# "Tennis" Elbow from Kayaking - ADVICE??



## scannon (May 2, 2006)

Bent-shaft worked for me..


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## CUkayakGirl (Mar 31, 2005)

I feel your pain! 

I get that at the beginning of every season. It sucks! I have paddled a straight and bent shaft and still had the same problem. The problem goes away in about 3 or 4 weeks though after my muscles strengthen. 

I also paddle two Jackson boats and that does not solve the problem either. That is funny that he says that though.

My advice is to paddle until it hurts and then give it a few days off. And then over time you should be able to paddle more and more. Hot tub, Ice and lots and lots of massages help too!


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## ZGjethro (Apr 10, 2008)

The only time I had paddling tendonitis was it the days of 80 degree offset paddles. Back then the cure was 45 degree offset. I've heard bent shafts help alot. Whenever I get tendonitis with any sport, the unfortunate cure is a change of season and starting the next sport. Resting the area is the best cure but it is almost impossible to do.


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## doublet (May 21, 2004)

I get it with a bent shaft, but only after 5+ days of paddling every day. Doing lots of push-ups when not boating seems to help. Also, look into a softer paddle like an AT2 flexi.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

bent-shaft with low degree offset. the all advil, all the time will eat your stomach.


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

I got pretty bad tennis elbow this year training for the FIBArk race. I found that I was over gripping the shaft of my wing paddle. Try to relax your control hand between strokes.


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## Kimy (Jul 1, 2005)

Mike Harvey said:


> I got pretty bad tennis elbow this year training for the FIBArk race. I found that I was over gripping the shaft of my wing paddle. Try to relax your control hand between strokes.


Thanks Mike, I read your pulizter-winning Fibark article in the Spray and emailed you separately. Question, since it really got it bad at Fibark, what did you do immediately after. Did you stop paddling for a while or just try and 'relax' your way through it. I've got about 6 days off now, but am headed for 5 days of paddling next week....am trying to settle it down by then. Did you find keyboarding made it worse?? (I better shut up.<gg>)
KJ


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## adm (Oct 20, 2003)

I've had this problem in both arms for several years, and as I'm sure you know it's no fun, mine got so bad i could hardly lift a beer one time.
here's is what I do and seems to have worked- massage, big time, right where it hurts the most, rub the hell out of it, every day. Also, get a tennis elbow strap from the pharmacy, the one that wraps around your forearm. this seems to stabalize the muscles for less pain! I allways wear it when paddling and seems to help quit a lot.
hope this helps, my problem seems to have mostly gone away-for now!


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## bwilkins (Jan 2, 2006)

Kimy said:


> Hey you beat-up buzzards, anybody have advice for elbow pain from kayaking? Pain is the top-of-the-elbow variety, near the forearm muscles/tendons and the elbow.
> What works? Braces, drugs, shift to bent-shaft etc. Any and all one-week cures appreciated.
> 
> Anybody tried EJ's "all-advil all the time" cure for tendinitis. (See Jackson kayak site, and curiously my pain is coincident with getting my new boat. $*#&@##)
> ...


It's been months since I read EJ's post, but I think I basically agree. Ibuprofen 3x a day is the best thing that I have found. Depending on how I'm stressing my liver I take only the bottle recommended 1.2 g per day (6 pills), or 1.8 g (9 pills). I also ice as often as I can. The physical therapist had me doing elbows tight to the sides push ups.

I still have pain fairly often, but that's not going to keep my off of the water, and I'm not trying to ruin my liver...


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

The Werner bent-shaft fixed it for me....Haven't had the pain since I switched several years ago.
Joe


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## mthurman (Jan 19, 2004)

*forearm straps*

Over trained many years ago with a graphite wing blade paddle and wrecked my elbows. Ignoring it over the years made it worse and finally my work (I'm a builder) made it so bad I struggled to turn a screwdriver.

Did PT, learned to do simple forearm stretches and after trying different straps settled on the black neoprene. Simple straps were fine, but accidently found these about 4 months ago at a tennis shop and they have worked much better for me.

BandIT Tennis Elbow Strap

Just finished up a project where we hauled 250 cubic yards of dirt out of a basement using 5 gallon buckets. Hard on your elbows and these straps did the trick. A little bulky with the plastic, but they work great. They do make you look dorky but that doesn't matter to me.

