Dusty Payne points out the risk of ankle and knee injury while pulling off an air
Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) World Tour veteran Dusty Payne stated that there is not an effective way to completely eliminate the risk of injury while pulling off an air.
The 23-year-old Maui-based surfer explained during an exclusive interview with Surfline that the way the surfing had advanced over the years and the competition has become more intense, the surfers are pushing themselves even harder. The way the ankles and
knees go left and right while riding the waves and pulling off the various technical tricks.
Maintaining balance and performing tricks put a strain on the knee and ankle joints, which eventually results in an injury.
“With surfing the way it is now, ankles and knees are going left and right. They're not made to do those kinds of things that guys are doing...unless you're Kelly Slater. But it's going to happen, and you have to be a man about it, deal with it and take
time off, l**k your wounds and get healthy,” explained Payne. “Nah, there's no way. If you're thinking like that all the time, you'd be ditching your board every time you hit a section. You just can't think like that. If you think like that, you will probably
get hurt.”
Payne himself has been put out of action due to an ankle injury sustained while competing at Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz last year. He went for an air and ended up jamming his foot back and compressing it during landing. Despite not being 100% fit,
the Hawaiian surfer continued to compete in the event.
Encouraged by his good performance in Cold Water Classic, Payne went on to compete in Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and Volcom Pipe Pro, where he posted a perfect 10 in his last surfing session before getting sidelined.
He was hoping to return to action by the start of the 2012 ASP World Tour which was due to start at Gold Coast in Australia in the last week of February.
Payne revealed that he will not be competing in the next few stops of the ASP elite tour as his will rest his ankle until it completely heals.
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