Fins that reduce back pain

To reduce back pain, choose fins that fit on your legs, not on your feet. They guide you into a streamlined, horizontal body position with straighter knees. This works even if you choose to not kick much and swim mainly using your arms. Fins on your legs don’t hurt your back like foot fins. They also tend not to aggravate existing back problems if you use them sensibly. In fact, many people find they help their back rehabilitation after back injuries and back operations. Check with your doctor and/or physiotherapist first of course, and read these tips.

With foot fins, back pain often gets worse the more you use them. They make you bend your knees too much. So they drop your knees and thighs too low in the water. This causes you to arch your back to maintain stroke balance. The result is painful stress on your lower back and often knee strain too. So this bent-knee kicking style required by foot fins, is what hurts your back.

You can test this yourself by swimming without foot fins. You will probably find that doesn’t hurt your back as much. Most likely, this is because your knees are straighter and your back is less arched.

Fins on your legs reduce back pain because they promote a similar kick to swimming without fins. Plus they overcome many other foot fin issues, including calf cramps and Achilles tendon pain.

Here are three key reasons why choosing fins that fit on your legs reduces back pain.

Firstly, fins on your legs encourage a proper streamlined kick from your hip, with less knee-bend. This gives you a more horizontal body position. This in turn gives you a straighter back with less back arching and less lower back strain.

Secondly, you can adjust the fins around your leg to be perpendicular to your kick direction. Just line up the fin centreline with your toe that matches your kick direction. This minimises back twisting pain. It also reduces knee twisting pain and arch cramps.

Thirdly, you don’t have to kick these fins much to get the benefits from them. You can swim mainly with arm power and only kick a little. You can even trail your legs without kicking at all. Fins on your legs will still help to lift your body horizontal and streamlined. This reduces the strain on your back. You can then add as much kick power as your back feels comfortable with. That way, these fins can help you to gradually strengthen the core muscles in your lower back and torso.

Your back will feel much more comfortable with fins on your legs.