Bodyboarding is a magical sport. However, like its big brother, surfing, it is not a riskless sport. This article deals with injuries in bodyboarding and gives the most important results of a great survey on this subject. 3064 bodyboarders answered this survey through the Internet. 10% were beginners, 37% had an intermediate level, 39% had an advanced level and 14% were experts or pros : thus, every levels of practice were represented in this survey and it seems that no-one is safe.
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THE TYPES OF INJURIES
Let’s start with this first figure: 75% of the questioned bodyboarders declare that they were injured at least once. This important proportion shows that this subject is not minor.
First let us consider what types of injuries are the most widespread among bodyboarders.
Wrenches and torn ligaments represent a quarter of the injuries, while cuts and bruises represent respectively 18% and 16%. Among surfers, the same injuries are at the head of the rank but not in the same order: cuts (40%), bruises (12%) then fractures (11%).
It is worth noting that 8% of the injuries are fractures, which is quite important, and nearly 5% of the injuries are caused by sea animals, but only one surfer / bodyboarder over 451 have been injured by a shark, what is reassuring. Most of these injuries have been caused by jellyfishes, which is quite painful, but much less than a shark bite!!!
Eventually contrary to the common opinion, the perforation of the eardrum is not a frequent injury: it represents actually less than 1% of the total injuries.
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Wrenches/torn ligaments |
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25% |
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Concussion (blow to the head) |
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10% |
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Dislocation (joint separation) |
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8% |
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THE BODY PARTS CONCERNED BY INJURIES
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Neck/Nape of the neck
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11% |
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Let’s look now at the body parts that are concerned by these injuries. First it is interesting to notice that there is no part that is spared by these injuries, even if some are more exposed than others.
The most concerned body part is the head, which is strike by 25% of the total injuries, followed by the shoulders and the arms, on an equal ratio with the back (16%). Contrary to the common thought, the back is not the body part that is the most concerned by injuries. However it is important to notice that almost 20% of the bodyboarders declare to have a chronic backache: the back remains so the body part that is the most in demand by bodyboarders.
The legs, the neck and the nape, which all together represent a little more than one tenth of the areas of injuries, are very exposed body parts. The others parts of the body (hands, chest,…) are less prone to injuries, with less than 10% of the injuries.
We can also remark that 3% of the injuries concern the genitals, and are generally provoked by the contact with one’s own board.
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