I wonder how younger paddlers feel about this discussion.
I hope that it is encouraging and keeps them going.
Suicidal.
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Any here? 
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Not anymore. Figured they dont want to end up all crippled. Switched to bicycles.
If they donāt want to end up crippled they picked the wrong option. Iāve biked all my life and paddling is definitely easier on the bod, especially when you mess up.
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How would paddling cripple anyone?
I know. I switched from bicycling to kayaking. I did a few trip last year, but found out the seat I used for years was far too hard. I had a nice Vetta gel but one of the seat rails broke. The Specialized seat didnāt have gel, but it only took a few trips to get accustomed to it. Couldnāt do it this time. Felt like sitting on a contoured two by four that somebody kept wacking with a bat.
Depends on the type of paddling. I can only imagine the number of paddlers who have been injured in Class 3 or above, doing huge drops over waterfalls and similar testosterone driven fun things.
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I ride my bike everyday, and because of my shoulder I canāt paddle. Although, both sports and what wear and tear they create are a little dependent on the type of paddling or biking you do.
I can manage the left shoulde, because the arm is stationary and Iām balanced between pedals, seat and grips. I run a high cadence so not much strain on the knees. Need a new saddle. I liked the Vetta. When it broke, nobody was carrying gel seats. I got the Specialized and never liked it, but I got use to it after about the first five trips of the new season.
I looked at a replacement last year when I resurrected my bike (reading the forum got me doing that as well), but they cost 150 bucks now. Didnāt shop for one this year, but Iāll go for it before next season. Its only money. My big problem is swinging my leg over the top tube and remounting once Iām worn out on the return trip.
Something that you might try if youāre willing to lay your bike down. When your bike is on itās side, the off-side usually not the drive-side but would work either way, the peddle will be at the bottom of itās circle. You can stand near the seat and put your foot on the peddle. Then just grab the side of the handlebar thatās in the air and stand the bike up. Youāll already be in position.
I started a bike mounted rapid response team years ago and this was one of the quickest ways to mount when your bike isnāt standing up, which was often the case for the environment we worked in.
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Excellent suggestion. I actually do that. Its the only way I can manage to mount it these days. My real problem comes to balancing with the foot in the toe clip at high crank and getting rolling with half a turn as I toe the other side side and slip. If the pedal rocks too much and I miss, I go over like the guy riding the tricycle on Laugh In. I only have the problem when Iām remounting after a climb. I ride like I paddle - used up when I finish. I know, speed isnt everything, but the faster you go, the more you see, and the further you go. Need to be careful. Somebody might report us to the authorities as a danger to ourselves. To dumb to know when to quit: act your age.
To the casual obsetver, it may sound odd to hesr us wax on about malladies. Once I came across a guy on the trail riding a recumbent. He had just retrieved his wheel chair from the bushes. He told me he was towing it and it came loose. I wouldnāt believe it, but there it was. He was good. Another time. I passed a guy with one leg and that foot was in a toe clip.
Iām not a spring chicken, but I donāt have any of those complications. I can manage somehow. Get me a new saddle and thatās all she wrote. Slap tbe ground when I fall to break the impact.
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I know lots of class 3+ paddlers, and Iād say injuries are less than most other sports - mostly shoulder injuries due to poor paddling form. Whitewater paddling is actually relatively low impact - the whole point is to avoid hazards, not crash into them. (Running waterfalls is something entirely different.) I hear of more injuries involving my biking friends than my paddling friends - road bikers spinning out in sand or mountain bikers falling off during jumps. Of course all this assumes you are paddling at your skill level.
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Not the average paddling scenario by far for people concerned with injuries. 
There I was upon a ledge,
the bow stem stuck a rock.
There I was upon an edge,
iced bilgewater filled in shock.
There I had been taking stand,
now dancing helmetless watusi.
Buy-bipoler in wet-exit knocks,
me into state of Gary Busey.
Needless to say, such nightmarish a visage has me swappinā out the Tilley for belfry bucket more often now with my wobbly dotage stands at attainment. I mean, Gary Busey at the old folks home???! āLions! Tigers! Oh my!ā
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I never thought of that, but it makes sense. I definitely fell more biking, from chain popping off, slow speeds, once at 20 mph, people or dogs jumping in my path, missing a line, face planted crossing a log.
The worst thing that has happened in kayaking is the kayak slipping while loading on the ladder rack. Iāve never flipped a kayak. The few times I overturned in a canoe was in class three, and the water channeled me through the channel like a cork.
The key is staying in you skill zone. Actually, all the injuries paddlers talk about arenāt from paddling. Most of us are talking about wear and tear from living and aging. Its more about adapting, despite current issues. My back issues havenāt recurred since 1997, the knees on affect carrying the boat, and paddling technique has minimized shoulder damage that happened from improperly lifting stones. Its amazing that so many members are actually here adapting. Its worth it.
I find that once I load the truck, thereās no turning back. The biggest hurdle is deciding whether to pack.
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Gary was on a motorcycle without a helmet and probably going faster . . . maybe?
When I think about it, Iām not sure I wouldāve gotten back into kayaking, if not for the forum. The primary reason is the pictures and reading the stories, which reminded me of the enjoyment. It also helped me adapt and improve my paddling technique.
Most of all, it linked me to other paddlers who approach kayaking at the same level. Thatās important, because I prefer solo paddling, and itās hard to find others who share the same level of enthusiasm. Itās satisfying to exchange notes, then look forward to trying them out and comparing progress. I attribute such exchanges with being able to recover and progress as rapidly as I have.
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Everyone following this thread apparently remembers the guy falling off the trike on Laugh In. Verrry interesting! (with apologies to Arte Johnson).
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Oh, nothing funny when it happens to you. Fortunately, nobody around to see it, because I learned to look around before climbing back on the bike. Doesnāt prevent falling, but sure is a salve for the ego. Also avoided the other funny reference of the person jumping up and saying, āDidnāt hurt, Iām ok, didnāt hurt!ā Must admit that the tricycle was a great skit, as long as itās somebody else.