tendonitis question- paddling forearm issue

[Dwight (DW)]

I am currently out for 4 weeks due to tennis elbow.  The pain is located on the outside right elbow(golfer's elbow is the inside). No it is not from tennis but from the  constant gripping on the paddle. The doc recommended PT along with padded gloves you can purchase at a bike shop. I'll consider the gloves if I don't make me look like an idiot.

You should take what docs say with a grain of salt. Most have no understanding of the sports we are into.

Anyone with a long history of sports requiring the death grip on round tubes (kitesurfers and windsurfers) would never recommend doing ANYTHING that increases grip size. NO gloves, no foam grip, if it can be avoided. Smaller diameters mean less strain to wrap your hand around it and hold onto it.

I had it so bad I was crippled one morning. Couldn't lift my arm to shave. I thought I tore something. That was my first introduction to tennis and golfers elbow.

Many years later, pain free and still taking supplements everyday.

I never stopped what I loved though. I took the steroid shot and kept playing hard.

Screw waiting 4 weeks, if it were me 

[surfsup]

DW thanks for the advice.

[1paddle2paddle]

My two cents worth - you are probably pulling back with the lower hand too much or too hard.  This pulling motion strains the tendons way more than the pushing down with the top hand.  What others have suggested is appropriate - try not to pull too hard with the bottom hand, but to push more with the top hand (pushing forward almost like a punch).  The bottom hand is simply the pivot to transfer the energy from the top hand to the paddle blade.

For practice, I'd suggest try to keep your arms locked in what's known as the "power U" - imagine keeping your two hands and arms basically fixed, and attempt to stroke by mainly moving/rotating your torso.  This will look pretty funny and robotic but the idea is to use your back to paddle, rather than your arms.

Its easier to maintain good form in the canoe because the paddling is much more repetitive.  When surfing we paddle faster to try to catch the wave, etc.  Even with years of paddling I still pull too much with the bottom hand when SUP paddling, and my elbows tell me when I've done so.

[watermelonman]

SUP elbow IS tennis elbow.  Constant motion of the common extensor tendon with excessive strain or rotation about the joint can set up an inflammation and even a tear of some of the fibers.  Inflammation is a healing response and the pain that it produces is basically telling your body to stop the instigating behavior.  The old joke about the guy telling the doctor "hey Doc, it hurts when I do this" - "Well, don't do that", is more than just a joke. Constant irritation can precipitate a chronic inflammation process which is detrimental to the healing process and the warning pain that one first experiences becomes chronic pain.
So the treatment should be 1. stop doing that, i.e. REST 2. ice it after exercise - once it doesn't hurt anymore with your usual workout 3. NSAIDS like Ibuprofen if you can tolerate them, 4. physical therapy 5. evaluation of your paddling technique as stated before, and 6. sometimes the circular band that you see tennis players wearing just below the area of discomfort will mitigate the offending stress - this one is iffy but some people swear by it.  BTW , tennis elbow occurs twice as often in men than in women. Why? Women figure out the finesse way of doing things, rather than muscle through it.  So again this speaks for style, not strength.

[NCBA]

I think I'm gripping my shaft too firmly...and too often.

[watermelonman]

I think I'm gripping my shaft too firmly...and too often.

Try using the other hand.  Your shaft will thank you.

[Southbay]

This use to happen to me as well.  For me, I found that these two streches and simply being on the water more has eliminated the problem. 

1) Rotate the wrists first one direction and then the next about 10 times each.
2) Touch the pointer finger to the thumb and then the ring finger to the thumb about 20 times each.

That's it!

Southbay

[PonoBill]

I think I'm gripping my shaft too firmly...and too often.

I used to have that problem, but I forgot why I was doing it.

[bman90254]

If it is the top of your forearm, try this thing:  http://www.armaid.com/

I am not affiliated with the company in any way - I just found it when I was having tendonitis issues from playing drums (possibly overgripping too frequently  ) & nothing else would help, and it fixed me right up.  Plus, ice it at every possible opportunity - icing is a must to get over tendonitis quickly....

