WHEN state officials and local businesses need good, accurate information about the economy, they look to Carl Bonham.

Bonham, co-founder and executive director of the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii, is the economist often used by local media outlets as well. Reporters know he can discuss everything from tourism figures to tax revenues and construction trends.

But his sober demeanor masks an adrenalin junkie whose sporting choices — windsurfing and stand-up paddling in overhead waves — have forced the 54-year-old Bonham to stay as fit as possible or else succumb to painful injuries that have bothered him for nearly 25 years.

He’s endured the aches and pains of sports that pound the knees, jerk the arms and shoulders, and torque the body. In graduate school, when he got involved in competitive windsurfing, Bonham experienced pain in his legs — his groin, outer thighs and knees. At first he blamed a windsurfing harness because it cinched too tightly around his thigh.

Over the years, Bonham tried a number of therapies, but nothing worked.

"I actually went through some PT (physical therapy) for a pulled groin muscle, had massage and ultrasound, and it was all wrong," he said.

It took years to discover that the problem was actually in his lower back. When Bonham bent over, a disk in his spine compressed a nerve, causing pain. Doctors call that "referred pain."

"I remember stretching over an (exercise) ball, and the pain was just amazing," he said.

But Bonham was having too much fun to stop. He powered through the pain for years and even participated in windsurfing competitions.

It was a doomed pursuit. As he grew older and the need to stay in shape became more important, Bonham had to find a way to work out without bending over.

That turned out to be a modified form of Pila­tes. Three years ago a physical therapist suggested the fitness routine, which stresses balanced muscle development and flexibility. It did the trick. The exercises get him out on the water with a lot more vitality and enthusiasm.

"It’s made a big difference," he said. "You notice it completely. Every single move you’re in, you’re stabilizing your core. So when you go out windsurfing, your abs, your back, everything’s in balance and strong."

Bonham now goes to Master Pila­tes and Wellness, a studio in Ward Village Center, where he joins in class exercises that don’t involve bending and gets individual workouts that don’t stress his back.

Master Pilates and Wellness, run by trainer Rick Burke, is filled with machines that resemble medieval torture racks but are designed to exercise and balance muscle groups.

Bonham’s routine includes using a foot to tug on a spring-loaded strap or slide a table back and forth while keeping his back parallel to the floor. The exercises strengthen his legs and core, allowing him to pop up on his surfboard without severely bending at the waist.

Years of windsurfing also created a shoulder injury that won’t go away. Bonham thinks it persists because every time he jumps over a wave, the beautiful aerial maneuver comes with a smack-hard landing. (He also blames a particularly hard day of gardening.)

The injury made stand-up paddling doubly painful.

For his shoulders, Bonham works on a Gyrotonic Expansion machine, which employs weight-loaded straps attached to his arms to pull them in various directions. The machine helps increase range of motion and works muscles that are often neglected.

"All those little muscles in the shoulder affect the back, the neck, which affects the cervical spine" as well as nerves that can cause referred pain elsewhere in the body, said Burke.

What’s especially helpful, the trainer said, is that Bonham is good at monitoring his condition. It’s a quality the economist partly attributes to his analytical personality. That habit has helped the pair refine the exercise routines Bonham uses.

"It’s kind of a work in progress," Burke said. "You find out what works, and then you think about it anatomically and it all comes together and starts to make sense."

Even after a tough workout, Bonham feels ready to hit the water, and the exercises help him maintain an ergonomically strong posture.

"There are times when I would come in here and work out and then go straight to the beach and go stand-up (paddling) or windsurfing, and it keeps you from having to think about it," he said. "Your muscle memory is there, so you’re going into the right position and you can feel that it’s making what you’re trying to do easier."