Re: [Paddlewise] Unfettered Paddles/Tendonitis/timepiece aside

Ed wrote:
Yesterday while paddling, with never a prior hint, I got pains along my
right
radius 1 - 2 inches from the wrist. This morning there is visible swelling
in that
area.  I assume my feathered paddle is a contributor to this? Somebody
recently
posted a wrist brace suggestion. Is it an over-the-counter model, or
prescribed?
I think the same postor also recommended a change of technique which I can't
find.
I was young and robust back then and deleted it.  Could you please send it
to me?

The following is a repeat of part of the earlier post I made requested by E.
Sullivan.
Following that is a long rough draft of a sidebar I wrote to a paddling
article
by George Gronseth in Sea Kayaker magazine years ago. It discusses this
problem in much more detail. Sea kayaker used a much abbreviated version as
the sidebar.

Original post:
I never have to bend my wrist to paddle unfeathered. I use a well balanced
paddle that doesn't have a heavy side which constantly wants to twist in
ones hand due to gravity. While raising my forearms (with my wrists
straight) I loosen my grip slightly with both hands and the rotating moment
(from pivoting from the elbow --caused by raising the upper hand) spins the
paddle in my hand enough to never bend my wrists. Actually when I
demonstrate this I can often make the paddle pivot more than 360 degrees and
then catch it in the right position to take the next stroke.  This "low hand
control" also can help an unfeathered paddler who releases the grip only on
the upper hand (so they don't have to raise their elbow to remove the 45
degree rotation induced by pivoting the hand up from the elbow--which is
much less work than raising the elbow). George came up with this to counter
my argument that unfeathered paddlers were working a lot harder because of
raising their elbows (unless using a low Eskimo style stroke). My
observation was that most feathered paddlers throw straight punches but
unfeathered paddlers were throwing left and right hooks (unfortunately most
still do but I think George is on to something here. We agreed LOW HAND
CONTROL works best.  Feathered paddlers should quit using that dainty little
push with the palm of their hand forward and a bent wrist on their "control"
side. You will have a much more powerful punch to your stroke if the bones
and the paddle shaft are all lined up in the direction of the punch. I came
to paddling with bad wrists from years of bone jarring pole plants in icy
moguls. I learned the usual "control hand" nonsense as a  whitewater paddler
but when I sea kayaked 20+ miles a day my wrists became very painful. It
came down to aborting a two week trip or changing something. After two hours
of paddling by carefully pushing with a straight wrist and loose grip my
painful wrists were on the mend and I had settled in to the technique I have
used ever after. I haven't had a wrist problem due to paddling in the 18
years since then and on one occasion paddled over 70 miles in one 24 hour
period with no wrist problems at all.
For those feathered paddlers who can't easily break the "bent wrist
syndrome", you can force yourself to push with a straight wrist by wearing a
wrist brace on your former "control hand". I don't expect many who have
habituated to unfeathered will try this.

