Surfing and skimboarding medicine

Abstract

Surfing is an exciting sport enjoyed in many coastal communities around the globe. Participants are prone to various conditions ranging from acute injuries to conditions borne from chronic environmental exposure. Lacerations, contusions, sprains, and fractures are the common types of acute traumatic injury. Injury from the rider’s own surfboard is the prevailing mechanism of injury. Injuries occur often in competition, especially at the professional level. Surfer’s myelopathy is a newly described condition, typically in novice surfers that can lead to paraparesis or paraplegia. Interaction with marine animals may lead to injury through envenomation. Exposure to jellyfish and other nematocyst-containing larvae can cause a reaction known as seabather’s eruption. Stingrays and coral reefs present further hazards to the surfboard rider. Infection of wounds is often seen and should be treated with fluoroquinolones or third-generation cephalosporins to cover Vibrio species, along with Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Otologic sequelae of surfing include auditory exostoses, ruptured tympanic membrane, and otitis externa. Skim boarding is relatively new and growing sport, with common injuries including contusions, abrasions, and fractures, usually occurring at the lower extremities.