From time to time, particularly on long paddles, I get a searing pain in my lower neck in the top of the trapezius muscle. It’s off to one side (left) and 1-1/2 to 2" away from my spine, so it’s not a disc. I suspect tendonitis because it only hurts when I pull on the paddle. Do you guys have exercises or posture solutions to this sort of pain? Do you get this pain yourselves?
No.
What are you paddling? Kayak or canoe?
SOT Kayak; 12’ with 240cm Aquabound Manta-Ray. I’m 5-10 and 200#
I’ve had tight traps but never as a result of paddling my SINK, When that happens I’ll do some of the exercises/stretches listed here: https://www.active.com/fitness/articles/4-ways-to-loosen-tight-trapezius-muscles.
If it happens only while you’re paddling, it could be related to bad technique or posture. If you experience the pain off the water, you really should have it checked out by a medic.
Are you using your core when you paddle? While this video was taken using a SINK, good technique applies to SOTs as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lef_ut8n0ms
Awesome link from Rookie.
I used to get very tight in that area when I was paddling hard every day, it felt like I had golf balls inside the top of my shoulders.
My issue was completely resolved with massage therapy and it never came back.
The link from Rookie also includes the tennis ball technique for trying to get your tight muscles to release. That is a good technique however I still suggest that you try a one hour massage since a pro can really work you over and help you out.
A minor additional comment is to make sure you’re dressed warm enough so your body isn’t tensed up from being cold.
Please let us know if the info from Rookie helps you!
- I damaged my left shoulder years ago and the Doc says take a painkiller. I find that when I exercise it gently I have less pain.
- I think a 240 is too long but without seeing you in the boat, it’s hard to tell. That is a huge lever sticking out there and your shoulder is absorbing the stress.
Rookie; Great link! I’ll have to dive into it at length when I can scrutinize it. I’ve been doing some “office exercises” to relieve it when it gets annoying, but as you pointed out, I should see a Dr. It’s not only when I paddle. I’ve had other tendonitis (elbow, wrist, etc), but I attribute most of it to being over 50.
string; I paddled for a couple of years with a 210 and worked myself to death. The Manta Ray is both bigger, and longer and gets a much better bite than the Bending Branches Whisper LIte (the blade is probably only 80% as large as the Manta Ray). Remember, I’m on a SOT, so I’m higher than a SINK and I use a very vertical stroke, that ends up going deep. It works for me. I like a casual, drifting pace; I’m not out to win any races, just have a great day on the water and a long, deep stroke has always worked for me.
Thanks guys!
I have the same paddling style and paddle a Tarpon 160. I have switched from a wide blade (Onno full tour) to a Swift Wind paddle. It is much more gentle on the shoulder.
My next move is to get a lighter boat . l love the Tarpon, but it has a large wetted surface area with my 230 lbs on it.
On very long paddle trips, if you allow your head to slouch forward, so that it’s no longer balanced, you can get a sharp pain at the base of the neck after awhile that feels like you were stabbed with a knitting needle. The cure in this case is to adopt good posture (not only in paddling but in everyday life), as Rookie noted already. As you paddle longer distances it takes extreme diligence to prevent your posture and technique from falling apart. Once it does you can easily become injured (in addition to feeling miserable).
I regularly get sports massage, which helps, but the stretch that has helped my paddling the most, is the simple “static back” stretch (very powerful but deceptively simple), popularized by Pete Egoscue in “Pain Free”. http://www.sonima.com/fitness/static-back/. At the end of this stretch I add static back arm glides (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lIsKo34pFE).
I perform a number of the postures/stretches in Egoscue’s book daily, including shoulder shrugs and arm circles. As best I can tell it helps to promote proper movement in my scapula, that otherwise causes me to have shoulder/neck pain. I find that hanging from a pull-up bar helps as well. That said, everyone is different, with different issues, so you have to experiment with what works for you and seek out a good physio.
Greg
@gstamer
Thank you for the Egoscue link. Had never heard of a static back stretch. It felt wonderful, comfortable, and very different, Initially I thought it would be a great way to sleep until I got up after not quite ten minutes and the muscles in my back felt like I had done a workout. That’s crazy. Definitely need to spend more time at his site.
That was interesting - I’ll be adding the static back stretch to my routine.
