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What kind of paddle are you using?
Is it the right length? Maybe consider it’s blade size and feather angle too. Is the paddle real heavy ?
Not to go against any doctor’s ( non paddler or paddler ) advice and I agree with them about the friction part… to a point.
IMO a slightly SMALLER shaft will feel better and relieve some stress better than going larger. If the blades themselves are nice and smooth , there is less need to grip the shaft. A slightly smaller shaft will let your fingers get around it a little more. Easier to hang on to with less squeezing or over gripping.
Imaging hanging from a chin up bar. Increase it’s diameter 30 % and your gonna have to focus more on your grip to stay on.
Try some other paddles if you can and hope you feel o.k.
Thanks for the plug SeaDart.
tendonitis
Five years ago I had this problem and for 2 years I tried massage,ice packs, heat, advil, cortizone shots and the elbow bands.
Watching TV one day, I heard about a herbal supplement called “MSM” (methysulfonylmethane). We all know the pain, so I was willing to try anything. Picked up 1000 mg tablets of Natures Origin and after 2 weeks of taking them once a day, the pain was gone. I now take an MSM/glucoamine chondrotin combo 3 times a week. Still no pain.
From what I understand, the MSM restores the collagen in our joints.
We’re all different, but this stuff really worked for me.
This is absolute nonsense.
Here is a link that you can get some of the facts.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/msm.html
In short this is a molecule that is closely related in structure to DMSO, it's not a metabolic source for sulfur for protein for building up collagen. The claims are absolutely false. I'm a medicinal chemist and make my living discovering new drugs, if this worked at all there would be a huge amount of doccumentation and pharmaceutical companies would have numerous patents with formulations. I would not take anything intentionally that is a precursor or metabolite of DMSO. I'll try to post the toxicity data on this compound after I can find some information I have at my office.
Re: Elbows
What kind of paddle are you using?
Is it the right length? Maybe consider it’s blade size and feather angle too. Is the paddle real heavy ?
Not to go against any doctor’s ( non paddler or paddler ) advice and I agree with them about the friction part… to a point.
IMO a slightly SMALLER shaft will feel better and relieve some stress better than going larger. If the blades themselves are nice and smooth , there is less need to grip the shaft. A slightly ******smaller shaft will let your fingers get around it a little more. Easier to hang on to with less squeezing or over gripping.
Imaging hanging from a chin up bar. Increase it’s diameter 30 % and your gonna have to focus more on your grip to stay on.
Try some other paddles if you can and hope you feel o.k. *****
dunno if this was for me but, I use a MOHAwk doubleblade canoe paddle that is way heavy and i guess about 9 or 10 feet long with what i feel are somewhat large blades… thinking of thyin to make a traditional inuit style doubleB paddle… thinkin that the short, fast, low resistance strokes will take the stress’s off of the joints and tendons??
MSM
There seems to be numerous drugs on the market, develpoed by chemists, that are later determined to have negative effects over time.
The MSM is not a drug and can be found in the vitamin section from many stores.
I am not a chemist nor in the medical field; just a 57 yr. old guy who got fed up with the constant daily pain for two years. I was only sharing my personal experience with tendonitis.
MSM
Sorry Abstract my comments were not directed at you. I appologize if I offended you, lots of people take supplements with collagen extracts and feel like they are doing better, this may be real and may be a placebo effect, and probably harmless unless you are the unfortunate shark used for the extract but my issue is with suggesting people take the chemical MSM which at best is not effective and very likely has toxic effects (not to mention making you smell like garlic farts).
Any substance taken with the intent of altering biolgical function is a drug. MSM is a drug, but it is not an approved drug for sale with claims of curative effects by our Federal Government. Unlike drugs that are tested under exrtensive FDA laws used and later found to be unsafe as you mention after extensive safety testing and use in humans, MSM is already known to be useless and not safe; just because something is found in a natural source does not make it safe. Cyanide, strychnine, and other common poisons are naturally occuring substances. Health food stores get away with selling hundreds of products that are very unsafe thanks to powrful Senators such as Orin Hatch, who own stock in nutraceutical companies. Check into the deaths and brain damage caused by tryptophan amino acid suplements in the 80s or recent sale of androsteroid precursors to minors that have led to suicides and ruined lives. I'm not a fan of big Pharma business practices and rush to get drugs on the market, but I think people need to be aware about scams from the health food industry that are just as harmful. Sorry for the rant.
MSM
I actually felt that all the other things I tried, before the MSM, were just bandaides to the problem; just giving temporary relief. As I said it worked for me and my metabolism. Perhaps in 10 years it’ll turn me into a toad, but for now, as a consumer with limited choices, I value it. My wife hasn’t mentioned the “garlic farts” issue. (safe for now)
I appreciate your passion for your chosen field, but unfortunately it is one that the bottom line and politics, create many obstacles to what you aspire and believe in.
