• Would knee paddling help take some pressure off of my back?
• I repeatedly tweak one side of my lower back? What can I do?
• Will surfing aggravate my bulging disc?
• How can I duck-dive without aggravating my back?
• Help for lower back problems?
• My back hurts while sitting on my surfboard. Any suggestions?
  
• I have back and upper leg pain. Any suggestions?
  
• How can I minimize pain from a bulging disk?
  
• Loosen up your back

Other Fitness Subjects

QUESTION: Would knee paddling help take some pressure off of my back?

Hi Beth,
I live in Biarritz and really love surfing. Since a year ago, however, I have had lower back pains. X-rays showed that I have a spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. Not very severe (first stage only), but things are improving very slowly, and only with a lot of exercises & physical Therapy once a week. I'm still surfing, but less then before.

My therapist explained me that one of the bad things of surfing is the paddling, because you make the back very hollow. My chiropractor told me to go bicycling because it is one of rare sports, which forces you to round your back.

I have this longboard movie at home entitled Superslide. I noticed that a lot of them paddle out while sitting on their knees.

Do you think that this way of paddling (when possible) decreases the risk of lower back problems- in general and in my specific case?

Thanks,
Daan V.

ANSWER:

Hey Daan,
Bummer about the back, I am glad to hear that you are in physical therapy and taking the right steps to help alleviate pain.

As for longboarding and paddling on your knees, it is definitely worth a try. I have not spent much time on a longboard, but I have tried paddling on my knees. It is a bit tricky at first and feels slightly unstable, but once you get it down it feels pretty good and powerful. It may bother your back a bit until you get it down and feel solid. You will avoid the arching of your back because you will be totally hunched over- similar to the rounding of your back on a bike.

So, say you get the knee paddle thing down, but then you need to think about what happens when you go to paddle for a wave. The really skilled longboarders can actually catch waves starting from a knee paddling position. I have no idea how hard that would be, nor what it would be like on steeper waves. These are all things to consider when testing this paddling technique.

Another thing to consider is how does your back fair with falling and getting worked by waves. I don't know where you surf, but here at O.B. in S.F. we have gnarly paddle out conditions, which are made easier by being able to duck dive your shortboard. With a longboard you could get a bit more tossed and churned on the inside. It’s just something to think about.

Good luck and give me some feedback on this.

Hasta, Beth
(Posted 9-18-03)

QUESTION: I repeatedly tweak one side of my lower back? What can I do?

Hey Beth!
I often tweak my one side of my lower back after or during surfing. I'm in relatively good shape and my stomach is pretty tight. (I often hear that a week back means you have week stomach muscles).

What can I do to eliminate this injury from happening, and what exercises can I do to strengthen this area?

Thanks!
Robert T.

ANSWER:

Hey Robert,
Sounds to me like you have to get yourself onto a good stretching regime to help even out your body. Your muscles on one side of your body may be tight while the other side is stronger. Lots of unevenness in our body's symmetry, which can be helped by, say, a consistent relationship with yoga.

Yoga has relieved all of my ailments. I was having back, neck, etc. problems and I was continually visiting the chiropractor and a body worker. I got sick of having my hips and neck out of alignment, so I started to do yoga. After a year and a half of going 2 times per week, my hips are leveling out and my neck is much better. It is definitely worth a try.

As for the sit-ups, make sure you are strengthening the lower abs (below the belly button), as well as the obliques. Most people generally feel sit-ups in their upper abs, which is okay for looks, but it doesn't help protect the back.

If none of this helps and your symptoms increase, it is always good to get checked out by a doctor. Good luck and get yourself on a serious stretching program. You need to stretch the entire body because a tight hip on one side can contribute to a low back problem on the other!

Hasta,
Beth
(Posted 8-28-03)

QUESTION: Will surfing aggravate my bulging disc?

ANSWER:

Hasta, Beth
(Posted 6-22-03)

QUESTION: How can I duck-dive without aggravating my back?

Hey, Beth.

My duck-diving is starting to really kill my back.

In heavier surf, I have for years been using a deep duck dive, which employs one foot on the tail and my two hands grabbing the rails of the board up near the front. I find I get much better scoop (and thus greater depth and speed) than the standard push-with-the-knee technique. The problem is that when you’re kicking down with your foot and pulling up with your hands, the fulcrum is your lower back. And it’s just like stooping over to pick up a pile of books. Ouch!

Now that I can't get away with that any more, have you got any ideas for me… duck-dive ergonomics?

Thanks, Bertrand

ANSWER:

Hey Bertrand,
I have not yet had any low back problems while duck diving in bigger, heavier surf (yet!). I actually just got out of the water- and probably did 1,000 duck dives at Ocean Beach- and my back feels okay. I am pretty religious about going to yoga 2-3 times per week and doing my sit-ups 4 times a week to keep it all strong. You should consider a regular stretching and abdominal work out program.

