loss of leg feeling.....

i recently bought a new necky lookshah sport



since the purchase, which was at the end of june, i’ve done around 25-30 hours of paddling on rivers, lakes, costal areas, and bays through out southern new england



i’m 6’0, 180lbs, twenty years old, with no chronic health problems



the seat on my boat is a removable piece of nylon covered foam, appropriately shaped for one’s behind.





when out on the water i usually sit completely upright with my thighs comfortably braced, and the foot pegs adjusted so the rest of my legs are well supported.



about 1/2 hour into the trip my feet will gradually lose feeling… as if they’ve ‘fallen asleep’



what can i do to remedy this?

100% sure fire cure for problem …
Get a canoe!!!



;^)



Happy Paddl’n!


:^)



Mick

that is…
only mildly humorous, and totally unhelpful.



thanks

hips
How is the hip support? Too much pressure on the hips can pinch nerves and cause problems such as what you described. Also, make sure that you feet are not not pointing either down or up too severely



Any of this ring a bell?



Avi

Leg discomfort
These are some of the things I do to remedy leg numbness and sciatica:

I stretch WELL before getting in boat, particularly hamstrings, lower back, achilles tendons.



If I forget to stretch, I have a hard time making it to an hour and a half, when I scream, STRETCH TIME and make everybody stop for me, and THEN I stretch.



I adjust the seat up or down; pad it or remove the pad; adjust the foot angle up or down (yak pads or a Crazy Creek chair under the heels); support the thighs just forward of my seat; adjust the back support up, down, more or less lumbar pressure.



If the sea state isn’t crazy, bring your knees up, or bring ONE up, then switch.



Everybody I know in kayaking has some sort of back/leg issue … there’s a fine point of angle and pressure for each person … you just need to wiggle around, adjust every surface, and find it.



If I am a passive, floating paddler (when I take newbies along), leg issues are worse. When I am active, stroking, leaning and working it, it’s always better. You can do laps around your newbies … don’t leave them.



ALSO – I found it to be like horseback riding. Your body stretches or forms calluses in the appropriate places, and the activity no longer makes you sore.



ALSO – by all means, combat pain early – by wiggling, demanding a stop for stretching, adding padding – and taking whatever pain-relief medication works for you – because pain will subtract HOURS off of the end of your day if you don’t take care of it.

Happy paddling!


Try
supporting underneath your thighs forward of the seat with something like an inflatable paddle float. I have this problem as well in my sea kayak, and attribute it to a short seat pan and the ‘splayed leg’ posture that one is forced into to fit under the thigh braces. On longer paddles, I pop my legs out from under the braces and paddle it for periods like my surf ski, knees as close up and together as I can. This, plus adopting the ‘ants in the pants’ syndrome of squirming around helps as well. Try the float first, and experiment with varying degrees of inflation for more/less support. This should distribute the pressure more.

thanks to those who
provided serious answers…



my hips are not pinched in the least, i’m actually thinking of adding some risers to snug the fit up a bit





i will try adding some padding infront of the seat… that sounds like a terribly good idea

Seal line makes a thigh support cushion
designed for your problem. It is a self-inflating contoured waterproof nylon covered pillow (made like a thermarest) that you inflate or deflate according to what you need. Because the shape is contoured to fit your thighs, it is very comfortable. When I purchased it for $40 I thought I’d gone nuts but it turned out to be money well spent. It also floats. Obviously, I don’t need it in my canoe, but it was invaluable in my Bell Rob Roy. This spring, during a whitewater class, a friend was having a great deal of discomfort in his whitewater kayak, so I loaned it to him ( I was taking the class in a canoe and didn’t need it). He liked it so well, that he won’t give it back! He says it “saved his life.” I think he’s exaggerating a bit. LOL.



Previously I had used a rolled up towel as suggested by someone else, and that helped some, but it wasn’t as comfortable, especially once it got wet.



River Goddess

McWood’s comment was very serious.
I love kayaks, but now own 3 canoes because nothing I did in the kayak solved the problem. How do you get rid of numbness, pain , and other symptoms of something isn’t right? Quit doing the something.

Try pumping your legs…
when you paddle. Like the whole “proper forward-stroke” thing. My feet went numb at first too. That seemed to help. Also padding under my heels.

Change the seat?

That dang numbness
I’m on my third seat in my QCC. I tore the factory seat out because my legs and feet went to sleep. Bought a form fitting closed cell seat, my legs and feet went to sleep. Tore the hip support out because my legs and feet went to sleep…ruined the seat and thru it away. Now I seat on a one inch sheet of closed cell padding and you know what, my legs and feet go to sleep. My legs and feet only mildly fall asleep on my surfski. Now if I could just figure out how to get my drinks, food, chair, Kelty Shelter, extra water and other paddling gear I use on long day paddles into my ski…but I guess that is another question for another day. My Looksha 3 had a chair seat in it and my legs never went to sleep. I’ve tried buying the chair seat from Necky but they don’t make it any more. I’ve also spent a lot of time in my buddies Cape Horn, which also has a chair. My legs didn’t go to sleep in that chair either. WS doesn’t make that chair any more and they won’t sell their seats independently anyway. I think if the could find a chair type seat I’d be ok, but I can’t find one to buy. You might want to look into that as well. Good luck. Franklin

Independant seat sellers…
http://eteamz.active.com/paddleshop/news/index.cfm?cat=204584



Please scroll way down.



Thank you.

Move the footpegs down
so there’s less pressure on your feet, but not so far that you have to lift your knee/thigh to put pressure on the bracing. Should be able to extend your leg fully with your foot on the footpeg.

Anything over 2 hours
without a break, and it’s gonna happen with me. It’s gotten better, worked on all the adjustments. Also, every now and then put your hands on the side of the cockpit and lift your butt off the seat every now and then. It definitely helps the circulation.

www.kayakfit.com
make yourself a new seat,putting more cushion forward of the seat under the thighs isn’t the way to go if the seat doesn’t provide adequate support to begin with.

numbness
Moving the foot pegs further away solved this problem for me.

I had the same problem
in my pintail, which has a ocean cockpit. I found that really stretching my hamstrings immeditaly before paddling would delay the onset of the numbness. I do not have the same problem in my Nordkapp b/c there is a bit more leg room and the front bulkhead is a bit further away. But, if you stretch you hamstrings and lower back religiously, every day, the probelm could go away. You should check to make sure the seat is not to short and putting pressure on the back of your legs, which also causes numbness.

You’ve lost your legs feeling
You never can keep up any more

When I take you on trips

And there’s no tenderness in your stroke like before

In your sleeping fingertips

You’re trying hard not to show it baby

But baby, baby I know it



You’ve lost your legs feeling

Oh, that leg feeling

You’ve lost your legs feeling

Now it’s gone, gone, gone

Whoa-oh



Now there’s no sparkle

In your eyes when I reach for you

And girl you’re starting to capsize

Every little thing you do

It makes me just feel like crying baby

'Cause baby, something beautiful’s dying



You’ve lost your legs feeling

Oh that leg feeling

Bring back your legs feeling

Now it’s gone gone gone

And I can’t go on

No-oh-oh



Baby baby I get down on my knees for you

If you would only keep up with me like you used to do

We had a love

A love a love you don’t find every day

So don’t…don’t…don’t let it slip to far behind



Bring back your legs feeling

Oh, that leg feeling

Bring back those legs feeling

Now it’s gone…gone…gone…

And I can’t go on…

No-oh-oh…


If…
…you’re not a song writer in “real life”, you’ve missed your calling! BIG ROFL!