Because surfing is a low contact sport, surfing usually results in fewer injuries than the average sport. However, there are still plenty of possible injuries that can result from surfing. Most of these injuries are localized to a surfer’s shoulders, back, or knees. Many surfers struggle with back pain but don’t know what is causing this pain or how to lessen the pain. I decided to look into the cause of lower back pain after surfing and how to fix it.
What is the cause of lower back pain after surfing and how do you fix it? There are many causes of lower back pain from surfing. The most common cause of lower back pain in surfers is due to spending extended periods of time in prone position. The best way to fix this lower back pain is by improving surf position, surf in moderation, rest, and stretch and do physiotherapy. In this article, we’ll look at many of the most common back injuries associated with surfing and their associated “fixes”.
How Common Is Lower Back Pain In Surfers?
According to the Retrospective Analysis of Chronic Injuries in Recreational and Competitive Surfers: Injury, Type, and Mechanism by Furness J, Hing W, Abbott A Walsh J Sheppard JM, Climstein M. from the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education (also the largest surfing study conducted in Australia as of 2014), 23.3% of Australian surfers reported suffering from lower back pain. That’s a lot! In this thorough and highly scientific study, the researchers worked with 1,348 surfers, of whom 43% were professional surfers. Of these 1,348 surfers 1,068 surfers reported chronic injuries! Of the injuries they reported, 23.2% of the injuries were lower back, 22.4% were shoulder, and 12.1% were knee. Competitive surfers had significantly more “lower back, ankle/foot, and head/face injuries than recreational surfers”. Regardless, that sure is a lot of injuries! As explained in this article, lower back pain is clearly a pervasive and persistent issue among the surfing community.
Many surfers I know report having stiff or sore backs. In fact, I think every single one of my avid surf friends has complained of a stiff or sore back at one point or another. This doesn’t necessarily constitute back pain, but it certainly goes to show how irritating, pervasive… heck nearly omnipresent… lower back irritation and pain may be in the sport of surfing. I know for myself, in the the past after a long day on the board, I’ve had a stiff back that left me craving a heating pad and a good soft bed!
According to Physiopedia, a website dedicated to “improving global health through universal access to physiotherapy knowledge”, “the most common form of lower back pain when surfing is characterized by tight muscles and a constant dull ache, and is most often caused by an over-arching lower back and a very stiff upper back. Unfortunately, many surfers are also plagued by back pain that hinders or terminates their participation in the sport”. Luckily for my friends and I, none of our back pain has ever gotten so severe that we had to stop surfing! Let’s knock on wood and hope this remains true. Luckily, there are also ways to prevent this pain from presenting itself or increasing in severity. More on preventative measures later.
While lower back pain is significant and pervasive in surfers, it effects some more than others. Those with pre-existing back issues are of course more susceptible to experiencing lower back pain while surfing. Moreover, those who have any injury at all – particularly muscular or skeletal — are actually more susceptible to lower back pain! Why is that you ask? It doesn’t really seem to make sense right off the bat. However, you must consider the fact that our body is constantly in search of creating a more perfectly balanced system and a state of equilibrium. For example, when your knee is hurt, you walk differently to balance and support your injury via a limp or adaptation of your regular walk.
The same adaptations exist on your surfboard. Even an injured ankle may change the way in which you lay on your board or stand up on your board, putting your body (and therefore back) in different positions than usual and therefore potentially adding unusual stress or strain to your back.
Lower back pain also affects avid surfers more than recreational surfers. The longer you spend surfing, the more likely you are to get a surf injury. The same is generally true for all sports! For example, if Bob plays soccer more than Bill, he’s more likely to get a stress-related injury!
Beginner avid surfers are also more susceptible to getting a lower back injury than experienced avid surfers. This is because beginner surfers may not be surfing in proper form, and therefore are putting and holding their bodies in improper positioning which can result in injury.
Moreover, older surfers and surfers with more than 20 years of surfing have higher reported lower back injuries. Surfers between the ages of 35-55 report the most cases of lower back pain due to surfing.
If any of these conditions apply to you, don’t let them stop you from getting out there and surfing! Just exercise caution.
Common Causes of of Lower Back Injuries
There are many possible causes of lower back pain from surfing. As previously mentioned, the most common cause of lower back pain in surfers is due to spending extended periods of time in prone position.
According to Physiopedia, “ The most common reasons for low back in surfers is due to one or more of the following:
- Large amount of time spent in the prone position. Furness et al (2012) finding that 38.5% chronic lower back injury were attributed to both prolonged paddling and lying on the surf board, both of which involve lying prone.
- Prolonged extension of the lumbar with facet joints in a closed packed position (whilst paddling) increases the demands on the low back and may predispose it to chronic injury.
- Inadequate extension in the thoracic and cervical spine increasing the demands of extension on the low back (The lower back is forced to do more extension than it would normally do).
