I had ACL replacement in my mid 20s and just hit the 40 mark in July. Seems like my knee knew the date and decided to start hurting more and more. It gets sore easily and stays swollen longer than in the past. It hurts just enough to bug me but not enough to keep me out of the water. Been out of the water the last 2 weeks because I’ve decided to really try and get rid of the pain and sweliing. Take it easy and do some physical therapy. But after missing a pretty good swell and 100+ degree weather out here in So Cal, “…all work and no play…” I’m ready to go nuts.
I’m curious…anyone else here experience something similar? Do you just surf through the pain or take off enough time to heal up?
At 62 I suffer with joint pain, esp. hip pain, 24/7, sometimes wonder how much longer I can do it then i have a good session and i’m stoked all over again.
Pop up slow some days, have to ride bigger boards. Looking at this pic, you can see i’m just barely getting to my feet, what a geezer!!
I’m in l.a. and missed this last swell with work too, kinda frustrating, but then its all that sweeter when i finally have a good session.
I had three knee surgeries and a back. I recommend using Glucosamine/Condriotin. It seems to make my joints a little slipperier. If it’s really bad go to the doctor and get some Orthovisc injections. They’re not cheap but worked for me. Ice as soon as you can after your joints swell. Ride as many good days as you can now before you’re my age. Getting old ain’t for sissies.
63 y.o., surfing since age 10 Seven back surgeries and now fused from L2 all the way down to S1. Add a shoulder surgery and a wrist surgery, and you can say I’ve had my share. None the less, surfing is my drug of choice, and I can’t imagine a life without water time. Getting back in the water got me off prescription opiates.
Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM - ok its not a miracle cure… but like mentioned above it really does help keep things more free and loose, also it can help prevent further damage.
It takes some weeks for you to start feeling the benefit, also if you start feeling better on it dont forget to keep taking it (i usually forget to take it when it starts working) Buy the good stuff that has chondroitin and msm, not the cheap stuff that only contains glucosamine.
48 and seems like all of my major joints have been messed up for the past 6 months. Really takes the fun out of surfing for me right now. Hips a knee and both shoulders. I wish I had an answer. Powerful anti-inflamitories work for me but they tear my stomach up.
I’d advise let the level of pain dictate your level of frequency of surfing
I’m 47, 2 yrs ago or so I tore my left rotator cuff, the pain was so severe at times I could not barely use my arm, and I am left handed (my dominant arm, not a lot of fun…)
I have not surfed that much during this time because I really could not rotate my shoulder
Only recently has the shoulder allowed me to turn it in complete 360 degree rotation, such as a normal freestyle swimming stroke and/or surfing paddle stroke
I’m back in the gym and working out again, but there was a time I simply could not lift a 10lb dumbbell with my left arm and prior to injury I was working out regularly with 35-40 lb dumbells
I still have some slight pain, but it is actually less and less the more I work out over time…
this has never happened to me before… never have I had an injury that simply made surfing nearly impossible…I simply could not paddle, so I got into riding my bicycle A LOT…
back in the gym, and soon to be back in the water more regularly
At 76 Mom just had one knee replaced this week, and will do the other knee most likely in next 12 months
at 77 Dad does not know what day it is and lives a “memory care facility”…
The joys of approaching 80…
listen to your body is all I can say…
not once did I go to the doctor…I hate doctors (no offense to those fine people who are…I simply have no need for one unless I have blood coming out of somewhere)
If you just ignore it and power on you will almost certainly make it worse, much worse over time. See a good, sports oriented physical therapist and get some dry land corrective exercises. The reason I say that is if you are using proper joint mechanics, a function of how your muscles fire and when, they you should have no pain and no aggravations. Almost certainly, a PT will find that some muscles need strengthening, some need stretching. Dry land practice with resistance bands or free weights will help groove in the proper form and prevent more injury. Well worth it. I speak from experience both from doing what I suggest above and also from not doing it!
