Surfing Injuries

Bickley, Ryan J.; Belyea, Christopher M; Harpstrite, Jeffery K; Min, Kyong S.

doi:10.2106/jbjs.rvw.20.00152

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Studies on ocean surfing have reported that most injuries are in the lower extremities 2 – 4 , 7 , 9 and head/face. 1 , 6 In ocean surfing, lacerations have been reported as the most common type of injury, 4 , 7 , 9 whereas our findings indicated that a contusion was the most commonly reported injury type in river surfing. This resonates with the different distributions of the injury mechanism mentioned before.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 44%

“…The most common mechanism of injury was contact with the surfer’s own board in 55%, contact with the sea floor in 17%, and contact with another surfer’s board in 12%. 9 Comparable results were published by Klick et al 4 in 2016, by Minghelli et al 7 in 2018, and recently by Bickley et al 1 in 2021. These authors also found that the most commonly reported mechanism of injury was contact with the surfer’s own board or another surfer’s board, followed by contact with the sea floor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…Head injuries are common in ocean surfing as well and are mainly caused by contact with the surfer’s own board or with the reef. 1 , 4 – 6 For this reason, even some professional surfers choose to wear a helmet when surfing shallow reef waves. It is possible that the participants of our study decided to wear a helmet after an injury occurred.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Injuries and Use of Safety Equipment in River Surfing

Wende

Lambert

Hoeher

et al. 2023

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background: River surfing (also called “rapid surfing”) involves surfing on stationary waves that are artificially created or placed in rivers and is gaining popularity, especially among surfers in landlocked areas but also among athletes without experience in ocean surfing. Different wave setups, types of boards, and types of fins, as well as the use of safety equipment, can lead to overuse and injuries. Purpose: To analyze the incidence, mechanisms, and risk factors of river surfing–related injuries for different types of waves and to evaluate the usage and appropriateness of safety equipment. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: An online survey was distributed via social media to river surfers in German-speaking countries to collect information on demographics, injury history for the previous 12 months, wave site attended, use of (safety) equipment, and health issues. The survey was accessible between November 2021 and February 2022. Results: A total of 213 participants completed the survey: 195 participants from Germany, 10 from Austria, 6 from Switzerland, and 2 from other countries. The mean age was 36 years (range, 11-73 years), 72% (n = 153) were male, and 10% (n = 22) took part in competitions. Overall, 60% (n = 128) of surfers experienced 741 surfing-related injuries over the previous 12 months. The most common mechanisms of injury were contact with the bottom of the pool/river (n = 75 [35%]), with the board (n = 65 [30%]), and with the fins (n = 57 [27%]). The most frequent injury types were contusions/bruises (n = 256), cuts/lacerations (n = 159), abrasions (n = 152), and overuse (n = 58). Injuries affected mainly the feet/toes (n = 90), head/face (n = 67), hand/fingers (n = 51), knee (n = 49), lower back (n = 49), and thighs (n = 45). Earplugs were used by 50 (24%) participants, and a helmet was used regularly by 38 (18%) participants and never by 175 (82%) participants. Conclusion: The most frequent types of injury in river surfers were contusions/bruises, cuts/lacerations, and abrasions. The main mechanisms of injury were contact with the bottom of the pool/river, with the board, or with the fins. The feet/toes were more prone to injuries, followed by the head/face and hand/fingers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 44%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Injuries and Use of Safety Equipment in River Surfing

Wende

Lambert

Hoeher

et al. 2023

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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“…1,[3][4][5] Indeed, it has been estimated that up to one-third of recreational surfers sustain a major traumatic injury every year, and systematic review has reported the overall incidence of traumatic injury to range from 0.06 to 3.5 injuries per 1000 days of surfing, and 0.74 to 6.6 injuries per 1000 hours surfed. 4,6,7 Surfing has been estimated as the cause of 5.9% of all aquatic-related craniofacial injuries presenting to the emergency department (ED), and this number is expected to increase. 8 Although total body injury patterns suffered by surfers have been studied, there is less analysis specifically detailing the characteristics of surfingrelated craniofacial trauma.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Surfing-Related Craniofacial Injuries: A NEISS Database Study

Muhonen

Kafle

Torabi

et al. 2022

Journal of Craniofacial Surgery

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Introduction: Surfing is a popular pastime in coastal areas around the world with increasing numbers of participants. There is a lack of detailed data in the literature regarding surfing-related head and neck (HN) injuries. Materials and Methods: We queried the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database to characterize patient demographics, injury types, injury subsite, and emergency department (ED) disposition status associated with surfing-related HN injuries between 2009 and 2020 in the United States.Results: A total of 54,978 estimated national cases were reported from 2009 to 2020. Injuries to the head (36.0%) and neck (35.8%) were most common. Young adults (ages 18-35) made up most ED visits, whereas older adults ( > 35) made up most (63.5%) admissions. Laceration (46.1%) was the most common injury among ED visits, whereas fracture (30.5%) and internal injury (29.2%) were most common in admitted patients. Concussions represented 7.5% of injuries overall, 9.1% of pediatric injuries, and 9.9% of young adult injuries. Conclusions: When treating a patient who presents with injury suffered during surfing, a thorough examination of the HN should be performed. Specific attention should be given to evaluation of lacerations, fractures, internal ear injuries, and concussions. Pediatric and young adult patients are at increased risk of concussion. The majority of surfing injuries can be treated in an outpatient context.

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“…Surfing is considered a safe sport, one associated with few serious injuries and very rare drownings 1 . Little is known, however, about the risks of storm surfing, the practice of surfing large storm-generated waves.…”

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confidence: 99%

Storm Surfing Fatalities

Alvarez¹,

Goo²,

Shapiro³

2022

Southern Medical Journal

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Objectives: Tropical storms and hurricanes often produce ocean wave conditions that attract surfers. The risk for serious injury or death from "storm surfing" has not yet been described in the medical literature. This study aimed to quantify deaths attributable to storm surfing along the coasts of North America and the Caribbean islands.Methods: This was a retrospective review of cases of surfing-related fatalities reported in the tropical cyclone reports of the National Hurricane Center from 1995 to 2020. Media reports were used to identify additional cases and, when available, to provide supplemental demographic and geographical information.Results: There have been 27 reported storm surfing deaths during this time period. Among those for whom demographic data were available, all of the decedents were male and three were children younger than 18 years old. All but three of the deaths occurred among those surfing Atlantic storms, and one-third of the fatal injuries occurred off the coast of Florida. Eight deaths occurred while surf conditions were affected by tropical storms that did not reach hurricane status.Conclusions: Both tropical storms and hurricanes produce dangerous surf conditions that have resulted in fatal injuries among surfers during the past 25 years.

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Surfing Injuries

Cited by 11 publications

References 53 publications

Injuries and Use of Safety Equipment in River Surfing

Injuries and Use of Safety Equipment in River Surfing

Surfing-Related Craniofacial Injuries: A NEISS Database Study

Storm Surfing Fatalities

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