Surfing Foot Injury

Living near the ocean can be a lot of fun, particularly  with all the water sports one can participate in. In my podiatry practice we see many foot injuries, one that you may not think to be very common are foot injuries from surfing. I have had many surfers come in with all types of foot injuries some more common than others. How are they diagnosed what can be done to treat them and finally what can be done to prevent a surfing foot injury.

Ankle sprains and sesamoid injuries are the top two injuries that i see as a surfing foot injury. After that I will see tendonitis of the big toe tendon (extensor hallucis longus and brevis and flexor hallucis longus and brevis) and other tendonitis of the foot. Then there are capsular tears and capsulitis particularly of the ball of the foot , which can lead to pre dislocation syndrome of the second metatarsal phalangeal joint.

Certain foot types and foot shapes can predispose you to getting surfing foot injury. Such as in the picture below a high arch foot will tend to roll out and come down in awkward positions and leading to injuries. These types of feet also put allot of pressure on the ball of the foot causing injuries to the ball of the foot.

Fractures can happen as well when not careful , below is a ankle fracture that required screws and a plate to e fixed from a surfing injury.

Ankle fracture dislocation

If you injure your foot or ankle while surfing do not take it lightly. It can have significant detrimental effects to your future sporting activities.

Prevention can be summed up as , know your skill level . Do not try things you have not done before without proper instruction . Stretching can be very helpful. Taking breaks especially if you have hurt yourself can help.

Most of all if you sustain a foot or ankle injury while surfing, make an appointment with your local foot and ankle expert podiatrist , that has seen many of these injuries. There are allot of therapies that can be done, Don’t wait until it is too late and then your likely hood of needing surgery will increase