Surfing with broken bones

Make sure your hand is taped up real good like a catchers Mitt so you don't snap off a stray finger. I surfed for 5 months with my right hand taped up. Johnsons and Johnsons waterproof tape works well and better thanCurad.

 

It's not whether you can do it, but more whether it's worth it. You want the bones to "reconnect" well enough so you don't essentially open up the crack again, starting from square one. That's the way my doc explained it to me when I broke my hand almost 2 yrs ago. I've broken both of mine at different times. I stayed out of the water for several weeks. Not 8 but at least 3, maybe more. I had a full cast up my whole forearm for the first 3 weeks, then a removeable half cast for the next 3 weeks. My doc said the real danger is banging it on something, and the cast prevents that. The other bones in the hand actually work as the natural splint. He was ok with me surfing over a lot of other activities, and seemed impressed with my 7 mil glove as a protective measure.

Good thing is, both of my hands feel as good as ever after being healed. I can't say the same for some other breaks I've had. Hands seem to heal well by my observation.

Good luck

 

Is there a good story on how you broke it?

 

A neoprene glove is fitting over a cast?

 

looks like he's gonna have to invest in some xxxxxl gloves

 

I broke my wrist once and 3 weeks in I said **** it and paddlers out... The next three weeks my cast smelled like death!!

 

It's wrong to hit your wife, but it's even worse when she's your cousin.

 

No, I got my full cast cut off at 3 wks. I go to a sports orthopedist. He cuts the full cast off as early as possible and replaces with a removable half cast.

Idea is to get you moving the injured area earlier. Take the remove able cast off daily, do some PT exercises and stretches etc. Drastically reduces recovery time vs. full cast for 6-8 weeks. Muscles atrophy and tendons stiffen really fast when not used.

I definitely recommend sports doctor over a general doctor for any real injuries for this reason. Their methods are geared towards the quickest recovery.

Long dishwashing glove and duct tape might work over cast to keep it dry, but not something I would likely try.

 

Can you get a wetty over a cast? Would it rip or stretch the wetty?

Your active recovery ideas make sense. The body does not like disuse.

 

While I haven't broken my hand, I have had very recent experience surfing while recovering from semi-serious injuries (injured/cracked ribs and a badly sprained ankle from soccer). It really hurt to paddle (and breathe for that matter) right after I got hit in the chest, and while I was able to surf, I found that being in pain the whole time really took a lot away from my enjoyment. Same thing with my ankle. I can pop up but the second i start to lay into a turn, it starts getting fairly painful. Ultimately this became a distraction for me, and took away some of the enjoyment of it all. That being said, got some really good surf during gonzalo. My advice would be to pass on marginal waves, but charge it with lowered expectations of your performance ability if it gets good, at least until you heal.

 

You would rather take a chance at surfing hurt and fugging your surfing for the rest of your life than just waiting it out and healing? That's a short term strategy. I wish there were more like you filling the line ups here. But. then the waves have been schitty to nonexistent here the past couple years.

 

Broke my wrist years ago and I taped the "L" shaped plastic insert that goes in a wrist guard (like rollerbladers use) onto the wrist of my cast. First I wrapped it with duct tape and a little foam to create a cushioned platform where the heel of you hand will be pressing on your board when you pop up.

Worked for me. ymmv

 

id take it easy, 8 weeks is nothing for a hand.. hopefully u have a wife/gf/ are a switch hitter or else thats gonnna be a long 8 weeks for dingle.. with that said id only go out on the premium of swells. my brother broke his jaw in 3 spots and his collarbone recently....tried surfing 4 weeks in with a wired shut jaw and funked collar, got clipped by the lip in a tube on a HH day something that would be harmless pretty much to a healthy person and it set him back weeks...point of the story is he got hurt completely unexpected and when your bones are broke the slightest of things are gonna hurt