"Stingers"

So there are quite a few thread relating to injuries and what to do about them, but I know my course of action on this one so I don't need any advice on that.

I want to know if anyone else has this happen to them...

Sometimes when I catch my back edge really hard I'll go what feels like 4-6 feet underwater (I'm talking hard falls). When underwater there is a feeling that you can control any muscles and are stunned until I reach the surface. Other than the typical hard fall sore head, nothing bothers me, no numbness, dizziness, forgetfulness nothing.

Anyone else?}

I take soem gnarly falls every once in a while , but study the trick your trying to learn and figure out the best way to "fall" out of it. I'll always err on the easy "fall" side of a trick untill it comes to me. It may take me longer to learn but it saves my body.

No, that never happens to me.

Dude this has happened to me several times a summer and always from either missing the pop on a toeside 360 or anytime i catch the nose it turns me around and i fall the same way. The guy that I ride with all the time is a doctor and weve come to the conclusion that part of it may be a little bit of stun but most of it comes from pulling your neck and ab muscles on the fall. For me at least i realized everytime after my neck and ab muscles were badly sore, the muscles you use to sit up from a laying on the back position. Our hypothesis on the thing is that your brace yourself to resist the fall in a tucked forward position and then are ripped out of that position when the back edge catches. So those muscles are instantly pulled and a little stunned shortly after and dont want to work right which is why you cant raise your body to the surface as it would require using those muscles. Thats just our opinion though.

Mildly off topic, but I would strongly consider investing in a USCGA life vest if you do not currently have one. There is nothing worse than slamming an edge and feeling helpless because your vest isn't floating you to the surface.

Back on topic, We had a camper this weekend at The Boarding School that is a Doctor and he said what typically causes that sensation is the stretching of the nerves in the neck. The nerves stretch and send a "pins and needles" feeling throughout your upper body. Thats all i know!


Rob

EDIT for spelling

(Message edited by rob_jacques on July 26, 2008)