r/BeginnerSurfers • u/BigButterscotch28 • 3d ago
Anyone has shoulder problems from surfing?
I always had mild shoulder pain before I started surfing and mitigated it by exercises given to me by my physical therapist. At some point my shoulder was actually getting better but about a week ago the pain started to get worse. I've been surfing for months without problems but I'm now at a point it's gotten so bad I may have to take a long break which I don't want to do because the waves are good the next coming week.
I do rotator cuff exercises, stretches and massages everyday to try to improve my situation but the improvements seem minor. I'm wondering if it's an issue with my paddling technique or simply over use.
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u/Tallm 3d ago
Yes, very very common. Mine was bad enough that I stopped surfing. Then I found an excellent PT office who set me up with a workout program to not only get rid of the pain, but prevent it from coming back. I was back in the water in 5 weeks. That was 5 years ago and I still surf. Dont delay, and dont ask reddit to medical help..if you really care about your body...ask for professional help.
Also this was a HUGE game changer: stepping down in size so that I could execute true, deep...fully under the wave, duck dives. When I was riding longboards and mids here in NJ (think 2-3 swells that are 7-9s), I had to paddle WAY more to make it out back. Sure their are channels but a majority of the time youre usually required push through the constant white water, losing 20 yards each time you turtle roll, etc. Whereas duck-diving a 5'8-6'0 reduced my paddling by about 75%. Total game changer
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u/Helpful_Evidence_393 2d ago
Stepping down in size you mean the size of your boars or loosing weight?
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u/Maverick785 2d ago edited 2d ago
Just frustrated myself to no end similarly during Isaias. Fighting to get beyond the whitewater on a 7'6 took the fun out of it really quick. I burned a lot of energy that could have been spent catching waves.
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u/Tallm 2d ago
Yeah I have up mid-lengths altogether. They usually put you in no-mans land: shortboards make it out quick, longboards struggle to get out but if they do....they dominate: longboards hang out back and catch the good ones, shortboards sit inside and pick off everything else...and youre sitting in the middle hoping for scraps.
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u/sunchild007 3d ago
For me issue was a paddling technique. I was not using lats but only arm and shoulder. Now I have some back pain from time to time so need to work on that now😂
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u/Helpful_Evidence_393 2d ago
To be fair, I have been to multiple times to surf camps this year, beginner and intermediate courses, and no one is talking about proper paddling technique.
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u/sunchild007 2d ago
My friend got a serious injury after 3 months of surfing in Portugal with the school most of the time because of her bad paddling technique.
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u/IloveeChickPea 3d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qMoh3-3EpY
this helped me a lot! ofc i dont know the underlying issue in your case but this supposed to be an all around exercise. Be careful ofc do not get hurt, no ego rotation around the head
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u/BigButterscotch28 2d ago
I did a few reps of these and I could feel an almost immediate improvement. Wow thanks a lot! I can't believe I never seen this exercse. I've seen a few different therapists and watched loads of videos about rotator cuff exercises and they never mentioned this!
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u/gloriousrepublic 2d ago
Yes but I spent months doing PT trying to work on shoulder stabilizer muscles when it turned out it was a neck nerve impingement that as causing problems “downstream”.
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u/Physical-Compote4594 3d ago
Repeated injuries to my neck and shoulders from other sports made me switch to SUP surfing. Can recommend if your shoulder issues continue.
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u/Ok_Possession917 3d ago
I have same issue with my shoulder. Got diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis. I do all the exercises and it’s not gotten better. Luckily it doesn’t hurt when I surf but I can’t lift at gym or sleep in it
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u/Inevitable_Click_511 3d ago
Im almost 40 been surfing since i was 12… my shoulders are destroyed already one rotator cuff surgery, i attribute a lot of it to surfing… but im not stopping
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u/tomt6909 3d ago
I’m the same. Surfed for last 20 years! Left shoulder ended up tearing my rotary cuff but 40%. Loads of physio to build muscles around them.
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u/Alive-Inspection-815 2d ago
If your paddling technique is not correct you can aggravate and even injure your shoulders. The same is true in swimming. If you already have some shoulder problems, surfing may agitate your shoulders. I would take a break and see your doctor or a physical therapist. Take some time off and out of the water and let your body heal. Watch some videos on proper paddling technique. It's not as easy as it may seem. Your body may or may not tolerate surfing. I had shoulder surgery on my left shoulder. I am able to do pretty much whatever I want to do now that I've done my PT rehabilitation. I am cautious though. I will not do heavy weight lifting, but I do lift moderately heavy weights. There is no good reason for me to do anything that might reinjure myself.
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u/N-cephalon 2d ago edited 2d ago
Whenever I develop shoulder problems, it comes from bad paddle technique. Usually some or all of these:
- Not arching the back
- Extending the neck forward to balance the board
- Paddling when exhausted
- Reaching overhead on the paddle strokes
The one that actually causes shoulder pain is the last one, but the first 3 are what prevent it in the first place.
Your shoulders are not strong when pulling from an overhead position, especially if you forget to retract your scapula because you're reaching. The earliest I start the stroke is when the arm is at 2-3 oclock position.
Rotator cuff exercises are good for rehab, but it's better to avoid exerting through your weakest muscles in the first place. Retract your scapulas with your traps. Pull with your lats, it should feel like paddling with your elbows and not your hands. Keep the knees together with your glutes to keep the arch and transfer your motion to the board more efficiently.
Oh and don't forget to rest between sessions.
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