According to my observations, every fourth surfer is faced with acute pain in the ribs at one time or another.
It appears as if for no reason and does not allow you to ride normally: lying on the board and rowing is unbearable, in some cases until the eyes darken.
Meet this intercostal Neuralgia.
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What is intercostal neuralgia
It is a nerve injury in which it performs all its functions but at the same time sends a strong pain signal.
As the name suggests, intercostal Neuralgia is an injury to the nerve that runs between the ribs.
Why do surfers get intercostal Neuralgia?
The nerves of interest to us, together with the blood vessels, do not pass directly under the skin but are hidden inside, between the fibers of the intercostal muscles.
These muscles are tiny but very important in our body: they regulate body position, balance, and participation in breathing.
This combination of small size and a wide range of features makes them an easy target for injury while surfing—just overload.
Large muscle groups distribute this work among themselves by large muscle groups, and the intercostal muscles only help.
But they help very actively: balance is maintained due to their invisible contractions and stretches.
By the way, it is more difficult to lie on a shortboard than on a long one, and in shortboards, these muscles tense up more.
Now imagine: tiny intercostal muscles are tied at the spine, stretched from the side of the chest, moving back and forth on the sides when we row, maintain balance, and also take part in breathing because our ribcage expands on inhalation and exhalation – shrinks.
Those who train in the gym know that it can perform the same exercise with slightly different techniques and other muscle groups.
The same attacks can be made so that the buttocks get tired, or it can be done in such a way that the front surface of the thigh receives hammered.
The intercostal muscles do everything themselves.
If you continue to ride, the situation will only get worse.
What to do if your ribs hurt from surfing
Unfortunately, you need a long rest, up to a month or two, depending on the individual physiology.
But if Neuralgia has already happened, there is no other remedy. Kinesio taping helps a little.
Drinking painkillers is not an option; this is a suppression of symptoms, which will only delay recovery, and in some cases (I throw pills and go for a drive) can aggravate the problem.
At first glance, it may seem that if the nerve problem is that a force pinches it, it is enough to settle it.
In fact, since the injury needs rest, the muscles do not spasm anyhow, but precisely in the place where this rest should be given, creating a kind of corset for the neurovascular bundle.
The pain occurs precisely at the moment when this position is violated.
Intercostal Neuralgia is a micro-radiculitis, with the only difference that, unlike the lower back, we cannot completely immobilize the chest and ribs.
Accordingly, muscle relaxants relieve the symptom, but in fact, work against the body’s efforts to heal itself.
How to prevent intercostal neuralgia
Fortunately, there are many preventive measures, and they are all simple.
It is essential to take a hot shower after any water sport, and surfing is no exception, especially riding in a jetski in cold water.
After that, it is necessary to stand directly under the boiling water.
Massage will not help since it will not be possible to work out the intercostal muscles with high quality. Spend time stretching instead.
It’s not for nothing that many surfers practice yoga; it helps a lot on all fronts: it develops balance, teaches you to withstand static stress, and stretches and relaxes muscles.
Another helpful tip is to practice breathing practices. Anyone. The fact is that you can breathe with your ribs, but you can live with your stomach.
In the latter case, inhalation and exhalation occur more because the diaphragm and the lungs increase without expanding the chest but going down into the stomach.
In this case, the chest and the intercostal muscles move less. In addition, belly breathing promotes overall relaxation and relieves stress.
- Warm-up. At least 5 minutes, preferably 10. Jump well, roll all the joints, bend and twist the torso.
- Hot shower. After skiing, you need to warm up, even if you were skiing in the tropics.
- Stretching. It’s better to stretch every time after the ride, but let’s be realistic. Yoga 2-3 times a week is better than nothing.
- Breathing practices. Learn to breathe with your diaphragm, enormously inflating your stomach. You can lie down, put your hand on your stomach and try to push it up.
The album contains a track for three circles with voice accompaniment, where he tells you how to breathe.
The second track is the same, plus meditation, the third and fourth tracks are already without voice prompts but with an understandable musical and sound scheme for 4 and 5 circles, respectively.
Twenty minutes in the morning and the day will be cool, checked by me!
Intercostal Neuralgia is far from the only specific surf disease. Surfing is not natural stress for humans and can cause several cumulative injuries.
