When most people think about sports, they think
about football, basketball, or golf. In
my case, not only do I think of these sports, but I think of one most people
forget about, or have never even heard of; wakeboarding. Wakeboarding takes much skill in a variety of
areas since it is a mix between water skiing, snowboarding, and surfing
techniques. It is considered a surface
water sport that involves riding the wakeboard over the surface of a body of
water while being towed by a motor boat around 18-24 miles per hour. I have been wakeboarding since my childhood.
I grew up in the Central Valley where the temperatures are often above 100
degrees in the summer. My family and
friends would make many trips to the Delta and surrounding lakes to get our fix
of water sports.
Wakeboarding is not only a fun hobby of mine, it is
the main reason I am a chiropractor today.
When I was in high school, I had a wake boarding accident that caused me
to have severe back pain. I had just
finished a successful high school sports career and was on my to start my
college sports career in less than a month. I was in so much pain that I was
questioning if I would be able to run and jump again without pain. I searched for treatment that could get to
the bottom of the issue and help me heal as fast as possible so I could start
playing basketball again. At first, I
tried the conventional western medicine route: pain killers, muscle relaxers
and physical therapy, all with little success. I then decided to seek out a chiropractor. I was amazed. The chiropractor not only
diagnosed my problem correctly, he got rid of my pain and allowed me to get
back on the court in time for the beginning of the season. After successfully completing my basketball
season, I realized how valuable it was for me to have a chiropractor and how I
could be that person for someone else.
From that point forward, I knew what my calling was, and today I am
proud to say I have helped many people with sports injuries get back to doing
what they love.
Most water sports, especially wakeboarding, come
with a great risk of injury. This is
usually due to the speed one is being towed at and the vulnerability one faces
by not wearing protective padding. If a
wakeboarder hits the water at a great speed, the surface of the water can feel
like concrete. According to a recent
study, out of 156 orthopedic surgeons completing a wakeboarding injuries
questionnaire, 49% reported no wakeboarding injuries and 36% reported treating
at least 1 wakeboarding injury. Common
injuries include ACL tears, shoulder dislocations, ankle sprains, and neck and
back injury. Around 21% of these
injuries include fractures. These
injuries can be easily treated if not fully avoided through regular visits to
the chiropractor and a proper exercise regime.
Different techniques can help keep the joints lubricated and healthy to better
withstand the impact against the water. Active
Release techniques (ART) can insure that all muscles in the body are strong and
limber so they can better rebound from quick jerks and movements.
If you wakeboard or do other water sports
and you have taken some falls or want to prevent injury, come on down to Executive
Express Chiropractic. We are open Monday-Friday 9:00am-6:00pm and
Saturdays from 9:00am-1:00pm. You can
set up an appointment by giving us a call at 415-392-2225.
Reviews and directions to Executive
Express Chiropractic
Thanks for the blog post on wakeboarding injuries, prevention, and treatment. There are some interesting statistics in your post.
I have a blog about workouts and strength training for wakeboarding. I am going to post this article up on my website.
I would love to talk to you more about wakeboarding, and the prevention and treatment of injuries.
Thanks again for the great article, info, and statistics.
Roger Ernst II, CSCS
Posted by: Roger Ernst | August 23, 2010 at 11:06 AM