However, I just asked my fiancé, who is a 20-year-plus surfer dude, and he has had similar complaints of back pain while duck diving. He claims that his back bothers him most when he starts his duck dive a bit too close to the white water, so he is unable to get the nose of his board (and the rest of it and his body) deep enough. This results in an exaggerated arching of the back to resurface quickly. He has been trying to start his duck dive about 5 feet earlier so he can get everything underneath the oncoming white water sooner (and deeper) to avoid the impact of the white water. Then you don't have to push up through the impact of the white water that just hits you. It is definitely worth a try.

As for pushing down with the knee, that seems to only work in really small surf and I try to avoid it as much as possible.

I hope this works. Let me know.

Hasta, Beth
(Posted 4-9-03)

QUESTION: Help for lower back problems?

Hi Beth,

QUESTION: My back hurts while sitting on my surfboard. Any suggestions?

Sitting on my longboard waiting for waves causes me lower back pain. I try to vary my position but that doesn't seem to help or last long. It is the same type of pain I get when I sleep on my stomach with pillows under my upper body. I do the stretch where I lay on my back and bring my knees up to my face, but I don't think that has much effect. Any ideas?

- Al

ANSWER:

Hey Al,

Sorry for the delayed response, I just got back from Hawaii. I do have several suggestions for this. I would start an ab strengthening program and really focus on strengthening your lower abs (belly button and lower). Strength here will help you sit up taller and also protect your low back. I would also focus on strengthening your upper body postural muscles (rhomboids, lats, triceps) and stretching out your chest, bicep, and forearm muscles. This will help you sit up taller and avoid the dreaded slouch while sitting on your board. Not to mention this will help take pressure off of your low back.

I would definitely start stretching more. That one stretch is good but not enough. I have started doing yoga 2 times per week and it is helping a ton. You will learn a ton of new stretches and be amazed with how much taller and more open you feel.

I am giving a seminar on March 5th at Aquaholics in SF at 6:30 pm that will be teaching all of the things I just mentioned. Check out surfpulse.com for more info.

Good luck and happy surfing.

Hasta, Beth

QUESTION: Due to a bad impact injury I'm experiencing pain in my back and upper leg. Any suggestions?

Hi Beth,

Thanks for this opportunity! I had an injury back in 1978 where I slid sideways on my back into a narrow tree. The tree, because it was so narrow was able to really dig into the muscle and nerves thus creating a substantial, impact injury. I was treated right away and subsequently later on through the years. I had chiropractic work done also which temporarily helped. If I sit in the car too long (2-6 hours), I start to get pain in the back of my right leg; the injury was to my lower, right back area, just below the hip. I have to get out and walk a bit to ease the pain. If it spasms really bad due to lifting or twisting wrong, I become pretty much incapacitated; it's very difficult to get up from a chair or couch. In that case, I have to "push" down on my knees or a table to get up; the strength in my lower back/kidney/hip area is just not there! Now and for the past 2 years, I sometimes get sciatica in the back of both legs.

I surf, swim And hike and work out in a gym. It seems that after working out in the gym with light weights and such that the sciatica increases....then I back off. I try to stretch and do qi gong to relax and stretch to help with the pain. Now, it is not unbearable, but a few weeks ago when I was helping a friend move, it became really bad to the point where I felt like my quads were just "giving out"! I don't have that problem now, but minor pain now "comes and goes".

Any suggestions much appreciated.... by the way, I have studied towards a PT degree, but got sidetracked into recreational therapy.

Thanks again and much Aloha!!
Bill

ANSWER:

Hey William,

Just got back from a great Hanalei Bay trip. I talked to my PT friend about this and she concurred with my thoughts. I think it is very important that you go back to a doctor to get a new diagnosis of what the problem is. Things may have shifted and changed over the years through use and abuse! And there are 3 additional steps I would take.

1. Get back in with a chiropractor that you trust. If it helped initially, it will probably help again.

2. Try to find a very knowledgeable body worker who can help loosen up you body without causing inflammation to the pained area.

My first 2 suggestions are the easy ones to adhere to because someone else in doing the work. However, without answer #3, all this body work may not hold and your problems may come back.

So...

3. You need to get some serious groundwork going on your trunk region. I would first start with basic trunk strengthening exercises and then work your way into FUNCTIONAL trunk stabilization.

For your basic trunk exercises, I would sign up for a few mat pilate classes so you become aware of your abdominal wall and how to separate it from the rest of your body. Most people tend to try and strengthen their abs by doing basic situps without any knowledge as to which abs they are using to do what. This tends to call in the use of your back and neck muscles which you need to avoid.

