Re: [Paddlewise] Health benefits of sea kayaking

Bill Ridlon wrote:
> 
> Actually, from all I've read on Paddlewise and Wavelength and all I've
> experienced personally, any health benefits derived seem to be about evenly
> balanced with the health problems one can create from lifting heavy boats,
> loading boats up onto racks, paddling too much, using the wrong paddle,
> using a feathered paddle... and the list goes on.  I'd consider it about
> equal to running:  Nice aerobic benefits but costly on the joints.

While there is definitely something to this, many joint and muscle
problems are the result of improper (or what I like to think of as
"immature") technique.  Many years ago I tore my rotator cuff deep in
the wilderness on a 500-mile river trip.  I was paddling a nameless
river in the Yukon Territory.  It was late in the "afternoon" (about
11:00PM) and getting cold, and we had been drifting for some time on a
fast section of the river after having paddled very intensely.  We saw
an island with great potential for a campsite, and so we began to
forward ferry against the strong current (in spite of being cold and
stiff).  Being young (or at least younger than I am now) I was
unconcerned about technique or cold muscles/joints, and just started
cranking away, occasionally with elbows high (ouch!), pulling a
fully-loaded boat as fast as I could paddle.  For those of you who have
not yet experienced a torn rotator cuff, it is very painful. Fortunately
my paddling companion had brought quite a pharmacy of pain killers, and
I was able to fall asleep after about an hour of screaming.  (I never
claimed to be the stoic type.)  I was able to finish the trip in a
somewhat crippled (and drugged) state, but ever since I have had a very
delicate shoulder, and thus am "well-equiped" to test different paddling
techniques in terms of their implications for stress on weak shoulders. 
My conclusions:

(1) Use a short paddle (max 215cm for sea kayaking) with a vertical
stroke.  I get a pain in my shoulder even thinking about my attempts to
use a longer paddle or low-angle stroke. I hesitate to share this with
you, because I know that there are some folks with shoulder problems who
will refuse to give up a low-angle stroke until their dying days. I
usually keep my mouth shut on this issue, but then again...

(2) When bracing or rolling, keep your elbows tucked in!

(3) When bracing or rolling, keep your elbows tucked in!

(4) Pay attention to your physical state.  Are your muscles cold and
stiff? Do you feel lactic acid building up?  Take it easy!

And finally: 

(5) When bracing or rolling, keep your elbows tucked in!

Does anyone have anything to add to this list?  (An obvious omission is
to stretch before paddling, but personally I have never had sufficient
discipline to stretch on a regular basis.) 

By the way, the primary health benefit of sea kayaking (or paddling in
general) is in the area of mental health.  If you paddle frequently you
will remain forever young and happy.

Dan Hagen
Mazama, Washington (where the rivers are low and dropping fast...)
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