Has anyone else developed a pain on the inside of the elbow from Wingfoiling? Commonly known as golfers elbow, it has flared up in the last few months since I've been doing longer 2-3 hour sessions most days of the week. Apart from ice, stretching the forearm tendons, and moving to use a harness, is there anything else that anyone can recommend?

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mikey100 said..
Has anyone else developed a pain on the inside of the elbow from Wingfoiling? Commonly known as golfers elbow, it has flared up in the last few months since I've been doing longer 2-3 hour sessions most days of the week. Apart from ice, stretching the forearm tendons, and moving to use a harness, is there anything else that anyone can recommend?

I did, had to ice it after every session. Started using a harness, and it went away.can't ride without a harness now, love it.

Try eccentric exercises with the Theraband Flexbar. Worked wonders when I had tennis elbow, but they also have an exercise for golfer's elbow. And start using a harness.
Details about the Flexbar at details at boardsurfr.blogspot.com/2010/05/no-more-tennis-elbow.html
Some of the links are probably outdated now, but it's easy to find searching "Theraband Flexbar exercises".

I had case of ding elbow from the first version of the F-ONE wing. I felt like the back handle/strap wasn't far back enough and was putting my elbow in an odd angle, mainly when going upwind. Using the F-One wasn't going to be sustainable so I purchased a BRM wing which uses hard handles and the ding elbow went away completely. My conclusion was that hard handles are better than soft straps until I had the opportunity to try a Duotone with hard handles and could instantly feel the ding elbow come back as I sailed upwind. I'm starting to think that wings with flatter profiles are more likely to give one a case of ding elbow. If you can, try as many wings possible to find one that works for you.

Thanks all for the replies. Will continue iceing, will start using a harness, will do the Theraband flexbar exercises, and hopefully my 3 new "24 Units with their altered rear handle angle will help.

I can second the flexbar, worked wonders. Buy the genuine tough, I had a knockoff first, which was way stiffer and much more uncomfortable to grip

Mate solved by changing from under to overhand grip.

Try wearing an elbow sleeve or light brace.

I had the same problem and I now use a harness line for upwinding. Fingers heaps better now too and can really load up and hall upwind hooked in. Can take a hand off the handle to relax and stretch out when riding. Game changer it really is

Really don't understand why everyone doesn't use a harness, absolutely zero downside. It weights nothing, if u use the right lines they don't get in the way, can ride powered for ages, upwind is easy, then turn round unhook and ride waves.

Big plus is reducing chance of arthritis in ur finger joints when older, especially when u ride in cold conditions.

Mike

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Mikedubs said..
Really don't understand why everyone doesn't use a harness, absolutely zero downside. It weights nothing, if u use the right lines they don't get in the way, can ride powered for ages, upwind is easy, then turn round unhook and ride waves.

Big plus is reducing chance of arthritis in ur finger joints when older, especially when u ride in cold conditions.

Do you have any links with more information about the arthritis points you mention? All I could find was one study showing that working in cold conditions increases arthritis risk, and plenty of information about how weather affects arthritis pain.

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patronus said..
Mate solved by changing from under to overhand grip.

I use underhand on front and overhand on rear; thought that would stop fatigue and reduce strain in on muscle group and help reduce chance of injury. Maybe not.

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Mikedubs said..
Really don't understand why everyone doesn't use a harness, absolutely zero downside. It weights nothing, if u use the right lines they don't get in the way, can ride powered for ages, upwind is easy, then turn round unhook and ride waves.

Big plus is reducing chance of arthritis in ur finger joints when older, especially when u ride in cold conditions.

Mike

Can you tell me which harness and harness line setup you are using?

I still ride without these as I always thought they added more clutter.

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mikey100 said..

patronus said..
Mate solved by changing from under to overhand grip.

I use underhand on front and overhand on rear; thought that would stop fatigue and reduce strain in on muscle group and help reduce chance of injury. Maybe not.

In my opinion it makes no difference if you do underhand or overhand grip. I developed golfers elbow from pull ups with wrong grip, I used to grip a lot with the fingertips. When most of the weight/force is carried by the fingertips, the forearm muscles don't work much, but the tendon gets too much load and therefore overused with time.

So to prevent the injury you need for one to grip more with the palm and also strengthen the forearm muscles with specific excersises (i.e. forearm curls, hammer curls, etc.)

I've been making these for a growing number of the local riders in WA. Certainly helped me solve my sore finger and arm problem. I like the elastic as it keeps the line trim so it's out of the way during tacks etc. It also helps get a positive attachment when trying g to hook in (doesn't blow away from you). Simple clove hitch to connect to soft or hard handles (boom even). Adjustable length due to spliced dyneema. Positioning the attachment points wide apart enables the line to slide within the hose and you can fly one handed as well as adjust the power whilst hooked in. The hook attaches to most common waist leashes and has a rubberised protective cover to help protect the board from scuffs when stink bugging. Feel free to message me for deets if interested 0422979878

This is my favorite harness line but must be a boom or newest Duotone Unit or Ventis. Very easy to move it out of the way with your thumb. I use the 26 inch but my hook is higher up so most people would use the 28 or 30 inch.

Back to the elbow topic, I've battled with elbow tendon issues for over 30 years dating back to rock climbing days. Check out this article from Dr. Julian Saunders. It's one of the few remedies that actually worked for me. Stick to it religiously for at least a few weeks and you will likely make significant progress. I can't paste in the link for some reason. If you google "dr. Julian Saunders dodgy elbows" it will pop right up

I went from a bagged out wing with three strap handles to a high-performance crisp two-handled tight canopy wing and immediately felt my golfer's elbow come back after just one session. Interestingly, when my arm was in the front position was when. I struggled most. I have since juryrigged some additional handles and may sell the wings for a lower performance wing if the pain continues. Also I will really try to be less powered with the wing as this was definitely part of the cause. A wing used by a world champ in short freestyle heats does not necessarily make a good wing for two hour-long upwind/downwind sessions for over the hill dudes.

