Water sports are a great way to stay active, cool off, and have fun during hot summer days. Living in the Seattle-area, we are fortunate to be surrounded by water. Many of us enjoy activities like swimming, boating, sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and much more, but we are often unaware of injuries that can occur.
As summer kicks off, Renew Physical Therapy looks at the most common types of water sports injuries and share our tips on how to prevent them.
Like with most sports, water sport activities come with its own set of health and safety risks. Understanding the potential injuries associated with each sport will help you stay safe this summer.
At Renew Physical Therapy, we share five common types of water sport injuries:
- Whiplash: Neck injuries are common with sports like wakeboarding and swimming. Hitting the water with too much force can stop your forward momentum, causing injuries.
- Ankle Sprains & Fractures: Ankle injuries are common with water skiing because the skier’s feet are strapped to the skis, and any impact from a fall or jump places extra pressure on the ankles.
- Spinal Cord: Spinal injuries can occur in boating accidents if someone falls overboard. The trauma from whiplash can also lead to joint dysfunction in the spine.
- Wrist: Wrist injuries such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel are common in kayaking, and other rowing sports. Overtime, the paddling repetition can cause overuse injuries.
- Neck, Shoulder & Back: These types of injuriescan occur in in most water sports, particularly swimming. Poor stroke mechanics, poor flexibility and overtraining may lead to swimming injuries.
