I was wondering what type of injuries anyone has sustained while normal paddling (repetitive motion), crashes into boats or other objects, on the beach while out, and extreme adventures. Looking to learn what can happen and the best remedies for prevention or avoidance. Thanks!

An over night camp and one of our paddlers fell into the creek and broke his ankle. He was also an experienced backpacker so no excuses.

Alex

WW kayaking and had a stick catch me between my PFD and arm pit resulting in seven stiches and a ruined shirt.

If you paddle often and strenuously, two things are going to happen: You are going to build strength in some areas and more than likely, you are going to hurt yourself. When I say you are going to hurt yourself, I mean that you will strain something.

At least in my case I have taken that (the strains) as a given. It doesn't seem to make any difference how well I condition myself, I always overdo something. Other than trying to keep fit with all sorts of exercising and other physical activities, the only thing that works is constantly reminding myself to moderate the paddling.

The other facet that leads to some of my hurts is lifting and carrying the boats. I have taught myself to use proper lifting methods, which helps a lot and I've learned the hard way to not carry the boat when it's full of all the extras that I take along.

Not worried about the next day or two soreness. I do worry about something more permanent in damage to my shoulders requiring surgery. That said my body has been fairly taxed over the years being a mason contractor as I still love to jump in the wall and start working. Some days I have placed / laid 15.000 pounds worth of block in the wall. next year I want to start going farther and may be paddle for 8 hrs or more and cover some good distances. I guess I'll ramp up slowly.

most common injury ,statistically,is shoulder dislocation,usually from bad bracing technique when doing beach landings.2, head injuries ,again beach landings or paddling around reef,( always wear a helmet when in these areas)3 burns ,from cooking at campsites ,spilling hot food or liquids,standing on fire coals etc,4 bad paddling technique,strains to shoulders,wrists,back etc. To help prevent 1,and 4 see a good instructor for some work on your skills and more importantly apply them after he has shown you.

As wavehog pointed out, Dog, good bracing technique is really important for avoiding shoulder injury in beach surf. Same goes for surfing standing waves, peeling out of eddies, or encountering breaking water in tide races, rock gardens etc. A low brace for support, coupled with a firmly edged boat, is a lot safer in these conditions than a high brace because of the body mechanics involved.

To get a feel for your anatomical vulnerability to this type of injury, face the bow, hold your paddle up with your hands about shoulder width apart, and place the paddle shaft on the top of your head. You are now in the most vulnerable position for a shoulder injury or dislocation. In that position, even a small force pushing your palm backwards can easily rotate your shoulder out of its socket. You cannot condition or strengthen your shoulder to resist this kind of rotation, so proper body position is critical to avoiding injury.

Whether high bracing in moving water or practicing a high brace recovery in flat water, protect your shoulders by rotating your torso so that you're facing in the direction of the brace. You should be looking at the blade. Keep your elbows low and tucked in next to your body. Your hands and the paddle shaft should be at shoulder level in this position. If the brace is on your right, your right shoulder should be angled toward the stern, and your left shoulder angled toward the bow.

If you brace into a wave and want to look in the direction that the wave is pushing you (not a bad idea), do so by turning only your head, not your torso, which should always remain facing - as much as possible - towards your paddle blade. Watch some videos of experienced paddlers bracing in surf. It's amazing how much support you can achieve with a good low brace. Just to be on the safe side, it's always a good idea to practice wet-exiting your boat using only one arm. Pretend one shoulder is injured, and don't move or use that arm when you practice.

This is a great topic since it is one of the reasons I am hesitant to pull the trigger on getting my first boat.

In general, if I were to buy a sea kayak, how hard is it on the hips and wrists? I have a torn hip labrum which is starting to give me some issues if biking, etc....as well as some wrist issues (torn AFCC)but these only flair up once in a while.

I just don't want to drop all the money and get involved only to find out it hurts too much to do it. I have rented kayaks before and for the 1/2 day paddling around I was fine, but I am hoping to be doing a lot more than that.

Any thoughts?

..and I'm still debating on that Brittany LOL...

Oh, one more thing, does anyone know of paddling groups up in the valley in NS (kentville, wolfville)? We are very new to this area and havent had a chance to explore the region too much yet.

