 Injuries do happen during kite surfing or wakeboarding, but if you understand how they happen, they you've taken your first step towards preventing these injuries. Kite Surfing and Wakeboarding have some attributes that are somewhat unique to the sport:
1. A relatively high impact from falls at high velocities.
2. A combination of forward and rotational momentum as a result of riding the wake and from performing flips or jumps (landing from height)
3. A high torque imparted by large surface area of the board
However, most of the injuries sustained in wakeboarding are in the nature of sprains to the joints, especially to the knees. One common injury involves tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. This can happen during an awkward landing at high speed especialy if one of the feet fails to disengage from the boot hence allowing the board to impart a twisting force to the leg. A torn anterior cruciate ligament results in significant swelling and a feeling of 'giving way' when pivoting on that limb.
The risk of injury can be influenced by factors such as:
1. Equipment
2. Experience
3. Risk behaviour of the rider
4. Level of experience
5. Water conditions |
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Hence despite it being a water sport, a high proportion of the injury is traumatic in nature quite unlike swimming. The combination of these factors predispose to injuries from the following mechanisms:
1. Direct impact from falling onto water
While water is essentially a "soft" medium, at high velocities, impact on the water surface can impart large deceleration forces, which can in turn lead to injuries of the head and neck. At certain angles these high impact falls can also force columns of water into the ear canal (and elsewhere) resulting injuries to the eardrums.
2. Twisting force as a result of falls
An often-cited reason for injuries is the failure to perform flips, jumps or other tricks successfully, leading to awkward falls. The additional height gained from jumping the wake and the rotational forces gained from the flip can contribute to the twisting mechanism from a mis-timed fall. Hence, the most feasible intervention at this point in time would be to encourage riders to train adequately before attempting tricks of higher difficulty.
Apart from traumatic injuries, muscle aches are also common, especially in beginners, who are unaccustomed to the forces involved. Muscles that tend to be strained include the upper and lower back, the forearms, and the thighs. The solution is none other than strengthening and conditioning exercises in the gym, together with training, training, and more training on the water!
| Changi Sports Medicine Centre (CSMC) at the Singapore Changi General Hospital offers a wide range of services to suit the needs of every sports person. The centre manages sports related problems, uses the latest diagnostic technology to achieve accurate diagnosis and conducts biomechanical analysis of your physical fitness. In addition there is a fully equipped gym for rehabilitation and performance enhancement. The team at CSMC comprises of 4 Sports Physicians, 5 Sports Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1 Rehabilitation Physician, 1 Endocrinologist, 3 Sports Physiotherapists, 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach, 2 Sports Trainers, 1 Sports Podiatrist and 2 Dietitians. |
Text by Dr Jason Chia, Sports Physician at Changi Sports Medicine Centre (CSMC) in the Changi General Hospital, Singapore Y | |
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