pulled muscle ques

[liplocked]

I recently have been having a prob with
a muscle that keeps pulling. I dont know the
name of the muscle but it goes from the front
of my shoulder to the center of my chest.
I am a surfer chick, and it is a very painful pull or tear.
It seems to be stemming from paddling out with
a big longboard. I usually turtle roll thru
the whitewash, but when I am in the shallows
I wrap my arm around the nose and just bust thru-
I think I am tearing my arm by doing this but I
never realize it until hours after being in the
water.
Can you tell me what this muscle is and off another suggestion for getting thru the shallows?

 

[studog]

have you ever given yourself the time to allow the muscle to heal? Like a couple weeks to a month? You got to rest, or you'll just keep aggravating the muscle. Once it feels better do some stretches then slowly work in some weight lifting or swimming to build back the muscle.

as far as getting thru the waves, don't wrap your arms around the board. Just hold onto the rails as tight as you can. If the board gets away from you that's ok, as long as it doesn't get in the way of other people.

 

[liplocked]

Thanks for the advise. Staying out of the
water for 2 weeks or more will be hard as
my gills will likely dry up. As you mention
though, I am probably doing considerable
damage by not letting it heal.
Strengthening later on should help as well <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />
Mahalo

 

[studog]

also, try kneeling on the board when paddling. you're not stretching you chest and arms around the board as much compared to lying down on it.

 

[sandy]

YOu might need to develop stronger muscular strength to hold onto the board when you turn turtle. I know when my muscles are weak, like at the beginning of skiing season, I am more at risk of muscle injury. Try to find some exercises on the internet to strengthen your paddling muscles.

ANyone know how good the VASA trainer works?

 

[SurfDoc]

Pinching turtles, stronger muscles etc?
Who knows. You could have irritated a chest wall cartilage too. Technique is important, so is proper warmup, stretching, and recovery. This is a tough problem and might need individual service with your local surf doc.