Hi everyone,
I need your help to work something out.
A mate of mine had a really bad kitesurfing accident 2 years ago.
Quite a typical incident: light wind conditions, he was walking backwards along the beach when he got hit by a 40 knots gust coming out of nowhere that loft him 7m off the ground.
He landed feet first and broke both his heel bones. He spent 4 months with crutches, doctors said then it was not repairable but he eventually had a subtailor fusion operation six months ago (fusion of the heel bone to the ankle bone) which made a noticeable improvement. He can currently bike ride –swim- , kayak etc, but had to give up surfing, kitesurfing, rock climbing, running. He was a really decent kitesurfer and windsurfer and when the accident happened, he set in his mind that he was never gonna do those sports ever again…
But we can all guess it wouldn’t be that easy….
He happened to knock on my door few days ago, asking me to help him getting back into kitesurfing (aware that it might not be technically possible for him, and that even if he manages to gently get back into it, he’s never gonna jump ever again or get any close to the level of kiting he was at). This might sound plain stupid to a lot of reasonable people, but I want to try to support him: if such thing was to happen to me, I don’t think I would give up…
I’m from the people who thinks that kitesurfing doesn’t have to be an extreme sport (it’s only as extreme as you make it with your own decisions), and that there has to be a way for him to get back to some sort of fun, without causing any more damage.
I will look after him this week-end, trying to make that he gets back to some friendly feeling kite flying, but I am not concerned whatsoever about his flying skills (flying a kite is like riding a bicycle: you just don’t forget… (it’s more about getting his mind back on track and rebuild some confidence)).
My big concern is the board. And even tho I told him that the board might not be a good idea at this stage, I’m sort of expecting that after 1h or 2, he will look at me and say: “Em, pass on the board to me”…
His weak point are his feet and ankles, which is pretty bad as this is where the entire pressure is put when riding… I’m not so keen on sticking them into footstraps, I don’t think it’s a good idea at all.
I thought that may be a strapless surfboard could be the go, as it wouldn’t compress his feet/ankle.
Bindings did cross my mind for a second, thinking they might offer the support and may be reduce the chances of twisting, but I don’t trust them, and they might compress his ankles too much and be even worse than regular straps…. So bindings are off my option list.
I’ve heard about knee boards, (never saw one, but I like the sound of it: no pressure on his feet/ankle. That could be the go…) but I’m not sure where to find one, so I was wondering if anyone could bring some further information, or eventually, if someone had one they could lend me so I could give it a try…
I did some researches on the previous posts (got to read the terrible story that happened to Laurie in April 2006, which everyone should read at some stage… It cools you down…) but I couldn’t find any of the information I’m after.
My mate is a fit guy, he’s got his head on his shoulder and knows it’s may be not the most advisable thing to go for, with still thinking it’s worth a shot to at least try (I agree on both…).
I know that if he could just go back to cruising along, he would be stoked.
Now I want to make sure it’s going to be done the safe way.
So, everyone, whatever advise you may come with is welcome -but “give it up” because neither him nor I want to hear that (if you were to have such an injury, you too would try to find a way around… At least, I know I would…)-.
Let me know if you had similar injury, what way around you found to get back on the water, what ankle/feet support you’ve used to protect yourself, what board would be the most suitable, if you’ve used knee board (if it worked for you, and where I could possibly find one), any professional advise from doctors/specialist, all together any help you may provide would be greatly appreciated.
And well, if you sincerely think I'm throwing myself into an impossible mission, say it too... But I'd rather hear some positive things and find a solution.
Thanks heaps for your help
Em

Hi Em,
We used to play around on knee boards behind ski boats; they are quite hard on your knees and legs if you do it for any length of time as you are in effect kneeling right down. Also, your ankles are extended when you are in this position so it puts what could be considered an abnormal weight and strain on the front of your ankles, flexing them in a way that you would not normally be used to. Add to this the dynamic action as you bounce on chop; maybe knee boards are not the answer. What about a 'foamie' ie one of those padded surfboards that beginner surfers use, the kids sizes wouldn't be too big to cruise around the bay on.
Good luck!

thank you all for your info towards the knee board... Like I said, I have no clue what it is (those silly Europeans who didn't grow up with waves, gee ;-) ) but if it sounded nice, it technically doesn't seem appropriate...
Malibu might be the go, hm....
I'm hoping some people with similar injuries will give me some tips...

quote:

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Originally posted by bigmark100

Good on him for going for it. Dont think he is stupid at all.
Heck - there is that kiwi guy who lost both legs to frost bite while climbing and still went on to climb mount everest.
I like to think I would have the guts to do the same.

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Yep, just him, a pair of carbon legs, and a helicopter to drop him off halfway up.......SCANDAL!

surfboard sounds good but i would recommend that it has some sort of padding, not just wax. kiting on the solid surfboard could put on more pressure than a twintip with comfy pads.

feet break, big deal, so do arms, fingers, toes, legs, ribs etc.

the important thing is that when you are recovering, you repeat clint eastwoods classic line : "a man's gotta know his limitations"

you hearin me punk!

make sure he doesnt break them twice: no more 12 o'clock walks.
i dont understand why its so popular.

leave the kite @ 10, or 2 over the water whilst walking back upwind.

if he gets another 40 knot gust, he'll just get yanked into the water.

