Chiropractic Care Prevents Surf-Related Injuries

Surfing is one of the most popular sports in La Jolla, San Diego. The weather, flexibility, and affordability make this an easy hobby to pick up. Many locals enjoy surfing before work to get their day started. However, this sport requires a lot of physical effort, and many experience surf-related injuries, such as shoulder impingement, back sprains and strains, hip flexor strains, and ankle stiffness.

There are several ways to prevent injuries, on and off the beach, to ensure surfers can minimize injuries and downtime. 

How to Prepare for Surfing

Surfers should spend 5-10 minutes warming up before hitting the surf. Some simple exercises and stretches can be done without equipment on the beach, such as:

Shoulder Activation:

Standing I's, T's and Y's

Spinal Mobility:

Cat/Cow

Thread the Needle

Cobra Pose

Ankle Mobility:

Ankle PAILS/RAILS

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How to Recover from Surfing 

Static Stretching and Foam Rolling

After surfing, surfers should spend 5 minutes static stretching. These exercises should include: 

bending forward touching toes, child’s pose reaching to the right and left, and cat/cow poses. Surfers should also include foam rolling into their daily routine to release muscle knots and relieve inflammation. Foam rolling also increases range of motion, flexibility, and mobility while boosting circulation and lymphatic flow.

Chiropractic Maintenance  

Every 2-4 weeks surfers should see a chiropractor for maintenance. Surfing puts a lot of strain on muscles and joints; which over time, can lead to injury. At Team Elite, our routine maintenance for surfers includes adjustments and soft tissue work, such as cupping, active release technique, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization. 

At Team Elite Chiropractic La Jolla, our surfers receive comprehensive chiropractic care that combines both chiropractic and physical therapy best practices and techniques.

Contact us today at 858-633-8036 or visit our website to book an appointment.