Hope it works for you! Static back stretch is often prescribed to people with lower back pain. In my case it seems to help keep my neck and shoulder blades aligned, and shoulders “back” (from too much head-forward posture from sitting at a computer). Before I first started this, when I looked in a mirror, I stood with one shoulder slightly higher than another and my hips weren’t level either. This helped fix that, and my neck and shoulder pain (impingement) went away, but it takes awhile (months). I hold this for 10 - 15 minutes and on a hard floor.
There can be lots of causers of neck and back pain, especially as you get older. Bone spurs can cause the pain you are having. My friend had similar pain and it ended up being a tumor, so best to get it checked out. Physical therapy can help with the bone spurs if that is the cause. I was having a lot of neck, back shoulder and arm pain and switched off to stand up paddle surfing and my pain issues disappeared. Now I can go back and forth between waveskii/kayak and SUP with a lot less back pain when kayak surfing.
@gstamer said:
Hope it works for you! Static back stretch is often prescribed to people with lower back pain. In my case it seems to help keep my neck and shoulder blades aligned, and shoulders “back” (from too much head-forward posture from sitting at a computer). Before I first started this, when I looked in a mirror, I stood with one shoulder slightly higher than another and my hips weren’t level either. This helped fix that, and my neck and shoulder pain (impingement) went away, but it takes awhile (months). I hold this for 10 - 15 minutes and on a hard floor.
Are there any tricks to this based on your experience? Do you just need to be in the proper position or does the support under your calves also need to be high enough to take some weight off of your hips? Do you also make a point of keeping your lower back pushed down flat against the floor when you do the arm glides?
TomL,
A good link that addresses most of your questions is at https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-one-easy-move-to-relieve-low-back-pain. Please see the section under “What you Should Feel”:
Once your hips and knees are in the correct position, relax and breathe until the low back settles into the floor naturally. Don’t force the low back into the floor. By allowing the low back to naturally settle into the floor you’re allowing the muscles of your spine and hips to respond to gravity and your own bodyweight for a more lasting change.
If your low back isn’t arched off the floor to start, and it’s already flat from the get go, chances are your hips and shoulders are uneven in relationship to the floor. In your case, stay here until your hips and shoulders begin to feel more even against the floor. Just like with the low back, don’t try to force your body into a more even position, and don’t try to pull your shoulders back against the floor. Simply relax and let gravity go to work on your body.
This settling process may take five to ten minutes, or it make take even more time depending on how tight and off balance your body is to start with. You can stay in static back for up to a full hour at first to allow for the re-balancing process to take place.
Other good links are http://www.sonima.com/fitness/static-back/ and https://www.egoscue.com/webmenus/ECiseHTML/30.html.
The block needs to be at the right height, to allow a 90 degree bend in your knees.
It is important that you take care that you are straight and aligned. It might help to have someone take a look at your position when you start doing this to ensure what “feels straight” to you, is actually straight (sometimes it isn’t). I do the static back for 10 -15 minutes, and then add the arm glides. At first I could not keep my shoulder blades and arms flat for the arm glides, but after a few weeks it became possible, and now its easy and feels natural. Your lumbar curve will prevent your lower back from being perfectly flat, so I’d recommend that you don’t think about it and just relax – gravity will take care of the rest.
FYI, I’m not a doctor, and you should be skeptical of medical advise you get on the web (and from a doctor too for that matter). What heals one person may harm another.
Greg
Thank you very much for the additional coaching and link Greg. I’m already doing some core exercises regularly and I’ve been looking for a couple new things to try to help keep my shoulders loose.
@BelchFire said:
… I suspect tendonitis because it only hurts when I pull on the paddle. … Do you get this pain yourselves?
@BelchFire said:
SOT Kayak; 12’ with 240cm Aquabound Manta-Ray. I’m 5-10 and 200#
Boat is likely too short and paddle too long. I suspect you are pushing yourself too hard.
I get those pains too, but usually just off the dock. I take it easy and warm up with slower paddling. Plus ibuprophen before paddling.
Stay hydrated too. Too dry causes cramping.
Your forward stroke needs to be looked at. Likely you are trying to arms only muscle it without torso rotation or follow thru.
I hope somewhere in this thread, someone has said something about pulling on your paddle.Kayak paddles need to be pushed on the forward stroke, not pulled. Pulling will wreck your shoulders.
Been there, did that.