Merry Xmas
elbow
thanks very much for the specifics. i got the band and adjusted it a bit after reading your post. is it advisable to wear it for working at the computer as well?
elbow
steve - thanks. a question - are there any devices that one can attach to the paddle shaft to increase the diameter and that stay fixed?
elbow
i was wondering what kinds of exercises are good to strengthen the muscles around it? my physical therapist didn’t suggest any.
elbow
boy howdy! it makes a huge difference to stretch and warm up. what stretches specifically do you use for the elbow?
elbow
i use an AT bent crank composite. i think it’s 31 cm and angled at around 60 degrees. it’s nice and light and i’ve tried to get the narrowest blades. i’ve been told that the bent crank is good. i like the paddle a lot
When to wear the elbow band?
I wore it pretty much all the time… at the computer, walking, driving, certainly paddling, even sleeping. I removed it only for a couple of hours at a time to rest the skin, which tended to get itchy and prickly under the band (and the piece of cotton ace bandage that I put under it to avoid a serious allergic reaction to the synthetic band itself).
The idea is, I think, to stop the irritation of the tendon across the elbow bone, so it has a chance to heal naturally. Without that, you are continually re-irritating the tendon, and it never gets a chance to heal.
I’m happy to say that 6-8 weeks of that regimen pretty much cleared up my tendonitis, or at least go it to the point where it continues to heal on its own, and I don’t have to wear the band anymore. Before that, it was getting worse every day.
Good luck with yours – if it relieves the pain, stick with it and it will do its thing eventually.
–David
Glucosamine / Chondroitin – for Osteo!
Glucosamine / chondroitin is for osteoarthritis (osteo), which is a degenerative condition of the joints. The cartilage pads in the joint becomes thin and worn, perhaps dry, so that motion in the joint irritates the cartilage and maybe the underlying bone, resulting in pain and inflamation. At its worst, osteo can cause the joint ball to move painfully out of the center of the socket, resulting in even more damage to the cartilage. My shoulder osteo resulted from a bicycling injury, but I believe it can arise from repetitive use or for other reasons.
G/C seems to thicken, tone up and/or reinvigorate the pads in some way, so that they do their lubricating and protecting job better again. Nobody knows yet exactly what the G/C does to the cartilage or why, though scientists are trying to find out. But it does work -- there are many studies -- and even most medical doctors accept that fact (finally!)
Note that this (glucosamine, chondroitin, cartilage, joint pads, etc) has absolutely nothing to do with tendons or tendonitis. Nothing. Zero. Nichts. Zilch. Nada. Bupkis.
Tendons are the bands at the ends of muscles that connect the muscle to the bone. Every muscle is really a tendon-muscle-tendon band. Tendons and cartilage perform entirely different functions and are made out of entirely different material. There is no known effect of G/C on tendons or tendonitis. In fact, I take G/C regularly, and that did not stop me from getting tendonitis in the elbow.
BTW, the G/C has cleared up osteo in my shoulder quite nicely over the years (G/C takes some 4-6 months to start having an effect, and then you basically have to take it forever.)
As for MSM, I know little, except that no reputable studies have confirmed any beneficial effects on joint pain. If it works for you, Mazel Tov!
--David.
Bent shaft?
I was wondering when the “bent shaft cure” would raise its controversial head..
Since it has; I will cast one vote for it...
All I know is that it has cured tendonitis in both my arms and I am a permanent convert.
It might be worth a try if all else fails... GH
help
Try a narrower blade and then lead with your left shoulder and straighten your left arm at the last instant. Also start the stroke by pushing off with the foot. Have you seen Brent Reitz video?
Tendonitis ? caused by Paddling
I had the same problem diagnosed, sore and painfull I also paddle every week. Paid the Phiso a visit who asked what do I do… (I paddle heaps?) silly question… then tells me that due to the amount of time I spend on the Computer keyboard (6 hours a day) he thinks that this was causing the problem!! there is hope yet… He was right! I corrected my posture and hand position, within two weeks the pain receeded. I still paddle 25+ km each weekend and no problem now for 8 months.
Another Preventative Suggestion
Part of my therapy (in addition to Naproxin and wearing the arm band) was to carry a handball around and squeeze it in the palm of my hand during the day.
It may sound silly but it worked!!!
mikepaddle
Things to avoid
When exiting with the blade, try & make sure that you don’t flip up with the wrist, but lift with the shoulder. I’m sure that your trying to rotate & keep a straight low arm. Be careful not to lock the arm on the entry. This can be hard on both elbows & shoulders.
Although I may be “old, bent & devilspent”, after 20+ years of paddling racing kayaks, I had never experienced any tendon problems until last summer. This was the result of squeezing a rubber gripper while driving to a race! Weed whacking & leaf blowing didn’t help either. Good luck.
Shaft size and shape
I tend to agree with ATFreightrain that a smaller shaft allows a more secure grip on the shaft. And Greyaks comment about the AT bent shaft echos my personal experience. Coinkadentally, the AT has a smaller, well-ovaled shaft, smaller blades (std model) and a subtle crank. That said, last season I was using a Greenland paddle 75% of the time, and I experienced some twinges in my forearms. Your milage may vary.
Jim