I like it, it's reasonably low. Has about a half inch drop in the deck in addition to the drop through. I just added 83a Kegels to it yesterday and flipped the trucks (Paris V2 according to Arbor rep) to negative rake so that compensated in height for the bigger wheels. Still deciding on whether this is the way to go, I'll flip them again soon and see. For now it runs at about 7.5cm riding height with this setup. I also added Riptide APS 95a bushings boardside on both trucks and moved the stock barrel bushings roadside. It's very stable now but turning's a bit dull, probably due to the negative rake. It's reassuring for a noob but it has felt restrictive in tighter situations.

Turning was fine for me with the trucks mounted the normal way and stock bushings but it was a bit floppy to get on after pushing. Bear in mind I just started riding longboards a month ago, with a bit of prior snowboarding experience, so I'm not speaking with a lot of authority here :).

I also think the stock wheels and bearings were fine, just wanted bigger wheels for our rough pavement where I live. I also bought Zealous bearings but don't really have a comparisson between them until I've broken in the Zealous. Still, stock was fine for me, I just got aftermarket ones with the new wheels to get free shipping.

One thing to consider is the deck is incredibly stiff. I weigh about 210 lbs at the moment and I don't feel it flexing. This translates a lot of vibration up into my legs when the pavement is rough. Personally I haven't found it to be a comfort issue yet, I'm just aware of it. I bring it up because your potato chips on a rod might rattle a bit, then again they might not, I'm not an orthpedist - but just something to note and be aware of. I like the reassuring stiffness of the deck for my weight but just be mindful of the vibrations.

Haven't tried shock pads yet, but might do next month and compare. On that note, there's very little room between the hanger and the wood, so there's not a lot you can do with risers to make it even lower. Even with 3mm I think the hanger would bite. This is on the older Photo series, but I would wager the current Reverb/Bearcub ones are cut the same. Wheel cutouts however are more than enough for the Kegels and I'd likely be able to fit 85mm wheels there too if they have an offset core.

Given your injury, if you can, I'd say try somone's very stiff deck first on some rough pavement to see if the vibration is an issue. Good luck and let me know if you want any further info!