- Explosive turning, cutting, and twisting movements often combining the trunk movements of flexion and rotation combined, predispose the lower back to chronic injury.
- Insufficient core stability (an integral part of surfing). The core is required to perform maneuvers and to protect the body, especially the spine, from injury by stabilization. Also an important function is to stabilize the trunk to enable precise movement of the extremities (needed in the completion of surfing maneuvers).
- Insufficient flexibility and strength of muscles in lower kinetic chain and spine.
- Poor surfing technique e.g. in “pop up”; with paddling.
To be clear, prone position is when someone is lying down, face-first, back up. Surfers spend a lot of time in prone position engaging their back muscles to stay afloat and paddle, with a slightly arched back to see straight ahead and around. This position engages back muscles in a non-natural way and puts stress and strain on the lower back.
In other words, according to Surfline.com, “Surfers can put a lot of pressure on their lumbar vertebrae through over-arching when they lie on their board and paddle. As the spine gets compressed muscles tighten and become sore and inflamed”.
Most of these causes of lower back pain can be lessened by moderating (and possibly lessening) time-spent surfing, taking a rest from surfing if pain is present, practicing proper surf form, doing proper physiotherapy to prevent pain, doing proper stretches and strength exercises to prevent and reduce pain, and seeking professional medical help to prevent and lessen injuries. Let’s look at each of these prevention methods.
How To Prevent Lower Back Pain and Injuries
According to the Retrospective Analysis of Chronic Injuries in Recreational and Competitive Surfers: Injury, Type, and Mechanism by Furness J, Hing W, Abbott A Walsh J Sheppard JM, Climstein M. from the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, their “research may aid in reducing the occurrence of injury through screening awareness and the use of sports-specific strength training and conditioning. Future studies which evaluate screening of the aforementioned injury regions in surfers may provide further information for more robust prevention measures to be developed”. In other words, as mentioned earlier, it is possible to mitigate the risk of getting lower back pain from surfing by practicing proper surf form, doing proper stretches and strength exercises to prevent and reduce pain, and seeking professional medical help to prevent and lessen injuries.
Let’s break it down into prevention/mitigation strategies.
- Moderating (and possibly lessening) time-spent surfing and taking a rest from surfing if pain presents itself. This is fairly self-explanatory. Don’t surf crazy long days one after another! Everything is good in moderation, and too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
- Practice proper surf form. This is incredibly important. As with all things, if it is not done properly, you can injure yourself. Imagine spending three hours on a bicycle hunched over improperly. Your back would surely hurt after this! Imagine spending five hours riding a bicycle where on each pedal your knees jut unnaturally out. Your knees would surely hurt at the end of this too! It’s the same exact thing when it comes to surfing. By not lying in proper prone position, paddling correctly, taking hits from waves properly, popping up properly, riding waves properly, and “crashing” properly, you can really hurt yourself surfing. Specifically, to prevent lower back pain, it is very important to learn ways that you can lessen extension in paddling in pop ups. It is also very important to learn how to “engage core before popping up, learn to arch whole spine when extending not just low back, instruct on need to loosen up body and back before and after surfing to maintain back health” (Physiopedia). To practice proper form, ask an experienced surf friend or surf professional to teach you when learning to surf. If you already know how to surf but are beginning to experience lower back pain, ask an experienced surfer to come and take a look at your form and give you pointers. Perhaps there’s ways you can improve that will lessen your pain!
- Do proper stretches to prevent and reduce pain. One of the best ways to prevent injuries of any kind is by stretching before and after surfing! Some good stretches to help with lower back pain target hip flexors, abdominal muscles, butt muscles, shoulder muscles, and of course, back muscles! It’s a good idea to particularly target stretching your lower back’s lumbar muscles. One of my favorite stretches to target the lower back is the “cat cow” stretch. For this stretch, situate yourself on the ground on all fours and arch and arc your back. I also love doing the lumbar rotation stretch where you lay on the ground on your back, bend your knees, and let your knees (staying together) fall from one side to the other, twisting your back in the process. Yoga is also a great idea to prevent lower back surfing injuries! According to an article called Three Poses for Surfers With a Sore Lower Back” from Surfline.com, child’s pose, figure four, and bridge are three great yoga poses to help prevent and treat lower back pain from surfing.
- There are great strengthening exercises to prevent lower back pain as well. To prevent lower back pain, it’s a great idea to strengthen your core. To do this, there are lots of great abs workouts you can do! By strengthening your abs, you will be increasing your stability for your lumbar spine, which is typically where surfers experience lower back pain.
- Seek professional medical help to prevent and lessen injuries. As with just about anything, it’s always a great idea to seek professional medical advise for healthy living. If you’re starting surfing, check in with your doctor to see what they advise. If you’re a long-term surfer, still check in with them! They might have some great tips and advice for staying healthy and avoiding lower back pain specifically to your body and needs.
What are Common Lower Back Surf Injuries?
