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Don't Make Paddling a Pain!
Written by Dr. Stacey Rosenberg
Gibsons Chiropractic
On most outrigger teams, we find one or more paddlers who suffer shoulder, neck and/or spinal strain. It doesn’t seem to correlate with fitness level - I’ve seen everyone from the weekend warrior to the most fitness-conscious athlete present with achiness, restricted motion, overt pain or joint noise upon movement.
So, what is the predisposing factor? Is outrigger racing bad for shoulders? What can you do to ensure it isn’t your shoulders that keep you from getting the most out of this sport you love - I’ll try to empower you with some knowledge adapted from paddlesup.ca and “Stretching for Fitness, Health & Performance” to put your shoulder into your stroke with confidence!
First, why do fit athletes get chronically sore shoulders from paddling? If you look at the typical stroke, the top arm comes into almost full flexion (raised high in front of you) at the end of the recovery - so we know that we’re calling on a full range of motion to get any reach. To get lift from the positive angle of the paddle, we apply power with the top arm at the catch as the shoulder comes down to about a ninety-degree angle. The whole time, the top hand is held palm down so the upper arm is often in what is called internal rotation. If you want to paddle, you have to go through these motions. The question is – why are they problematic? Let’s do a little anatomy lesson to illustrate.
Your rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that stabilize and set up your shoulder for a full range of motion. They act to hold the arm in the socket of the shoulder blade and position the upper arm so that the shoulder can move smoothly. Two of these rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus and teres minor) are the only muscles that turn the upper arm externally - so that the palm faces upward. This is important because in external rotation, motion occurs smoothly. If these muscles are too weak to overcome the pull of the internal rotators (your pectorals and latissimus dorsi among others), or if these internal rotators are too tight, then problems are likely to occur.
So what are we doing wrong? Most paddlers do some weight training, mostly working the pectorals (e.g. the bench press) and latissimus dorsi muscle (e.g. lat pull downs). Now, I don’t dispute the value of these exercises, however, if the rotator cuff muscles that balance these big muscles aren’t strengthened, you will develop problems. My guess is that not many outriggers do exercises to strengthen the external rotators of the shoulder (those little cuff muscles infraspinatus and teres minor) and only a few realize the importance of stretching the internal rotators (pectorals and latissimus dorsi). Having a strong infraspinatus won't get you much attention at the beach and it won't make you a stronger paddler in the short run but it will allow you to avoid the shoulder pain so common in the sport!
The other areas commonly injured by paddling are the neck and spine. Here it is also important to maintain strength and balance that strength with flexibility. Examples of key exercises and stretches to include in your workout routine are:
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abdominal exercises (crunches or Swiss ball sit-ups),
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gluteals (weights, knee to chest stretch and figure four stretch on the floor)
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spinal rotator muscles (sitting and standing spinal twists),
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lower back exercises such as ‘angry’ cat stretches and gentle back arches,
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pelvis stretches (lunges and t-stretches), and
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neck stretches (avoid extremes of motion and rotating the head with extension).
I find that there are quite a few exercises out there that are great at building or isolating certain muscles but they don't take into account the compromise to which the joint is subjected. So always consult your chiropractor or a personal trainer if you’re not sure if you’re doing the right exercises in a correct, safe manner. The basic rule of thumb is if it hurts – don’t do it!
For more information on how to improve your paddling performance, stretching, and/or reducing injuries, contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg at Gibsons Chiropractic on (604) 886-7080 or your family chiropractor. Full references available on request.
P.S. These paddling tips apply to canoers and kayakers as well!
For more information on preventing and treating paddling injuries,
contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg at Gibsons Chiropractic (604) 886-7080 or your local family chiropractor.
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