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max_ob said..

Mikedubs said..
Really don't understand why everyone doesn't use a harness, absolutely zero downside. It weights nothing, if u use the right lines they don't get in the way, can ride powered for ages, upwind is easy, then turn round unhook and ride waves.

Big plus is reducing chance of arthritis in ur finger joints when older, especially when u ride in cold conditions.

Mike

Can you tell me which harness and harness line setup you are using?

I still ride without these as I always thought they added more clutter.

Manera waist belt, NSI hook and Unifiber elasticated harness lines. Weighs nothing, doesn't get in way and a joy to use.

Mines got a lot worse from winging. Solved the tennis problem with lots of PRP treatment and the exercises. The golf issue has come back worse than I ever had from windsurfing but a knee opp has stopped that for now. The PRP treatment hasn't worked this time so it's more ice, wrist curls and using a Power Gyro ball. Next stop might be surgery and having it stitched back together. Going to try a harness to take the load off between turns.

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kato said..
Mines got a lot worse from winging. Solved the tennis problem with lots of PRP treatment and the exercises. The golf issue has come back worse than I ever had from windsurfing but a knee opp has stopped that for now. The PRP treatment hasn't worked this time so it's more ice, wrist curls and using a Power Gyro ball. Next stop might be surgery and having it stitched back together. Going to try a harness to take the load off between turns.

Harness completely solved the issue for me. I was in constant pain, now zero. And on the plus side, I am loving riding with a harness

I resolved mine by swapping from Duotone Slicks to FOne. The boom when in very light winds, or waiting for some wind you are constantly twisting the wing, and this causes Tennis Elbow.With the soft straps, you support the wing with your finger tips whilst waiting on wind and thus less twisting of the arm. Changed a year ago and even after a 4hr heavy session no issues. I did like my Slicks but the pain was killing me.

Oh good to here. I also got great issues from slicks. Started to foil one handed. It was so cool but also so destroying. Now back to 2 handles. Hope it helps.

I find the wing model can make a huge difference in terms of whether golfer's elbow is a problem. I got it years ago from kiting and it took probably a year to go away. Winging was never an issue until I upgraded to some really tight-canopied wings with small handles that limit hand position. The wings are pretty high-performance and more suited to winning wave heats than cruising around like a kook for hours at time as I'm inclined to do. I ended up modding the handles in hopes of making them more comfortable and dug out my old Thera-band Flexbar in hopes of getting my elbow back to normal for the coming wing season.

Super interesting...I have had a variety of wrist/elbow pain issues over the years, and am also looking to get new wings in the next couple months and have been curious about the upcoming '24 Slicks...

For those with issues when using Slicks...did boom diameter make any difference?

here you go...

I developed it as well. Taking some time off, stretches and ice and it went away after 4 weeks. I continued to do my other sports of surfing, SUP'n and windsurfing. I use a DaKine solo harness and the North Harness lines which are the easiest and my favorite to hook to any rig. I was able to attribute mine to long sessions and too much toe side riding. When you toe-side, your back arm is usually bent and doing a lot of trim work. I've made a point to switch stance more often and here's the hardest part..get off the water before the two hour mark. Also take some breaks and chat w the Boyz on the beach. Hasn't come back.

My experience echos what others here have discovered: that tight, hard-handled wings, whose characteristics provide a more direct and instant power delivery, also transfer a lot of strain onto the body, which acts as the shock absorber in this situation, whereas my now-favoured (for this very reason, rather than for performance) looser/baggier canopy wings with softer handles soak up and smooth out some of this power delivery, with the canopy providing some buffer that both lessens the stress impact on the body and also provides some time delay, where you have some moments to react to sudden gusts, rather than being pulled by a charging lion on a leash, through them.

I spent the first 2 years of my wing foiling journey with no hook/harness, but subsequently, they became absolute must-haves for me, especially for longer sessions. Upwind, I'm hooked in most of the time, except for when it's big and messy, whereby I hook in during the more predictable stretches and un-hook during the more hectic sections to minimise surprise harness face-plant situations from occurring. Downwind; riding mostly unhooked.

I've also suffered from both golfers and tennis elbow in the past, and I vouch for both the Therabar and the Armaid devices as being very effective in helping to treat and recover from flare-ups. Once rehabilitated, regular use of these devices, in addition to stretching, dead hanging, and inversion therapy, can help to keep further flare-ups at bay.

@SpokeyDoke...
I earned it first time with platinum boom together with slick sls. But I got an wing buddy at the lake with slick dlab and sls boom also got it. I use harness and I am mostly hooked in. But I got it in summer Lulls while pumping like an maniac all the time to get on foil. And so it was for the dlab guy. So I think the boom diameter wasn't the problem first line.
once u got it and u don't recover fully it can swing back in next heavy session. BTW way I used this Thera bar too and it was to painful to twist that thing. I also got both golfer and tennis elbow. On both arms I really overdid it. The exercises to resolve it, is extensive muscle Contraction. its Meant to do with the Thera bar. U can also do it less painful and cheaper like shown. Bring the weight in upper position by helping ur fxxxxxx hand with the other and then slowly Sink the weight. Repeat. So u don't need the flex bar.