I have arthritis in my lower back, hip joints and knees. Shoulders not far behind. The result of old auto injuries and overuse. The docs told me I was about done. After 37 years of surfing finally couldnt get up from a paddling position to stand. Became very depressed and quit surfing. Recently a good friend suggested I look into Swaylocks for ideas on what to do. There is hope: Ive started swimming again. Havent surfed in almost 5 years now and have gained 45 pounds. I still miss surfing with all my heart. Any of you had similar experiences? P.S. Dont suggest fishing or golf. I`m sick of fishing and hate golf. Thanks guys.
Do a search and pull up all the information on Dale’s Neumatic mats. They are incredible. It’s a whole different way of surfing, and might just be the thing to get you back in the water.
i agree w/greybeard- ck w/ dale about his surf mats.
and sorry to hear about your condition- come around san diego to surf- i’ll share some waves with you.keep the stoke man!
get a body board. remember the endless summer 2? that guy john whitmore in south africa used a body board because he couldn’t stand up anymore. hey, it’s a tough thing to think about, but we will all get there some day.
Awhile back I felt the same way. Went out and bought a kayak. Got bored with that and got into longboarding. Iam stoked ! 37 years and it’s like Iam 14 again. Can only stay out for an hour or two, and after awhile I to get soggy in the knees. Every once in awhile the bad back kicks in and I question the whole thing. I’ll surf until I can’t walk. Keep the Spirit
I too suffer from a bad back, bad knees, joint pain in shoulders, wrists, and knees, constant muscle stiffness and soreness as well as chronic fatigue due to two autoimmune diseases I have (Lupus & Ankylosing Spondylitis). My boards have been gradually getting thicker and longer (just recently made my first longboard in nearly thirty years of surfing). I fully expect though that I’ll be forced to go the sponge route (or even body surfing) eventually when I can’t get up to my feet anymore. I’ve ridden them on occasion in the past while recovering from injuries and surgeries and it’s not so bad. Got some of the deepest barrels of my life that way. It’s not the same but at least you’re still in the water. And think of all the hollow closeout spots you can actually have fun at! In the meantime, swim as often as you can; it helps keep you as flexible as possible. When I stop swimming for awhile I tighten up as stiff as the Tin Man. Stay stoked and get on that belly. If it’s good enough for dolphins and seals it should be good enough for us. After all, I started on my belly, it only completes the cycle!
I have the beginnings of arthritis in my neck, back, knees, and elbows. But I’ve found something that really works when it comes to increasing flexibility in the joints and muscles, and reducing the pain. It’s just some simple yoga stretching exercises. I’m not a new-age yoga guy, but on a purely physical level, these exercises work. A little 10-15 minute routine a day will do wonders for your strength and flexibility. Good Luck, Doug
Sorry to hear about your back. May I suggest that first you lose the extra weight. How can you do that without back-stressing exercise? You can’t do it without exercise. I ride a recumbent bicycle. I don’t think I could spend hours exercising in a room. 'Bent riding sits you back where you can see the scenery and wave at all the waving people …HUGE grin factor! Bent riding is only kinda like bicycling. You might miss the sore back, wrists, elbows, and butt. Start with a visit to a local bike shop which carries the Rans brand of recumbents. Rans is the biggest American bent maker, and sets the standard …the General Motors of recumbents. You can branch out from there. When you try the first bent, don’t get discouraged. Keep trying. The riding technique is somewhat acquired, and you have to get the right bent for your body and comfort level. After you work back into shape, then climb back on your longboard.
I’m usually the first to recommend seeing a Dr. Since you’ve already done that, have you considered glucosamine and/or fish oil supplements? Some reports indicate possible benefits. Arthritis sucks… research funding for arthritis seems to have taken a back seat to Cancer, HIV, etc.
I just Goodle searched “Ankylosing Spondylitis”. Dood! those symptoms are straight out of the Candida albicans overgrowth cookbook. Since I Google searched your disease, you can Goodle search “Candida heart valve”, “Candida joint pain”, “Candida blurred vision”, and “Candida lung”. 1. Stop eating and drinking sweets including artificial sweeteners and fruit. 2. Stop drinking (even in ice cubes) and breathing chlorine. I drink drinks made with purified water. 3. Eat yogurt or take acidophylus tablets from your local health food store. I promise these measures will drastically reduce your symptoms, as well as drastically reducing the “brain fog” which comes with aging.
check the archives for the 8’8" el paipo grande.proneman rides malibu rincon, etc. laying down(he stands, but chooses to prone it most of the time)on his displacement hulled boards.so if you can’t stand or bend ,an el paipo grande might be the way to go!! my younger brother has arthritis real bad and has done a remarkable job of managing it through diet.a very organic and holistic approach which works for him.