Rough draft of Sea Kayaker sidebar:
Matt Broze (former safety editor for Sea Kayaker and one of the designers of
Mariner Kayaks) uses feathered paddles.  He offers the following advice to
reduce the risk of feathered paddles causing wrist problems:
Most wrist problems among kayakers appear to be the result of pushing or
pulling with the wrist strained in an awkward position.  Those of us who
paddle feathered were taught to keep the control hand fixed to the paddle,
and therefore had to bend that wrist back to get our working blade at the
proper angle to the water and then push forward with that wrist bent back.
With the wrist bent back the muscles in the forearm must be tensed and the
tendons in the wrist must be held under tension to allow the pushing effort
to be transferred to the paddle.  The tendons are stretched and pulled
against the side of the carpal tunnel (where they go through the wrist).
An alternative is to let the wrist bend back as far as it will go and then
push.  While this eases the strain on the forearm muscles, I would guess it
puts a lot of pressure on the bones and ligaments in the wrist joint.
I paddled whitewater with the control hand fixed to the paddle for several
years without major problems.  Once I began sea kayaking my control wrist
soon became sore because a sea kayaker can't rest and go with the flow as
much as a whitewater kayaker.   One time, during a two week trip along the
west coast of Vancouver Island, I realized I was going to have to take it
very easy on my painful wrist or abort the trip.  I began to seriously
concentrate on taking strain off that wrist.
Changing the feather of the paddle to unfeathered or using the opposite
control hand were both considered, but that would have meant losing my
reflexive whitewater bracing skills.  As a paddler relatively new to the
ocean coast, with its' boomers, surf, wind waves and large swell (sometimes
reflected from cliffs to create very confused seas) that was the option of
last resort.   One way I reduced the strain was by not paddling as hard.
Another was to relax my fingers by opening the upper hand as I pushed with
it.  Opening whichever hand is pushing allows the paddle to pivot in that
hand rather than forcing the wrist to bend from one side to the other over
the length of the stroke.   For much the same reason, the lower fingers on
the pulling hand should be more open than the index finger at the start and
early stages of the pulling stroke.  This not only allows for a greater
forward reach with the paddle but allows the paddle to pivot in the pulling
hand keeping that wrist in a more neutral position throughout the stroke.
Probably the most important thing  I tried was to push with my wrist in line
with my forearm and the center of the paddle shaft, avoiding the bent wrist
push that had become so natural. That way the arm and hand bones (rather
than my sore wrist tendons and/or ligaments) would be transferring the force
to the paddle.  At first it seemed awkward, but after a few hours of forced
practice the motion began to feel more normal.  Although I continued to
paddle many miles a day on that trip my wrist soon felt better, and I've not
had a problem in the more than ten years since, even though I've competed in
a few 26 mile races and even one 70 miler ("The Abuse", which caused the
rest of my arms to puff up for several days).
My advice to any paddler is, DON'T PUSH OR PULL WITH YOUR WRISTS BENT.
That's pretty simple to remember, but how do you do that and still use a
feathered paddle?  I encourage you to develop techniques that work for you.
You may want to pick up your paddle and try out some of the techniques that
follow.  Raising your control hand from the finish of its power stroke into
the position to begin the push,  will  rotate the shaft about 60 degrees
(if you keep your elbow near your side, as I advise).  At this point you
probably need to get the paddle rotated a little more, how much if any,
depends on its degree of feathering.  There are several possible ways to do
this.  One is to bend the control wrist back the necessary amount, grip the
paddle with the other hand and then loosen the control hand and straighten
out the wrist before pushing.  You can lessen the amount the control wrist
must bend by  letting the opposite wrist bend slightly down just before
gripping the paddle to begin the pulling stroke.  You can even avoid bending
the non-control wrist as well.  Rotate the shoulder joint forward so your
forward hand pivots on the shaft (this raises the elbow instead of bending
the wrist).  Actually, I'm not recommending this,  bending the wrists
slightly  is probably better because less weight is being lifted (the
non-control hand is dropped slightly rather than the entire arm being raised
against gravity).  When the wrists are not pushing or pulling I doubt
bending them slightly is doing much harm.   With the techniques mentioned so
far the paddle is rotated in (not just by) the control hand and I've
violated the most basic paddling instruction: "The control hand stays fixed
to the paddle."  However, both wrists are in a neutral position during the
power phase of the stroke and neither had to bend much even when there was
no load on the paddle.
The rotational momentum imparted to the paddle by lifting the paddle with
the control hand (pivoting from the elbow) can be allowed to continue if you
allow a split second delay between releasing the control hand and gripping
with the other hand.   Momentarily loosening the grip with both hands at the
right time allows the paddle to pivot into position without necessarily
bending either wrist.   I think I do this when I'm paddling hard and
therefore snatching the paddle from the water and lifting it quickly by
bending my elbow.
If your grip is relaxed not only will you be blessed with warmer fingers
but, you may also discover you can let the water rotate the paddle for you.
When the control hand blade is being lifted at the end of a stroke there is
a  point when the bottom of the blade is still in the water and the upper
half is in the air.    By  timing this blades withdrawal so you are still
pulling that blade a little while simultaneously relaxing  the grip on the
paddle, the top of the blade will rotate to the rear as it is withdrawn from
the water.   This could help feathered paddle users get the extra shaft
rotation needed to push with a straight wrist.   George observed me paddling
and doesn't think I am doing this.  I'm not sure I do this naturally, but,
when I try it, it works.  (Note: By doing the opposite, pushing the paddle
forward with the bottom of the blade in contact with the water, and
maintaining the grip a low brace can be quickly executed.)
 At the beginning of the pulling stroke (on the non-control side) I
definitely use the water to help me control the paddle.   By holding the
paddle loosely and pulling slightly as the lower corner of the blade enters
the water the paddle is AUTOMATICALLY rotated into position for the stroke
that has just begun IF IT WASN'T ALREADY IN POSITION.  This may not work
with all paddles but it works well with mine even though it has an
asymmetrical blade.
 Not only does pushing and pulling with a straighter wrist take some strain
off the wrists, it  also provides a more efficient and powerful stroke (for
much the same reason as paddling with  your arms straighter).  The reason
for the increase in both power and efficiency is that small muscles are not
forced to hold a strained position (due to the bent joint)  and work against
more powerful muscles to allow the powerful muscles to propel the kayak.
Not only does holding the paddle loosely at the right times allow the water
to effortlessly rotate your paddle to the angle you want, but it also
relaxes your forearms and seems to help in relaxing the rest of your body as
well.  If you don't believe this try relaxing with your fists clenched.  Did
I already mention the benefit of warmer fingers in this sales pitch?
  WHEN JUST CRUISING ALONG I HARDLY GRIP THE PADDLE AT ALL.  THE WORKING
HAND HAS THE FINGERS HOOKED AROUND THE FRONT OF THE SHAFT AND THE FLAT OF
THE OVAL IS HELD BETWEEN MY FINGER TIPS AND THE BALL OF MY HAND WITH JUST
ENOUGH PRESSURE TO CONTROL ANY BLADE FLUTTER BEYOND ACCEPTABLE LIMITS.  THE
UPPER HAND PUSHES WITH THE BALL OF THE HAND.  THE UPPER HAND'S FINGERS ARE
IN A RELAXED POSITION OR, AT TIMES, STRAIGHTENED OUT TO INCREASE BLOOD
CIRCULATION TO THEM.  THE "CONTROL" HAND DOESN'T GRIP THE PADDLE AT ALL BUT
THE PADDLE ROTATES INTO POSITION BY LETTING THE ROTATIONAL MOMENTUM OF THE
LIFT CONTINUE UNTIL THE HOOKED FINGERTIPS OF THE WORKING HAND CATCH THE FLAT
OF  THE (VERY) OVALLED SHAFT.
  George asked me this question.  "After releasing your grip with the
control hand and letting the paddle turn in it, how do you get back to the
correct position for the pulling stroke on the control hand side?"  It
seemed to happen quite naturally, until George asked I never gave it a
thought.  The imbalance of the weight on my 75 degree curved blade paddle
(slightly heavier on the convex side) as well as the oval shaft (tending to
roll from vertical to horizontal) makes this automatic return to position
quite pronounced.  But, even  when I tried it with a 90 degree feather, flat
blades, and a round shaft, it worked.  Gravity (and lifting the non-control
hand) rolls the shaft down my thumbs rotating it until it's stopped by my
fingers.  IT'S FUNNY BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE CONTROL IS REALLY IN MY
"NON-CONTROL" HAND'S FINGERS.  Another way to get into position would be to
delay lifting the rear blade (non-control side) out of the water complete
until starting to bring that hand forward and up.  With the bottom of the
blade still dragging slightly in the water the paddle would rotate into
position. (I doubt I'm doing this but George thinks so.  Maybe we can take
videos and view them a frame at a time, to find out).
You might ask, "Why not make your feather angle 45 or 60 degrees so you
wouldn't have to move either hand on the paddle shaft, since you say the
shaft rotates that much just by bending your elbow?"  That's what I asked
myself after my sore wrist episode (and after learning that some downriver
kayak racers were using 75 degree feathers.  Why not try other oddball
feathers?   I found both 45 and 60 degree feathers worked well.  I thought I
was on to something until reality reared its ugly head in the form of a
strong breeze (15 to 20 mph).  Much to my disappointment these feathers had
the awkward characteristic of having one blade suddenly fly up and