I actually blame a lot of my issues on a prescription for Cipro that I was given to fight an infection about 2 years ago. It attacked my tendons something terrible and I had to stop taking it after just 3 days. As a result, for about 6 months my Achilles tendons felt like they were going to explode every time I stood up to walk after sitting for a while. For 6 months I walked around like an 80 year old man. It was if it instantly removed any elasticity from my tendons. Since then I have had a series of shoulder, knee and hip issues and my Achilles tendons have never been the same. Worth a read and pretty much exactly what I’ve been dealing with: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-warns-of-tendon-risk-for-antibiotics/
“I actually blame a lot of my issues on a prescription for Cipro”
Very unfortunate and far too common! The entire class of fluoroquinolone antibiotics should be banned except for the most extreme, last ditch use for life threatening infections. I personally know several people with exact same issue.
61
one artificial knee (right) another one soon
the knee never felt the same after and having metal joints make traveling a hassle
but the worse has been multiple case of “frozen shoulder” first the right several years ago after tweaking it paddling for a wave at rockpiles here on kauai
and now the left which makes paddling painfully impossible
I’d rather have leg problems than not being able to paddle out or catch waves
seems like everyone I know in their 50’s-60’s either has or had this “frozen shoulder” problem
Huck, I have a very bad back the last Hurricane swell we had I could not pop up at all my lower back was in a lot of pain. I did 4 sessions with Chiropractor and for 4 days I could barley get out of bed. I still want to surf so doing work outs to strength my core the stomach muscles will take some pressure off the spine. Yes my kips also hurt. The Glucosamine Chrondroitin works. I also take Alive after surfing. My newest Toy is Used 5’10” Fish I have been using like a belly board Yeasterday was my first day out in 2-3’ wind swell. It was fun Churchill Fins kicking and paddling into those little waves got some great rides. Even A mini tube.
Get a. Book on amazon called “Heal Your Hips”. Written by an MD. Saved me. And if taking condroiton etc. remember you have to be fully hydrated for it to work optimally. So get ready to pee a lot. Still worth it.
I’ve had two bouts of Diverticulitus over the years. Nothing life threatening but both times requiring antibiotics. This last time that medication kicked my ass but it also knocked out the infection quickly too. Considering I’ve had a couple friends nearly die and require major surgery from this I guess the side effects don’t seem quite as bad as the alternatives.
As already said, do not ignore the pain. If the pain is bad, further use (powering through it) will likely cause damage – potentially irreparable.
I am 65. In addition to other age related health issues, I have had bad shoulders for years (football, rugby, windsurfing, surfing and the final blows came from street boarding). After a seemingly minor street wipeout, I could barely use my left hand. Loss of strength lasted for over a month – did not have enough strength in my thumb and forefinger to use a fingernail clipper.
I have brought the shoulders back up to functional with regular excercise and training. I also paddle a longboard on flatwater in warm weather for regular training.
Tai Chi is a great low impact exercise for joints (knees, hips, shoulders). You will be surprised at how physically demanding Tai Chi is for something that moves so slowly and gently. I also do Chi Kung and Shotokan karate for reflex, balance and joint maintenance.
Nasty disk injury at base of spine about 20 years ago. Spent three years doing the immobilization, heat, stretch, exercise, ice, immobilization circuit along with several million crutches for 3 years to concur the pain. Was left with a back with greatly reduced flexibility. Unsuccessful hip replacement 10 years later leaving the prosthetic stem in my
femur loose for about 2 years. This followed by a successful hip replacement revision at Stanford. unfortunately the leg with the artificial hip is about 3/4" longer than the
other. About nine months after my second hip procedure a youngster in my youth soccer camp kicked me so hard that the Achilles in my natural leg ruptured. i was reconstructed
most successfully but of course I was left with about 5% of the original strength and mass in my calf muscle.
I have be practicing yoga for about four years following these physical struggles and miraculously am back in the water and having much fun.
I feel most fortunate to have the mind/body/breath connectivity I now have and only wish I’d discovered this balance a half a century ago.
F.Y.I. Yoga is not an exercise in accomplishing radical contortions, but rather a process of growing into a more complete person by earnestly
pursuing what I would best call “self-care”. We’re all broken in some way. Western Medical is often the answer to severe injury but in the
end it’s the recuperative work that’s the answer, not drugs!
I feel a lot better about my aches and pains after reading yah’all. Helps to keep the weight off as you age. Disciplined diet. Cant drink as much beer as I like, but surfing and keeping the fun and games going as long as possible is the name of the game for me. 59 years old. Mike
This is probably where most of us will end up. I do a bit daily along with my other training just trying to stay functional (67 going on 68).