Predict a Flurry of rotator cuff and related shoulder injuries associated with wing foiling

[beebad]

I am very new to wing foiling but I recognize all too well the potential I see for shoulder injury having been a white water kayaker.

You were cautioned not to flex your elbow above your shoulder like when doing eskimo rolls or bracing…perfect recipe for injury.

I felt the familiar strain positioning the kite in the wind and realized a harness might be indicated for those who need to guard their delicate shoulders.

Anyone here have these concerns?

[consumer]

anecdotally, I am seeing many people with pre-existing shoulder issues complain that winging exacerbates their pain. I have had a few stress tests of my previous repair while winging, too, but so far doing great.

You are probably right - winging puts more load on our arms than kiting ever did, and full arm extension makes you more vulnerable to injury. I don't know how it compares to windsurfing, which is also a sport where you are not harnessed some of the time.

[jumptheshark]

winging puts more load on our arms than kiting ever did, and full arm extension makes you more vulnerable to injury.

For sure.
Windsurfing is definitely arm intensive but the rig is stabilized by its attachment at the mast foot, so the range it moves is limited.

Wings are free to move in a much wider range.

[Peter_Frank]

Hmmm, I don't know.

As when winging your arms are usually perpendicular to your body, not much pull, and your arms bent a bit or a lot.

Feels very "non damaging' and you don't have any odd pull directions, because the wing is free and sits in a non strained position.

Peter

[jumptheshark]

What do I know? I’ve never even held one. There are a few around here now. One pretty dedicated guy. Looks like very soft power. He’s progressing well and I’m stoked for him, but there is no question he envies the lines I get to ride.

Kites suit foils

[Eduardo]

I suggest you ask your doctor. I'm an ex-competitive swimmer and am banned from all sorts of shoulder motions. Whenever I ignore the advice (always due to great conditions...), I pay a big price. They may not know the sport, but if you demonstrate the motion and forces, they will understand.

[OzBungy]

It's highly likely there will be injuries, especially for all us old farts doing it. Old people aren't all that smart and will tend to try and muscle things out even though they've got no muscles.

Thing is, if it's hard you're doing it wrong. You don't need or want a lot of power. It's not like you're Tarzan hanging by your muscular arms doing continual one arm pull ups. It's more of a slow, flow thing.

[norcom]

Had an epic wing sesh about 5-6 months ago now. Really over used my arms and a week later I developed golfers AND tennis elbow. I'm still recovering. Definitely should have used a harness but the whole idea behind it was to simplify.

[juandesooka]

I am not prone to shoulder issues generally, but I've experienced no strain winging yet. Of the 20 or so people I know that have taken it up, I can't recall anyone mentioning shoulder injuries yet.

My long term tennis elbow, developed from kiting higher bar pressure kites and from SUP paddling, does flare up when I over-do it.

When seriously over powered with a grunty 6m wing, I have at times felt like it was going to rip out my lat muscle on my back sheeting-in arm. The harness helps mucho with that.

[juandesooka]