# Wrist surgery



## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

Well it sounds like your buddy the surgeon is probably the expert. I bet he could give you the most accurate boating prognosis once your completely healed. I'd say take it one day at a time. Rehab, rehab, rehab. Boating is a long way off. . . 



mrkyak said:


> Any kayakers out there that have had a proximal row carpectomy. Mime was completed a week ago on the right wrist. After many years of arthritic pain my surgeon buddy, also a world class kayaker, says it was the best alternative. I wondering how future boating will be, if at all?
> The procedure removes three bones from your wrist. Maybe hand paddles will be easier with out having to deal with rotating a paddle shaft.
> After 21years of boating I don't think I could rewire my brain to adapt to a zero degree offset paddle. Not to mention the bowling alley at my house probably won't be getting much use by me for awhile, woo is me.


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## wasatchbill (Apr 9, 2007)

You can rewire to a 0 degree paddle, it thats what you need. Good luck with the rehab!
Your situation is certainly unique, but fwiw I like the AT bent shaft ergonomics; I have some wrist issues, but not while paddling. Rock climbing is tougher. 
Chiropractors have helped me tremendously after the surgeons were done... Especially lower-force (not "old-school") chiros who use applied kinesiology.


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## Duckins (Nov 7, 2008)

Tough question. Can't say I know any paddlers who have had a PRC done. But, it's generally considered a good option for SLAC wrist in people that want to continue strenuous activities. I think you will be able to paddle by next season pain-free. 

I'd recommend not moving too quickly on rehab. It's best to stick with the recommended immobilization (let it get stiff first) and then work on range of motion later. When it comes time to get the wrist moving you would be much better off with a PT or CHT (hand therapist) than a chiropractor. Consider changing grips, it can make a big difference.


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## brenda (Aug 10, 2008)

Good luck on your recovery. Keep us posted. I also have carpal tunnel and osteo in both wrists. I saw a surgeon a year ago and they suggested surgery on my right wrist as it is worse. I am holding off as long as possible (hope this is not a mistake.) I sleep with braces and it seems to eliviate the pain while holding the wrists is an ergonomic position.
Unlike wasatchbill, paddling hurts me more than climbing. Before you get a 0 deg. paddle, try a 12 or 15. There will actually be less wrist action than a 0. because just turning the shoulders turns the blade between 12-15 deg without moving the wrists. That's what I use now and bent is an absolute must...well for me anyways.
Get well soon.


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## WyoPadlr1 (May 5, 2005)

mrkyak said:


> Any kayakers out there that have had a proximal row carpectomy. Mime was completed a week ago on the right wrist. After many years of arthritic pain my surgeon buddy, also a world class kayaker, says it was the best alternative. I wondering how future boating will be, if at all?
> The procedure removes three bones from your wrist. Maybe hand paddles will be easier with out having to deal with rotating a paddle shaft.
> After 21years of boating I don't think I could rewire my brain to adapt to a zero degree offset paddle. Not to mention the bowling alley at my house probably won't be getting much use by me for awhile, woo is me.


Wow. The "PRC" is a pretty substantial alteration. I broke my scaphoid and had some osteoarthritis in the adjacent joints; one doc wanted to do the PRC on me, no thanks; so another doc did an STT-fusion on my left wrist instead. Went back to paddling no problem pretty quickly, but I definitely only like AT and Werner bent-shafts with 30deg or less feather now. Using my straight-shaft 45deg feather breakdown drives me crazy, so I try really hard not to lose or break my paddle anymore.......yeah, lmao. 

With that said, a carpenter friend of mine had the PRC done to both wrists, six months apart. He is permanently unable to return to carpentry (impacts & vibration of power tools kills him), but he can paddle an IK and row a lightly loaded raft (even reasonable loads on multi-day trips). Another guy I talked to that had the PRC done to both wrists (motorcycle wrecks, bone spurs, arthritis) says it was the best thing he ever did (at 63yrs of age, tho). He says he can do 2-3 minute full handstands in yoga, still rides a dirtbike, and he is one of the more prominent stand-up paddleboard fanatics here on the Snake. He might not be a Class V kayaker, but he is still getting after it in a lot of other ways. He said getting back to yoga was key, as well as just being religious about the flexibility/strength rehab. I would say it will take time, and work, but you ought to be able to return to paddling pretty hard. 
Good luck.


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