Surfing Injuries in Pacific Beach: How Sports Chiropractic Can Help You Stay in the Water

Living in Pacific Beach means having some of San Diego’s best surf right outside your door. But whether you’re learning to catch your first waves or surfing several days a week, surfing places unique demands on nearly every part of your body.

Paddling requires repetitive shoulder movement and sustained extension through the neck and back. Popping up requires mobility and explosive movement through the lower back, hips, knees, and ankles. Once you’re standing, balance, rotation, and core stability all come into play.

At Team Elite Chiropractic in Pacific Beach, we work with surfers and other active adults to identify the movement limitations contributing to pain and help them stay active in the sports they love.

Why Surfing Can Be Hard on Your Body

Some of surfing’s biggest physical demands happen before you ever catch a wave.

While paddling, surfers spend extended periods on their stomach with their head and chest elevated.

“Surfing requires a ton of spinal extension,” explains Dr. CJ Epstein of Team Elite Chiropractic. “You’re on your stomach on your board, but you have to look up to paddle.”

That position, combined with repetitive paddling, can contribute to stiffness and discomfort through the neck, upper back, shoulders, and lower back, especially when mobility or strength is limited.

Common Surfing Injuries: From Paddling to Wipeouts

Different stages of surfing place stress on different areas of the body.

Paddling: Shoulders, Neck and Upper Back

Paddling combines repetitive shoulder movement with sustained extension through the neck and upper back.

“If you lack range of motion or strength, all of that paddling can cause issues with the shoulders,” Dr. Epstein explains. Limited mobility can also cause the body to compensate, potentially changing mechanics and putting additional stress on other areas.

The Pop-Up: Low Back, Knees and Ankles

Moving quickly from your stomach into a crouched position requires mobility and strength throughout the body.

Dr. Epstein notes that the pop-up can be particularly difficult for surfers already experiencing lower-back pain or disc-related issues. The quick transition can also contribute to knee and ankle sprains or strains.

Riding the Wave: Core, Knees and Ankles

Once you’re standing, the knees and ankles continually adjust while your core helps stabilize your body on an unpredictable surface. Carving adds additional rotational and balance demands.

Wipeouts: Neck and Impact Injuries

Getting tossed by a wave or hitting the water hard can cause whiplash-like symptoms through the neck. Concussions are also a concern in surfing, whether from hitting the water forcefully or being struck by a board.

If you experience a significant head impact or symptoms concerning a concussion, seek appropriate medical evaluation before returning to the water.

Beginners vs. Experienced Surfers

Beginners and experienced surfers may experience different problems.

Less experienced surfers often use significantly more energy paddling and positioning themselves in the water. 

More experienced surfers may be better conditioned for paddling but experience repetitive stress from years of pop-ups, carving, and longer periods in the water.

In either case, recurring pain shouldn’t simply be accepted as part of surfing.

When Should You Get Surfing Pain Checked Out?

Feeling tired or sore after a long session doesn't necessarily mean you're injured. Surfing is strenuous, and some muscle soreness can be expected.

The bigger concern is pain that feels different from normal post-exercise soreness or doesn't improve.

Dr. Epstein recommends paying attention when:

• Pain or significant stiffness persists for several days
• Symptoms continue for a week without improving
• Pain repeatedly returns when you surf
• An injury causes noticeable swelling
• A knee or ankle injury makes walking difficult
• Pain interferes with paddling, popping up, or surfing normally

“If it’s going on a week and it’s not getting better, those are obvious signs to come in and get checked out,” Dr. Epstein explains.

How Team Elite Evaluates and Treats Surfing Injuries

At Team Elite Chiropractic, treatment starts by determining what is contributing to the problem, not simply treating the area that hurts.

Every new patient begins with a detailed history, including how the injury happened, how long symptoms have been present, and what makes them better or worse.

The next step is a full-body movement screen to identify where the patient moves well and where mobility or movement limitations exist. Treatment is individualized based on those findings and may include:

• Chiropractic adjustments
• Active Release Techniques (ART)
• Cupping or scraping
• Laser therapy
• Shockwave therapy
• Mobility work
• Corrective and strengthening exercises

For acute injuries, treatment may focus initially on supporting tissue healing and reducing pain and inflammation. Chronic problems may require a different combination of soft-tissue work, joint mobility, strengthening, and other therapies.

As symptoms improve, the focus can shift toward restoring the strength and mobility needed to return to surfing and reduce the likelihood of the same problem recurring.

A Simple 5-Minute Pre-Surf Warm-Up

A few minutes of movement before paddling out can help prepare your body for the positions and demands of surfing.

Dr. Epstein recommends starting with a light jog to increase your heart rate, followed by several minutes of full-body mobility.

A simple routine might include:

1. Light jog to warm up
2. Air squats for the legs and ankles
3. Cat-cows for spinal mobility
4. Supermans to activate the posterior chain
5. Runner’s lunges for hip mobility
6. Upward and downward dog for spinal and shoulder mobility
7. Shoulder mobility movements before repetitive paddling

The goal isn’t to tire yourself out. It’s simply to “prime the body for the movements you’re about to do,” Dr. Epstein explains.

Want to Surf Better? Don’t Just Surf.

One of Dr. Epstein’s biggest recommendations for surfers is to train outside of the water.

“Only doing the same activity, the same sport, over and over is going to lead to imbalances and potential overuse injuries,” he explains.

Adding lower-body strengthening once or twice per week, building a strong core, and incorporating movements outside the patterns used repeatedly while surfing can help develop a more well-rounded athlete. 

Sports Chiropractic for Surfers in Pacific Beach

Team Elite Chiropractic’s Pacific Beach location is inside Fitness Quest 10, allowing care to extend beyond the treatment table.

As surfers progress through recovery, the Team Elite team can incorporate mobility, corrective exercises, and strengthening work and show patients exercises they can continue independently.

Whether shoulder pain is making it harder to paddle, your lower back is limiting your pop-up, or recurring stiffness is affecting your time in the water, the goal is to identify what’s contributing to the problem and develop a plan based on your body and your sport.

If pain or limited mobility is keeping you out of the water, schedule an evaluation with Team Elite Chiropractic in Pacific Beach and get back to doing what you love.