Foiling injury - lis franc beware !

Ok not trying to introduce anegative topic more so to give others a bit of a heads up..and avoid my recent pain!

i fell off the foil board two + weeks ago and the pain has now subsided after having the 5 screws and two plates put in last Friday to correct what the doctors are calling a lis-franc injury X-ray's below to tell the story !!

Net result is 6-8 weeks before I can put any weight on the foot plus plates etc required in my foot for 4-6 months.

Key Positives is that it's happened in the winter months !! Plus I really really appreciated help from Mike/ Jo / Luke / guy with the beard!!....When I couldn't actually get out of the water, pack my gear up or drive home !!

Cause was I think the gusty conditions 15-25++ knots combined with a fair bit of over confidence! plus straps that were a bit too tight.. ! I had been getting in my mind quite good at this foiling thing but a big gust and a fall over the front when the foil broke out of the water has changed things for a little while ... ! As those that have fallen know the foil board doesn't roll over when you fall like a traditional windsurfer so your foot does get trapped ...

so my clear advise is not to have those front straps too tight!

Mike sent me a link to the slingshot half straps as a good option for when am back on my feet and I've ordered some just because ...not much else to do windsurfing wise (see slingshot foot hooks)! .casting around though they're doesn't seem to be any real straps out there that tackle the issue in fact thinking about straps really they have changed since I started windsurfing 20+ years ago have they?

Anyone seen anything that prevents/ limits foot hang up ?

Onwards and upwards Adam for a speedy recovery on a positive note I've broken mine a couple of times and have healed up I found soft beach sand walking in bare feet was great rehab when your up to it

Sorry to hear it was that bad Adam, but glad to hear you are on the mend.

Be interesting to see the half straps if/when Mike gets a set. After your accident, dont plan on going tight on the footstraps at all. Loosey goosey sounds like the plan. Leave tight straps to the professionals.

Hope for a speedy as possible recovery for you.

The foot hooks are fragile and of doubtful value.
looser straps and bailout before crash helps, ie: when things start to go pear shaped don't fight it just bail.

same here, a few crashes showed me there was a risk there... so large straps it is !
actually a "no strap" trend is emerging locally. I'm just not good enough to go fast strapless.... (yet ??)

hope you recover fast and well !

I remember someone had a prototype safety release footstrap decades ago.

There's two theories on the safest settings for footstraps. I go by the tight one, as was the wisdom 3 decades ago. Only a little more than half of your big toe should poke out the other side. They'll feel tight, but if you pitch over them the ball of your foot is able to lever out backwards. I've had lots of crashes windsurfing and quite a few foiling. So far so good but maybe even >3 decades is not statistically significant?

There's a video somewhere of Peter Hart showing how to test them on the beach. Jam your foot in as hard as you can and Slowly do the pitch forward to make sure the insertion is not too great. You should be able to leave the board flat on the sand.

As far as I can reason your foot is tapered, so it can slip in until tight for a wide range of settings. And if the ball of your foot is way forward under the strap it can't be levered out if you pitch forwards. Rather than tight or loose the two options should be labelled deep or shallow insertion.

But most how to videos recommend loose! This is way too loose for me. If I can even lift my toes off the deck I feel out of control. I'd be straight back in to tighten them.

Like it !! Simple solution to making a problem not exist!

I'm not sure what to say other than I wouldnt wish this one on anyone!

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/General-Discussion/Chat/Magnetic-Roofing-Shoes?page=1#13

Electromagnetic. Activate them with a button on the boom.

I have some skiff racing experience and what we did after seeing a lot of ankle injuries from feet stuck in foot straps during big wipe outs was :
1) Velcro straps that could break out. These didn't work well because the straps were not made well, but the concept of less velcro could be tested further.
also
2) Used plastic bolts that would sheer off under load

I agree with you guys. Two weeks ago I injured a foot while foiling in Florida. It was a forward crash in very loose footstraps, but my foot did not come out. It hobbled me for ten days, but nothing was broken. Lucky.

That might sound good, but with really loose footstraps you tend to stick your foot all they way in, right up to the ankle. Not good.

When I remember to keep my foot just barely in the strap, everything is fine when I crash. But that's the point: ya gotta remember.

Foiling without footstraps altogether is a great idea. Since our stance is upright and we use smaller sails, we can get by just fine without straps.

Up here in the USA Pacific Northwest it is turning to winter, so my foiling has to slow down. Looking forward to spring.

Rick M
Richland, WA (as in Washington state)