An old guy goes to see a doctor. The doctor checks him out. The doctor sits down with the guy and says: “I have bad news. You have cancer, and you have Alzheimer’s disease”. The old guy says, “At least I don’t have cancer!” pudump…
I too have osteoarthritis (hips, low back, and very soon knees) , compression fractures , and a spondy. A few years ago I was reduced to backing away from surfing for the first time in my life , and at 45 years old.The thought of losing it had me spinning into depression. Depression is a natural effect from such injuries. You need to work through that and except things as they are. Get over it , have a pity party, and except your limitation at this time. You can improve things from that point. There are several things one can do to keep active. Working off of a good doctors diagnosis is first off. I spent a lot of time searching and reaching for “alliterative” methods to help that really took a great deal of time from healing. With arthritis the key is use it or lose it. So, find ways to keep active and moving. Swimming , walking , or something safe, everyday. With the Spondy, other areas in your body will tend to over compensate for your injury. Get those areas worked on , hopefully with your orthopedic doctors perspiration for physical therapy. My doctor prescribed deep tissue body work before other activity came into play. That was one of the biggest keys for me. After that the real work begins, so make up your mind and make changes accordingly. My work involves physical labor , and I always had the thinking that my back was strong , but in reality it was over worked and warn. I immediately started back into my old yoga practice , with all other kinds of stretching that I had used over the years. Importantly, all stretching should be in a very gentle, and done in a manner that is protecting your back. Seek out the proper methods, so you don’t keep injuring yourself. One of the biggest factors for me was to work on my core strength. Abdominal’s and Obliques. When you can recall those muscles , instead of your back muscles, you’ll be getting somewhere. It takes a lot of dedication , so work on turning that depression into dedication , and set you sights far enough down the line so you can enjoy your cutback. The spondy is an off set of the vertebrae. Mine is offset 3/8ths of an inch. When I saw the xray it was shocking. What ever you can do to take the load off of that part of your back will help. Lose the weight , have a good diet , and keep active. Those are keys. Remember, there is also some very powerful arthritis drugs too. I can’t move very well w/o it. Sorry for the run on. I know a lot about arthritis from personal experience and physical suffering. If you would like to know more , you can e-mail me. The arthritis foundation has a great web site.
It’s amazing how people value health, even mental health, by comparing it to the treatment discomfort. Cure them with a knife and a month of recovery, and that’s usually worth the displaced suffering. But let them read the line “Stop eating and drinking sweets” and they think “FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE”!!!" The eyes roll back in the head, and their symptoms don’t “really” seem so bad. Depression is also a direct effect of Candida overgrowth. Does depression also have psychological causes? Of course it does, but you can’t separate body and mind. If you think the positive attitude of young people is based on a lack of adverse psychological stymulae, think again. It’s the lack of physical problems, including primary nervous system problems. I’ll bet a dollar to your dime that every one of you has sped up the washing cycles of your pillow cases because your face is leaving yelow deposits on them every night. I’ll bet you have butt rash, and that your toenails are peeling apart. I’ll bet you have acid reflux. Your body is aging. It takes a more self-sacrificing regiment to stay healthy than when you were young. You’re just lucky to have people who, in the last twenty years, figured out the cause, and what regiment you require. Get over it and do what’s needed. http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/article-candida.htm 
Ya’ll need to do some yoga, eat super healthy, take your vitamins, and hit the bong. No Joke! The first 3 atleast. The forth being for you alternative meds advocate. Its better than poppin advil.
Damn, after listening to all these problems I almost feel guilty for being 54yrs old and without pain. I can,t surf as well I as I could twenty years ago but I still ride a short board most of the time. If you have your health you should be thanking God daily. Live to surf: surf to live!
Howzit EPacman, I started having severe shoulder problems right after you were here on Kauai. Went to my doc and he said get X-rayed then maybe a MRI and then I might need a cotazone shot. After the x-ray I made another appt with doc but my doc was on vacation so I saw the other doc in the office. He’s a surfing doc and said he’d had the same problem with his shoulder. First I asked about padddleing a board and he said NO WAY. He sent me to a physical therapist and I’m now doing stretching and strengthening exercises. I’ve already noticed an improvement and hopefully I’ll be ready to surf again in about 2 months. The moral of this is my first doc was probably headed in the direction of sugery and doc #2 has me on the path of a more passive type of recovery. Always get a second opinion. Aloha, Kokua
Hey Kokua, You have you ducks in a row now. Paddle with the second one. Your body knows how to heal itself. You have to listen to it and give it an ample opportunity. If you have cartilige damage you may need surgery. If you have damaged tendons & and or ligaments you have to give them time to recoop. Sometimes the tears are so great they wont heal properly but more often than not things will mend themselve just fine. Remember there is 1/10th the circulation in a tendon that there is in muscle. I’m not sure how ligaments compare but they usually take 8 to 10 weeks to nit completely and often longer for a tendon. Do what your physical theraupist says. He/She will be able to tell shortly what percentage of recovery you can expect. Remember flexiblity is the better part of strength. Practicing Yoga and/or Ti Chi will give the body longevity. Surfing can to if you bring a sound spiritual approach to it. Be smart. Be thankful. I wish you a speedy recovery. Mahalo, Rich
Kokua and all - my take on cortazone is that it can relieve pain, swelling, etc. in joints TEMPORARILY - BUT it is known to slowly deteriorate the joint over time…Not beneficial at all. Primarily used to get high paid athletes back on the field ASAP so they earn their keep…Thanks again K. for turning me on to Zig pens. Pete