The most common lower back injury associated with surfing is a muscle strain. This can be due to lying prone with an arched back for extended periods of time. A surfer lies like this while either paddling out or waiting to catch a wave. Most commonly, surfers endure Lumbar strains.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine.com, a lumbar strain “is an injury to the lower back. This results in damaged tendons and muscles that can spasm and feel sore. The lumbar vertebra make up the section of the spine in your lower back”. The symptoms include “sudden lower back pain, spasms in the lower back that result in more severe pain, and lower back feels sore to the touch”. It can be diagnosed via an X-ray, Computed tomography scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Radionuclide bone scan, and/or Electromyogram (EMG). It is typically treated via “rest, ice packs and/or heat and compression applied to the back, exercises (to strengthen the abdominal muscles), stretching and strengthening exercises (for the lower back as it heals), and education regarding the use and wearing of appropriate protective equipment. Medicines, such as anti-inflammatories and spinal injections, may also be used to relieve pain and inflammation.”
Another main lower back injury associated with surfing is Lordosis. According to healthline.com, “Lordosis refers to your natural lordotic curve, (the curve in your back) which is normal. But if your curve arches too far inward, it’s called lordosis, or swayback. Lordosis can affect your lower back and neck. This can lead to excess pressure on the spine, causing pain and discomfort. It can affect your ability to move if it’s severe and left untreated”. According to the inertia.com, For surfers, the two main causes of lordosis are almost always too much paddling and not enough stretching of the back before and after surfing. Excess body fat also helps contribute to Lordosis”. According to WebMD, the symptoms of Lodorsis include “appearing swayback, with the buttocks being more pronounced, having a large gap between the lower back and the floor when lying on your back on a hard surface that does not change when you bend forward, back pain and discomfort, and problems moving certain ways” . To diagnose Lordosis, a doctor must perform a physical examination and exam the curve of the patient’s spine and the patient’s movement. According to Mt Sinai hospital, “the doctor may also order a neurological assessment if the person is having pain, tingling, numbness, muscle spasms or weakness, sensations in the arms or legs or changes in bowel or bladder control. Other tests may be ordered, including X-rays”.
These are not the only possible lower back injuries associated with surfing, however they are the two most common.
How do you “Fix” Lower Back Pain from Surfing?
The advice given for preventing and mitigating the risk of getting back pain from surfing also applies to how to “fix” lower back pain from surfing. These pieces of advice (as explained above are: 1) Moderate (and possibly lessen) time spent surfing and taking a rest from surfing if pain presents itself, 2) Practice proper surf form, 3) Do proper stretches to prevent and reduce pain, 4) Do strengthening exercises to prevent and reduce pain, and 5) Seek professional medical help to prevent and lessen injuries.
Number five (Seek professional medical help to prevent and lessen injuries) is particularly important. As mentioned in the section above, about common lower back surf injuries, you can get very serious lower back injuries from surfing. It is important to take any pain seriously. As with all things, it is better to nip injuries in the bud than to wait until they get serious. If you start feeling pain, you should seek medical help.
When injured, it is also a great idea to practice physiotherapy to lessen pain and “fix” your lower back injuries. According to Saskatchewan Physiotherapy Association, “Physiotherapy is a health care profession which assists people to restore, maintain and maximize their strength, function, movement, and overall well-being”. According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Physiotherapists “help people affected by injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise, manual therapy, education and advice. They maintain health for people of all ages, helping patients to manage pain and prevent disease”. If you are considering doing physiotherapy, do not attempt to do it on your own. Seek professional medical attention for advice on what physiotherapy exercises to do to lessen your lower back pain.
Related Questions:
Besides Lower Back, What are Other Common Surf Injuries?
As mentioned, shoulder and knee injuries are the second and third most common injuries in the sport of surfing. According to the Retrospective Analysis of Chronic Injuries in Recreational and Competitive Surfers: Injury, Type, and Mechanism by Furness J, Hing W, Abbott A Walsh J Sheppard JM, Climstein M. from the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education 23.2% of the injuries were lower back, 22.4% were shoulder, and 12.1% were knee.
Is It True That It’s a Good Idea to Sleep on a Hard Surface if You Have Back Pain?
I personally have been told this many times. I have personally found this to be true. I find that sleeping on the ground with a thin mat (like a yoga mat or camping sleeping bag) helps my lower back. It has to do with the hard surface helping to align your vertebrae. According to GlobalNews.com “there is little scientific evidence that suggests sleeping on the floor is good for an aching back, it seems to be one of those age-old remedies people still swear by.”
Does Using a Heating Pad on a Sore Back Help?
For some people, using a heating pad on a sore back helps tremendously! Because my back pain is not severe (more of muscle soreness), this is what helps me the best. I like to put a heating pad on my lower back, leave it there for about twenty minutes, and then stretch. Taking a hot shower can also help. It helps because it heats up and loosens your muscles, releasing some of the tightness. Plus, it just feels relaxing!