One of my favorite summer past times is boating! This includes tanning, tubing, knee boarding, wakeboarding, floating and cliff jumping. From tying up the boat to actual playtime, with a little luck, our bodies experience only mild injuries from our summer days. Jumping, boarding and tubing can result in more significant injuries.
Moderate injuries tend to bring patients to the chiropractor right away, making resolution of the condition faster and easier. But what about the little injuries? The ones that don't keep us up at night or make us feel like we're walking funny? The ones that just give us a little twinge now and again when we twist to the right or bend at the waist? Those injuries often don't lead a patient to seek chiropractic care. Letting the little or mild injuries go without treatment, can cause them to turn into much bigger problems, down the road.
Watch your posture on or off the boat. Bend at the knees, not the waist. Pay attention to your posture when you’re on the boat. If you pay attention and focus on your posture you can greatly reduce your risk of injury. In rough waters, engage your abdominal muscles to help support your back and bend your knees to help absorb some of the impact. If you're wake boarding or knee boarding, engage your core and drop the rope if your body has twisted too far. Getting up again, may be better than taking a hard, twisted fall.
If you're a kayaker or paddleboarder, make sure you are sitting up straight and that your core muscles are engaged to help take stress off your back.