Kiteboarding and Body Pains

[administrator]

Some guys have developed ankle pain related to kiteboarding, I did some months back myself. The pain would rise during a powered up wave sesson and even motivated me to come in late in the day recently. I had been icing and elevating the ankle when it occurred to me to do so up to that point. That night I bought one of these lace up ankle supports with small stiffening elements sewn into it. Some ankle braces appear at:

http://www.painreliever.com/anklebraces.html

The next day I went out for a several hour session in the waves and guess what? NO PAIN! I was impressed to say the least. Going at it so hard after having inflammed the joint area the day before wasn't the best move but the good conditions drove me offshore. I still don't have any sensation or discomfort a few days later without the brace in place.

So, how to try to avoid ankle pain?

1. Don't have bad landings, particularly with only one foot in the straps.

2. Use straps/pads with adequate padding and "ducking" or side slant of your foot. Having your feet to close to parallel to one another may promote ankle irritation.

3. Elevate, ice and rest irriated ankles and try to avoid taxing the areas until healed.

4. Consider using an ankle brace if appropriate. Wearing it below a neoprene bootie should help to protect the brace from sand, abrasion, etc.

5. As always, if you have a need for proper medical attention, evaluation and treatment, GET IT!

6. As with anything else, reasonable warmups and warmdowns should help to avoid problems.