Board size related to knee injuries? BIG OR SMALL?

Ok I have been riding for 8 years and I have asked tons of ppl and I get various answers on the subject. Would a bigger or small board be better for your knees as far as impact during landings? I have heard a large board allows u to land softer because it spreads out the impact area, this makes sense. But also I tihnk on the other hand wouldnt a bigger board land harder because of the increased surface area it wont sink into the water as much on impact? For example (a bad one) If there were a small thin peice of plywood on the water and u jumped on it, it would sink into the water and the water would kind of break up the landing. But say u jumped onto a large peice of plywood the extra surface area would allow the plywood (or wakeboard) to offer more resistance and thus be a harder landing.

If your worried about impact ride a Slingshot as that acts like a snowboard with tons of flex.

There aren't many boards bigger (surface are wise) than the cwb marius, and there aren't too many boards that can land as soft as it either...but a lot of that is because it has two center spines

There are many factors in addition to surface area/board size that affect softness of a landing. The combination of surface area, how well the board breaks the surface (spines and rocker), board flex, and speed (sudden slowing of the board when it hits the water transfer the force to your legs) all effect how much force you feel when you land. I think that is why there is often no cpnsensus on whether larger boards land harder.

For me, new bindings with much more padding and more flex to allow better shock absorption by allowing my ankles to flex, made the most noticeable difference.

...when all variables are equal...its like you say...the smaller board will land softer....simple physics. So find the smallest board with all the above mentioned features...and technically it should be the softest landing.

(Message edited by absoluteboarder on May 11, 2009)

If you are worried about osteo arthritis, size probably matters and smaller would be better, but other design elements are more important, such as flex or spines to soften the impact.

If you are worried about ACL type injuries due to single catastrophic crashes, size and board shape are pretty irrelevant once you learn to ride that deck. ACLs are much more about how you ride and if your bindings held you in or released.