the other tend to dive when paddling into the wind.  Even worse, while
angling into the wind with the "fly up" blade side more into the wind, I
discovered the blade could get easily lifted into a position where a
stronger wind might capsize me or take the paddle out of my hand.  I tried
increasing the feather angle until at about 75 degrees the awkward effects
of the wind had all but disappeared.  For me something between 70 to 80
degrees of feather seems to be the best compromise.  I have no trouble
switching between 75 and 90 degrees if necessary, and 75 degrees eliminates
having to rotate the paddle an additional 15 degrees.
 The above attempts at understanding and explanation on my part may be
overly complicated but if you force yourself to paddle with your wrists in a
neutral position whenever they are under a load  I think you will find that
it will soon become a habit and you can enjoy all the benefits.
Hope this has been helpful.
Matt Broze
www.marinerkayaks.com



-----Original Message-----
From: E. Sullivan <sullivaned_at_pop.mts.kpnw.org>
To: PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 4:18 AM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Unfettered Paddles/Tendonitis/timepiece aside


This is not about leashes; I just liked spellcheck's suggestion.

Yesterday while paddling, with never a prior hint, I got pains along my
right
radius 1 - 2 inches from the wrist. This morning there is visible swelling
in that
area.  I assume my feathered paddle is a contributor to this? Somebody
recently
posted a wrist brace suggestion. Is it an over-the-counter model, or
prescribed?
I think the same postor also recommended a change of technique which I can't
find.
I was young and robust back then and deleted it.  Could you please send it
to me?

aside: a recent post about drysuit testing talked about watches under stuff.
I use
a buck-fifty velcro bike pump strap which is long enough to go over my
glacier
gloves. Stylish too.

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