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or Advil. Doctors often advise physical therapy. Depending on the severity, some shoulder impingement injuries require steroid injections (usually cortisone to deal with the pain) or even surgery. Consult your doctor.
What Does A Dislocated Shoulder Feel And Look Like?
A dislocated shoulder usually occurs from a hard blow to your shoulder – commonly in contact sports, from falling, or sometimes during motor accidents.
A dislocated shoulder may be extremely painful. If you dislocate your shoulder while surfing, you may see your shoulder become visibly out-of-place and deformed. Don’t worry! This will go away with proper care. You may also see swelling and bruising at your shoulder. You may feel pain of varying severity. Some people do not feel pain from a dislocated shoulder; this does not mean it is not dislocated. You may feel numbness and tingling at your shoulder, neck or down your arm. You may also experience muscle spasms, which may increase your pain. Don’t worry; this is just your body trying to put its arm back in place. It’s important to relax and breathe throughout the experience.
I dislocated my shoulder when I got into a motorbike accident in India. I took a hard fall off the bike and braced myself with my forearm. This caused my shoulder to pop up and out of its socket. I felt my arm swing from my shoulder as if it were dead weight, numbness and tingling near my shoulder, and inability to move the joint. I was lucky that my dislocation was not very painful. This is not the same for everyone.
Because I am a Wilderness First Responder trained to reduce (reduce means to put back in place) a dislocated shoulder and I did not have access to medical care within 100 miles, I reduced my own shoulder. This was far more painful than the dislocation itself. I will explain how to do this in the section titled “how to treat your shoulder dislocation”. You should not reduce your or your friend’s shoulder without proper medical training if you have access to medical care.
How To Prevent A Shoulder Dislocation From Surfing
Because unexpected hard blows to your shoulder from a fall or other impact typically cause shoulder dislocations, it is difficult to prevent shoulder dislocations while surfing. In other sports, I’d advise you to wear the appropriate padding. For surfing, I advise you to simply practice safe surfing. Surf within your comfortable ability to avoid hard falls, and always stay far away from any obstacles.
You can also prevent shoulder dislocations by developing and maintaining proper muscular strength in your shoulder region. Having strong muscles that hold your shoulder in place will prevent shoulder dislocation.
Moreover, if you have previously dislocated your shoulder, it is important for you to note that your shoulder will likely dislocate more often. It will likely not be as painful as the first time your shoulder dislocated and can usually be more easily reduced (put back in place).
How To Treat a Shoulder Dislocation From Surfing
If you think your shoulder is dislocated or can visibly see that your shoulder is dislocated, you should seek medical help immediately. If your shoulder is dislocated, the bones may be applying pressure to a nerve or blood vessel that they shouldn’t be. This can cause permanent damage. You should take this seriously.
If you are able to seek medical care, you should ice, stabilize and do not move your shoulder until you reach medical care.
If you are absolutely unable to seek medical care, you may try to reduce your own shoulder. Always exercise caution when considering providing medical care to another individual especially if you are not a medical professional. This is for legal reasons. If you are not a medical professional, you should have an individual provide medical care to themselves. You can stay nearby to support and call for help. Providing medical care you are not trained to do puts the individual at physical risk, and you at legal risk.
There are many ways to reduce a shoulder. I will tell you about the Stimson technique, which is the way I reduced my own shoulder during my motorbike accident. It’s fairly easy to do on your own.
Step 1: Find a heavy object. A heavy purse, backpack, water bottle, etc. will work. I am a 5’4” woman with average upper body strength, so I used two full 1 L water bottles that probably weighted about 4.5 lbs. You should tailor the weight to your body size and strength as you see fit. I would not recommend exceeding 8 lbs. Use your judgment, there’s no perfect number.
Step 2: Lie down, belly down, on a raised surface. A table works perfectly.
Step 3: Allow your dislocated shoulder and arm to dangle down off the side of the table.
Step 4: RELAX your shoulder. This may be difficult to do, but it is imperative that your shoulder muscles are completely relaxed.
Step 5: Hold the weight in the hand of your dislocated shoulder. Allow the weight to pull your arm down, pulling your arm away from your dislocated shoulder. You may hear a pop.
Step 6: The weight should pull your relaxed arm into the right placement and allow your shoulder to slip back into place.
Step 7: Drop the weight!
Your shoulder is now reduced (back into place).
You should now ice and rest your arm.
Should I Stop Surfing With A Shoulder Injury?
No! Absolutely not! This post should not discourage you from surfing. All activities come with an inherent risk. What’s important is to practice any given activity with ample knowledge and preparation. Go out there and catch some great waves! Be safe and have fun. Surf’s up!
Related questions:
What are other common shoulder injuries I can get from surfing?
The two next most common shoulder injuries from surfing would be bursitis or tendinitis. Bursitis is very similar to shoulder impingement. It is when your bursa sack (that tiny jelly pillow that cushions the space between your bones – found in elbow, shoulder, knee, hip, etc.) is irritated, inflamed, or even “popped”.
Tendinitis is a common sports or aging injury. It occurs when your tendon (those stretchy tissues that hold your bones together) are inflamed, usually from overuse.
My hips are tight after a long day of surfing. Is this normal?
You’re not the only one! Many surfers experience tight hip flexors after a long day on the surfboard. Why does this happen? When you are straddling your board waiting for a wave, you’re engaging and contracting your hip flexors. If you do this too long it can cause pain and tightness. Stretch properly and build strength to prevent and treat tight hip flexors after surfing.
What happens if I need to take a break from surfing to rest my injuries?
It happens! Take that well-needed break and rest your body. Just because you can’t surf for a bit doesn’t mean you still can’t be active. Spend time walking or jogging on the beach, or try a new hobby! Give biking a chance! Learn to paint those beautiful sunsets you enjoy watching from your surfboard so much! Cook a big dinner for your surfing buds. Rest until your body feels healed or until your doctor gives you the go-ahead to hop back on your surfboard.