Hey Em, yeah I am justback on the water after a similar accident,I smashed up my heel bone after landing on one foot in shallow water when a kite loop chucked me down hard without my board.

That was 5 months ago,I thought that was bad! But 4 years....!!

I have been for a couple of cruising sessions an it still painfull,but
it is real good theropy .

I would recmend a bow kite for sure and give him a hand to set up etc cause he is guna be nervious at first

I can only cruise in smoothe water at the moment,I have to depower all the time when I come across chop, I love my bow kite for that!

I am riding my normal board with straps very loose,yeah so slowly slowly bit by bit....just stoked to be back on the water.

pm his ph number to me an I would love to have a chat.

cheers....Phil

Hi em, My family is involved in physio/sports rehab & here are a few suggestions. Continue rehabilitaion through diet & strengthening muscles groups around injured area. Strapping or booty of some sort that does not impede egress from footstraps. We thought a hard footstrap that can be kicked off should the need arise. We were split on whether bindings would be better, so may be thats for him to experiment with. A bump soaking surfboard & a good depowerable kite. Start off with downwinders so he doesn't have to walk around with the kite. Good luck

Em,

Quote:
Thanks for the bow offer but you won’t ever convert me. Never have, never will, and not interested on seeing again that old bow versus C argument on this topic, I just know what gear I believe in.)

Not trying to convert you, I am just thinking of your mates feet an the let go of the bar an relax straight away an just lay back an rest for a short while with no pressure from holding an edge,(which is what hurts this injury after a while.) I do a couple of runs then rest in the water for a min or two an then a couple more runs an rest etc. I can kite for a few hrs like this, my foot is still swollen so gently bently with no surprises from having to put more pressure on an edge suddenly from wind gusts, but at the end of the day its what ever gear your mates comfortable with I guess.....just another suggestion.
I'll say no more about bows vs C's.

Hope he is back out there soon....Phil

what about getting whatever comfortable running / sport shoes he has been using and grip tape the top of a surf / skimboard? Kinda like what they do in wakeskating.

Id use a kite with stack of depower too, you dont want to be edging off any power at all with fragile ankles.

I reakon wearing basketball shoes would provide the best support.

plus if he chucks on a chicago bulls singlet he would look ghetto cool too...

also, i never mentioned kite brands, your the last person id bother trying to convert em... I would let him try a few different styles though, i think the kite will be the main ingredient to getting him back out there...

Hi em

Every injury is different but I was in a similar situation 12 years ago . I fell 30ft onto a concrete slab . I sheered my heel bone clean off but it remained in place (so no pins needed) my other foot I broke all the metetacles(spelling?) , again they didn't need repositioning iether . This was probably due to the fact that I had climbing shoes on that are very tight and wrap around the foot .

Doctors actually didn't allow me to have any weight on my feet for 6 weeks , so I was in a wheelchair which was interesting because I had broken a wrist as well (kept on going around in circles)

After my casts came off it was super painfull to have weight on my feet . I did a lot of deepwater walking and then running to slowly build up tolerance .

I was a windsurfer at the time and had no chance of getting my feet anywhere near a footstrap .

I started riding a mal just to get out onto the water .

It took years before the pain went away but now I am able to do everything again despite still always feeling a bit of sesitivity after a sesion .

The surfboard option is in my view the best option but you will have to put a pad of some sort on it to start with . I only ride a surfboard these days and the down side is that you have a larger surface area that sends all the jars and bumps through to you .

To start with get any old surfboard about 6'2"-6'6" and put some really thick deckpads on it . He isn't going to be too worried about performance to start with .
With such a big board he is going to be able to get going with a small kite that is going to be easy and safe to handle on land .
This will allow him to relax and feel in controle with something that he is used to using (rather than stressing about the unknown of bow kites).

12 years later and now nearly 43 years old I can say that my feet are still getting better unlike the rest of my body .

Good luck , hope you guys work something out .

Regards
Mike

Hey Em, really please Sam is back on the water.......I knew a guy who did a similar thing, his incident was in Adelaide in shallow water...his name was Sam....is it the same guy?

Hope he has some good experiences on the water and enjoys being back out there.

See you soon x

Hi Em,

There used to be a guy in Margaret River by the name of "Clarke". He also had damaged heels or feet, I cant remember which but he rode a custom kneeboard.

The board was a surfboard shaped by Marty Littlewood (Delta), and I recall Marty reminiscing with pride over the finished product only to see Clarke take to it with a 4 inch angle grinder so he could fibreglass onto it some additional bits to suit his handicap.

From memory he glassed on a centre hump about 8 inches high and as many inches wide which he placed his lower legs on either side, then had a "T" bar fibreglassed to the front to put the back of his knees around to keep himself on.

Clarke was always customising bits and pieces to the board and modifying padding etc. He eventually had a board which was pretty good for him to ride and he was able to make it really work for him.

Clarke always rode a kite size bigger than everyone else because he could drag a hand in the water to slow down and depower. His bottom turn at main break was good and he was able to boost as well as the rest of the locals, often to 25 feet or more.

If your friend has the will, there is always a way, it all depends upon determination and keeping your eyes on the outcome you want.

I wish you both good luck,

Hey Em,gr8 news
yeah it is hard not jumping when ya cruzin along in the smooth water so your guna havta watch him
good on ya for lookin out for Sam.Its good to have freinds