Thanks again!
Dave

Dave, make sure you adapt a paddling technique that stresses your arms, shoulders, and wrists as little as possible. Learn to hold the paddle with only enough grip to keep it from actually falling out of your hands, letting the paddle rest lightly in the crotch between the base of the thumb and the first finger of the hand. Keep the upper hand open as it pushes the elevated end of the paddle forward. Let torso rotation account for almost all of the motion of the blade through the water. And, slow down; there's no hurry. That way you'll develop an easy, efficient stroke that will propel you for many miles with a minimum of stress on that wrist.

Dave, here is the honest truth: If you are going to be a serious, or even semi-serious paddler, you most likely are going to experience some hurting. It doesn't have to be that way if you do what you can to get into shape and try to stay that way and most of all remember moderation.

Of course everyone is different, but I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't had some degree of pain at one time, or another from paddling. Paddling by it's nature is a repetitive motion; ergo, pain happens. This is where moderation is key. you have to learn what your limits are and try not to exceed them. Since you say you already have certain issues, you should be careful to explore your limits gradually. As you spend more time in the cockpit, you will naturally be tempted to push harder and longer. Moderation and rest stops along with a little refueling are always helpful and make for a more enjoyble experience.

I would stress two things: Learn the right form for the forward stroke and the right form for lifting and carrying your boat.

I am a newcomer to kayaking, and was looking forward to my first season paddling around in the beautiful fjords near home. On my first weekend trip I managed to snatch off the tendon for extending the end part of the thumb, while putting on the sprayskirt. I am now looking at 6-12 weeks away from kayaking and biking :-(
New kayak (a fantastic Skim Dex Mk II), new sprayskirt (Palm Roanoke), and newbie kayaker (me): on the second day of the weekend trip I found the sprayskirt particularly hard to put on, but was impatient and decided to just use force and put my thumbs into the front edge and pressed hard while twisting the edge of the skirt over the edge..."pop!" - auch!
The tendon has now been stitched together, but these things grow very slowly, so it is going to be a while before I can use my thumb again.
Before having surgery I made three more trips with the same equipment. The sprayskirt is tight, but not really difficult to get on, so either the skirt was not properly fitted behind my back and/or maybe it was a bit stiff from saltwater from the previous day.
Lesson learned: 1) stretch the sprayskirt a little before putting it on, especially if the skirt is dry. 2) make sure it is on correctly all the way around the back before applying force to get it on. 3) don't use the thumbs as levers. Experienced kayakers know this...

As has been pointed out above, be very careful to learn the proper technique for high-bracing: keep your elbows near your body!! Cannot overstate this. Seriously.

One other thing that I would strongly urge anyone to consider--if you are not already doing it--is to use a Greenland paddle. The advantages of this are far too numerous to get into on this thread. But as far as injury, given that one's hands are held much closer together than with a euro paddle (which, among other things, keeps one's hands lower), the stresses to the shoulders are much, much lower. One of the most common shoulder ailments is impingement syndrome of the rotator cuff, which is much less likely with a Greenland paddle. Beyond that, the lack of feathering will put less strain on the wrists and elbow (think tennis elbow). And the wide shaft of a Greenland blade naturally discourages a too-tight grip. Bottom line is that I cannot think of a good reason to not use a Greenland paddle, unless (possibly) you spend the overwhelming majority of your time in rock gardens (I know that many think Greenlands are inferior in surf, but I would argue otherwise on that...Greenlands are safer on the shoulders, more certain for rolling, and less prone to being snatched away while being thrashed by a wave. As to the greater "power" of a fat euro blade...if you're having to "muscle" it that much, maybe you need a better boat or better technique?).

another way to avoid injury is to work on strength and flexibility.
Shoulder, core and back strength and flexibility all help you hold better technique longer and help prevent injury.

The other contributors make good points about avoiding shoulder injuries. Regarding hip injuries I think you are pretty safe. I'm 66, I've had two total hip replacements since I started kayaking and they've never been a problem. Buy a boat that fits you and where you want to paddle. If your boat is a good fit for you, your hips fit snugly into the boat, your bent legs contact the deck or the padded thigh hooks and your feet press on the foot pedals. Your hips and legs are your anchor and the base of your power. Sit up straight. Rotate your entire upper body as you paddle. Keep your elbows down and never reach over your head. Don't waste another minute! Paddle every boat you possibly can and pick one. If the N.S. in your ost means NOva Scotia, make sure you learn how to dress safely for the water where you paddle. My ancestors came from Nova Scotia. Good Luck!

I have slipped and fallen on rocks getting out of a kayak. Slammed my shoulder pretty good one time - nothing broken or dislocated, but I was sore for nearly two weeks.