Once you get this basic abdominal foundation you can then move on to functional trunk stabilization. This is necessary so that when you are doing your sports and daily activities, you actually use your abs to do the movement along with the rest of your body. To become familiar with these exercises, I would find a trainer or a PT who is aware of this kind of training to teach you how to do this properly.

I know this sounds expensive but if you invest a little $$ and time now, you may be able to kick this chronic problem.

Good luck and let me know if you need some names and numbers!

Hasta, Beth

QUESTION: How do I minimize pain from a bulging disk?

Beth,
As a follow up to the "My back hurts when I surf" question, I have a bulging disk and am doing bodywork, stretching and exercises to hopefully allow the disk to slide back in to place. I seem to get pain down my leg (sciatica) AFTER I surf, mountain bike or windsurf. None of these activities seem to put any specific stress on my lower back. (I recently switched to a waist harness for windsurfing, and that seems to help). However, I always have pain beginning about an hour after the activity.

Any advice on what I can do to minimize the pain?
Thanks, Frank B. (8/12/01)

ANSWER:

Hey, Frank:
Sounds to me like you are doing the proper rehab and preventitive exercises to help your back but I think your activities are providing more stress to your lower back than you think. All 3 exercises are quite stressful on the low back due to position and unknown hazards.

Mountain biking is jarring on the low back and is forcing your spine into an awkward, unnatural position. Windsurfing can crank on your low back when a major gust hits and you have to readjust your position or if you hit a ramp and launch off of it, the landing can be quite hard on the spine. Your move to a different harness is a good one! Surfing can get the low back tight while paddling or getting worked on the inside. So...Now what?!

What I would do is eliminate one or two of the sports for a set amount of time and test out which one aggravates your symptoms the most. If you want this injury to heal, often times rest is the best policy. You may want to consider the future (i.e., killer fall surf conditions) and take some time off of harmful activities and continue on with your stretching, body work, and abdominal strengthening.

I have been injured one way or another almost my whole life and over the years have been trying to practice what I preach but man is it a BITCH! Let me know if you need more info. Good luck and try to think about what your body really needs. Maybe it needs a bit more TLC!!

-Beth
(Posted 8/14/01)

Question: My back hurts when I surf. What can I do to loosen it up?

Beth,
I have spondotheosis, or some scar tissue between my discs that is causing one to push out a bit. It's a chronic condition, meaning I have had it all my life. Surfing seems to aggravate it. I was wondering what I could do to loosen it up. My glutes overcompensate and the hip flexors, as well. The whole lower back is a knot. Please help.

Michael S., San Francisco (7/12/01)

ANSWER:

Hey, Michael. Since this has been a chronic condition, I am sure you have tried many avenues of rehab, so I apologize if I am repeating what others have told you. When you say push out, do you mean bulging disc? You and I may need to email each other back and forth a few times to figure this one out. What else causes pain? Have you tried strengthening your lower abdominal region? Have you tried yoga or some sort of stretching method or does that cause pain?

Prolonged stretching may be key to aid in the breaking up of scar tissue but you need to be careful as to not over-stretch or aggravate the area. Have you tried massage or body work? I have a great guy here in Mill Valley who is amazing and has done some serious work on my shoulders which have bothered me since I was a competitive swimmer. Let me know if you want his name.

So basically, email me back with the answers to these questions and we can go from there. I definitely need to know what you have tried and what the doctors have told you to do.

Have a great weekend.

Beth

Disclaimer:
The opinions in "Ask Beth" represent the opinions of Beth Price, not those of Surfpulse. Surfpulse makes no medical claims nor does SurfPulse assume any responsibility for any opinions or information shared about fitness and health subjects. Anyone who is willing to try any suggestions from this column (or any other section of SurfPulse) for health, fitness, nutrition, injury prevention, or anything relating to any of these areas, is responsible for doing their own due diligence before undertaking any new activity, or continuing a current activity relating to health, fitness, nutrition, injury prevention, or anything else in order to minimize the possibility of injury or death. The information shared herein has not been approved by the FDA, AMA nor any other health or regulatory agency. And therefore, anyone considering to use any of the information shared in this column, in any other section of Surfpulse or anywhere outside of SurfPulse.com, should always consult a physician and/or a personal, certified fitness instructor before implementing any exercise routine or program- especially when significantly modifying one's physical fitness regime or lifestyle in any way.

In other words, Beth is going to be sharing some information that she believes could improve the average, healthy surfer's well-being. But don't complain if you get hurt. Surfing, especially big wave surfing, can be very dangerous and everyone participating in sports such as these should thoroughly evaluate all of the possible consequences before getting involved... and especially before pushing their limits in any capacity. Surf hard but surf safely.