Wat's the deal? Help or hurt?

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"The truth is incontrovertible.
malice may attack it,
ignorance may deride it,
but in the end,
there it is." -Sir Winston Churchill

Huge help.

 I am 57 and have had sever back issues. Thought my 50 yr surfing career was over. Blown disc L4-L5, serious arthritis and a small fracture (13 yrs in Hawaii). Could not get to my feet.

Went to back specialist who advised me to have it fused or loose the 30 lb gut I was carrying and get some ab strenght to help support my back. I hate gyms, so I bought an 11' sup and started flat water intervals, yoga, and ocasional injections. OMG dropped 40 lbs feeling great. Have gone down to an 8'6" surf sup and absolutly love it. Still train on flat water when no waves.

Still have some problems since my disc is still blown but no where near the absolute disabiling pain I had before. Putting off fusion as long as possible. They are getting better with back surgeries.

 

I will add that improper paddling technique will do more harm than good. Make sure you have the right size paddle and proper tech. 

It should Help.  Should strengthen your core which helps support your back and les pain.  You could loose weight and that should help with strain on your back. One thing to make sure you have a excellent paddle ( light weight Carbon like a Kenalu Mana 83) and use proper Length and Proper paddling technique. 

asking because a couple of surfers tell me it made things worse....

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"The truth is incontrovertible.
malice may attack it,
ignorance may deride it,
but in the end,
there it is." -Sir Winston Churchill

As Md and myself have posted. Improper paddle length and or poor technique will hurt ya. May be start with adjustable paddle to get length right. Dave Kalama has some great You tube vides on technique.

I can only tell you my story. SUPing saved my life !!!!! 

I live in Ind. Gots lots o boards and paddles. You can give me a hollar and we can go for a dig.

 

What do Sufers know    ........... I agree, the paddle and the form can make all the difference in the world. I love my KeNalu Mana too

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www.paddlingparadise.com        

Spinal injury 9 years ago. My feet were paralyzed for 2 years. Back always in pain. Paddleboarding will strengthen your core muscles which helps your back. If you paddle correctly you actually are pushing down (which anyone with back problems knows feels good, since you are decompressing your spine). I'd recommend a paddle length that goes to your hand when your hand is fully extended over your head. This means you don't have to bend down to paddle. Also, I find standing up almost all the way straight (your knees will still be barely slightly bent) feels good for my back.

So, the answer to the question is absolutely YES it helps.

strengthening my core SUPing and improving my balance added quite a bit of distance to my golf swing!

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"I remember South Africa in the late 70's, sleeping on the beach at J-bay, smoking ganja with the blacks. On weekends we'd go to the pub in East London to drink beer and fight with the Afrikaners. They liked to fight, I liked to fight. It was a good time"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOTvaRaDjI

 

Do this for strength .........

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www.paddlingparadise.com