Season Ending Injury?

[RunsWithScissors]

Broken collar bone last spring playing 2-hand touch football. 6 weeks w/ my right arm in a sling, 2 weeks PT to get some strength back, I was on the water in mid-June, but skating only.

It wasn't until July that I had the confidence to go for all my moves, and even then the thought that I might re-injure it was in the back of my head.

Now I really don't push myself that hard (not that I'm a great rider). I'd rather enjoy the few moves I have than spend months on the sidelines.

[Chexi]

Wow Brad, sorry to hear that. I landed hard on the wake trying to move 5 more feet back about 6 weeks ago and tweaked both my knees. A mild pain/weakness (felt like the ligaments were a bit loose or stretched on the outside of my knees) stayed with me for about 4 weeks and is now finally gone. I will be heading back out this weekend for the first time since early July. That said, I still suck and am only going wake to wake still working on pop. It sounds like the really serious injuries come from inverts and 360/720's etc.

[Skier12]

I've had 4 major injuries and 2 reconstructive surgeries one on my ankle and one more recently on my knee. During all of the recoveries I always managed to get in the boat and make a great time of it by either teaching or driving or just hanging out. I came to realize my favorite part about the sport is hanging out with friends and family on the water.

I haven't wakeboarded in two years as I'm still recovering from the patella realignment but I have been doing a little slalom skiing. I'll definately think twice before I wakeboard again in the future, skiing seems to be much easier on the knees and the head. But either way I'll be on the water which is what matters the most.

[Paublo]

My short story- on Sept 4th I got my arm thru the wakeboard handle and it filleted my right arm down to the bone. It tore off a good part of my bicep and tricep and the brachial artery. After 10 surgeries and a 20 day hospital stay I'm home and slowly improving. And I am looking forward to getting out next spring, even if one arm won't be much help. I will act more my age (57), but never qiut. Thanks to my son and his 2 friends who saved my life.

[Cornut]

OK, here's mine: Back in '05 I took a hard faceplant that left both arms completely numb for several minutes. Subsequent MRI's revealed that I had severe cervical spinal stenosis, which means the inside of my vertebrae were poking into my spinal cord. I had the disks removed at C3-4 & C4-5 to allow the excess bone to be trimmed back, and they were replaced with solid bone fusions (ACF). Docs said that any further hyper-extensions of the neck could leave me paralyzed from the neck down. No more skiing, wakeboarding or wakeskating.

I thought I still might be able to surf, but I just had to have another surgery for a pinched arm nerve at C5-6 four weeks ago. Now the docs tell me it's probably not a good idea to even play tennis or golf, much less take any kind of pull behind a boat. My wife & kids are still wakeskating, so we're keeping our nautique for now. I just get to drive & watch. (I'm 41.)

Be careful out there, and be extra thankful for whatever time you get behind your boat.

[Chexi]

I need to stop reading this thread. It is scaring me.

[Cornut]

It's worth mentioning that my defective neck was/is a congenital condition. It's something I was born with - not caused by water sports.

[WakeSlayer]

I came to realize my favorite part about the sport is hanging out with friends and family on the water.

But either way I'll be on the water which is what matters the most.

yup, totally agree.

And Paublo, geezuss dude. Glad you are ok, that's a scary one.

[noles_fan]

I put an early end to my season about 5 weeks ago, although it was not wakeboard related. I cut three of my fingers and a bone while doing some work around the house. It has been 2 ½ weeks since I had surgery to put 2 pins in the tip of my pinky and remove some scar tissue in my middle finger. Needless to say with the weather turn south in the Midwest and my fingers trashed my season is done.

To make matters worse, a friend of mine ended up with two compound fractures in his leg when he went down on a switch crow a couple of weeks later. I guess someone is trying to tell us that it is time to put the boats away.

[HS]

Sept. 2007: Broken arm while arm-wrestling. (It's a better story than that!) Unable to snowboard 2007 - 2008 season.

Oct. 2007: purchased SV211 as part of recovery plan.

Spring 2008 - today: all good.