Good luck,
Mike


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

Kimy said:


> Thanks Mike, I read your pulizter-winning Fibark article in the Spray and emailed you separately. Question, since it really got it bad at Fibark, what did you do immediately after. Did you stop paddling for a while or just try and 'relax' your way through it. I've got about 6 days off now, but am headed for 5 days of paddling next week....am trying to settle it down by then. Did you find keyboarding made it worse?? (I better shut up.<gg>)
> KJ


I wish I had an answer. I did start paddling less but the main thing that seemed to help was adjusting my grip. I was over-gripping the wing paddle badly, so I started releasing the fingers on my right hand every time I took a left stroke. The fact is it did not really go away until I stopped paddling my DR boat so much, so I think time off is probably best. That said, take Advil and go paddling next week. Paddle now, heal later.


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## wreckoftheairefitzgerald (Jul 11, 2008)

If you take enough Ibuprofen eventually your stomach will hurt so much you will forget all about the elbow.


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## rogerL1961 (Aug 2, 2008)

I got rid of mine by doing these three things. 

first someone already posted on this...relax between strokes. Not always possible on big water..

Second......stetch your fingers backwards.....Its all connected all the way up to your elbow.....

third find a cold bar...like a pipe and lean against it and put pressure directly over the painful area. It doesn't have to be a bar but a bar works the best and the colder it is the better..

I know this sounds funky but try it......

a cold bar will work on your calves also. How the heck did I learn this? Well for about 2 months straight I had a knot in my calf...I tried everything. One day I went to the movies and there was the bar railing in front of me and it was cold inside the movie theater...I leaned my calf up on the bar and when the movie was over the pain was completely gone. I had full mobility again. Since then I have done this on any of my aches and pains......Kayaking is great for giving you a workout like no other.


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## leesonka (May 29, 2008)

instead of advil try homeopathic traumeel or arnica, easier on the stomach.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

As others have said, if you haven't tried a bent shaft, I would get one. I've found them to make an enormous difference in stress on the joints.


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

*Anyone heard of exercising?*



Kimy said:


> Hey you beat-up buzzards, anybody have advice for elbow pain from kayaking?


Well, as everybody seems to say bent-shaft over and over like a broken record, I'll chime in with some very unpopular advise: First, take a break, then exercise and lift weights. Most cases of Tennis elbow are the result of overuse on muscles that are, for lack of a better description, flabby and unused. Prep-ing for the season with lifting and regular arm exercise (swimming is excellent) will go a long way. Also, stretching after paddling is key. For your ailment, first extend your arm straight out, then grab your hand and rotate your hand/arm gently to the inside (clockwise for left arm and so forth). This should stretch those muscles. If that's not clear (and I'm sure it's not) then look up stretches online.

Tennis Elbow Exercise

The stretch is the same motion as the Forearm Pronation / Supination listed in the above site, but you want to keep rotating so your thumb points down.

As a disclaimer to lessen then chances that I'll get sued for this advise... I advise no one to ever take my advise (the English language is so fun)!


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## CGM (Jun 18, 2004)

DON'T go buy a bent shaft. It will not get rid of the problem. I have had tendonitis with both straight and bent shaft paddles. I've had it in both arms (at different times) with both straight and bent shafts. I am pretty sure the cause of mine has been the use of a stiff paddle, and maybe some overgripping. I've found the best method for dealing with the ailment is prevention through working opposing muscles (pushups, various forearm excercises, climbing, etc). The only time I've had the tendonitis pop up since adopting this has been after paddling 20+ days straight (which is unfortunately rare these days). And the only cure that I know of is rest. Although vitimin A before and after boating along with icing seems to help alot. But aside from repeating what everyone else has already said, my point is getting a bent shaft, from my experience will not alleviate the problem.


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## roman (Aug 21, 2007)

*tendonitis*

Besides switching to a bent shaft, what really works for me is a devise called a power ball. it's like a gyroscope inside of a plastic ball. It costs about $25- I got mine at a chiropractor's office. Only use it for 2 minutes per hand twice a day. Good luck!


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Perhaps clarification is required. I never implied, and I doubt others intended to imply that buying a bent shaft will alleviate all your problems. Many of the above suggestions are great ideas and it probably would be a good idea to see an orthopedist and/or physical therapist if you're having persistent pain. However, if you have not tried it, I do believe the bent shaft is much more ergonomical and if you are having joint problems due to the motion of paddling, then it only makes sense to me to take advantage of the advances in equipment ergonomics, in addition to other therapy. This is not a choose one and only one proposition.


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## DenverDave (Nov 20, 2006)

All of my suggested remedies have already been listed.... Advil, not gripping so tightly, bent shaft, stretching, etc. I have only had mild bouts with elbow problems from kayaking, so I'm far from an expert.

BUT... I once got what my buddies called "Rocker's Elbow" after the Robert Plant/Jimmy Page reunion concert in New Orleans back in college. ('93 ish) Anyone suffering from this should try ice, advil, and beer. haha

David


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