[JonathanC]

Pre SUP I had pretty severe tennis elbow for about a year, tried physiotherapists, sports medicine physicians,  massage, strong anti-inflammatories - nothing really worked. Finally someone put me onto a myotherapist, she did "dry needling" on my arm, that is finding trigger points, the really sore stiff points you can feel yourself and putting acupuncture needles into those points. Somehow the needle releases the trigger points - it is not acupuncture, more like a deep tissue massage but far more effective and less painful. Within three sessions pain was completely gone, myotherapists are college trained health professionals, it's not hocus-pocus and for me it worked like nothing else.

She also taught me a stretch which helped keep me out of trouble. Straighten your sore arm by your side, bend your wrist so that your fingers and palm are parallel to the floor and angle them laterally away form your body, then with the other hand pull your sore arm fingers up towards the sore arm shoulder. It seems counter-intuitive, like you should really be stretching your wrist the other way but it stretches right up into your neck, frequently the starting point for tennis elbow. I pretty much do that stretch whenever I think of it or even on the water if I feel and twinge in my neck or elbows.

Good luck with the problem, I know it can be a real downer - feels like one of those things you are going to have for life, I'm sure you can beat it though.  I've also changed to a Kialoa Methane from a Werner Spanker also shortened my stroke length and increased stroke rate, thankfully no problems at all with elbows any more.

[river]

Every case of tennis elbow I saw in kayakers was from "overgripping" the shaft.  Or holding on too tight.  Then to compound that bending at the lower elbow during powerphase of stroke also causes TE.  Keep the lower arm straight and only the poiner and middle finger (on lower hand) should be in contact with shaft the 4th and 5th digit should be relaxed during the stroke.  Think of making an "OK" symbol and just gripping the shaft using that.  And yes smaller diameter is way easier to grip so adding foam and/or gloves actually can make the problem worse.  I think much of the overgripping comes from lack of CLEAN HANDS.  If your hands have sunscreen or any kind of oils on them you will subcontiously start overgripping the paddle.  I always always scrub my hands with sand or dirty or anything handy to get all the olis and sunscreen off of them.  Some people find that surfboard wax can really help too.

[GMONEY]

Well this "Tennis elbow" thing has hit me hard the last two weeks. Last week I took off stayed off the board all week. then eased back in real slow and BAM I'm out again. From what I gather I am pulling with my bottom hand and not pushing with my top hand enough. Second the shaft on my 25.00 dollar paddle is way oversized. OK tmr morning I'll work on the stroke and then its time to really look for some clear Cherry wood..

G$

[MichaelF]

I had similar problems and found that switching from an all carbon C4 to a Werner Spanker made a big difference.  I still get some forearm pain after long sessions, so I am going to give the Werner Nitro a try next.

I thought that I was going to have to have elbow / shoulder surgery in '07 when I was using the C4.  I had pretty bad technique so I would not blame 100% the paddle but moving the Werner made a huge difference.  I also have a quicklbade and that also helped.  It was the more flex in the paddle that did it for me.

I still have the same issues when I have been out of hte H20 for an extended period of time and go really hard.     

One tip from rowing is on the grip of the oar.  WHen you first start rowing your really row with a tight grip, this causes tons of forearm issues. I even had carpel tunnel for a short period of time.  When I learned to relax the grip with the hand and instead of gripping with the full hand, loosen up the hand and have the paddle more toward the fingers than the palm.  I dont have the pictures of Laird paddling right now but I have seen that his lower had is loose and shaft held more in fingers than palm.

When I get the forearm pain, I loosen the tight grip on the bottom hand like rowing

[PonoBill]

Well this "Tennis elbow" thing has hit me hard the last two weeks. Last week I took off stayed off the board all week. then eased back in real slow and BAM I'm out again. From what I gather I am pulling with my bottom hand and not pushing with my top hand enough. Second the shaft on my 25.00 dollar paddle is way oversized. OK tmr morning I'll work on the stroke and then its time to really look for some clear Cherry wood..

G$

Try not pulling with your lower hand at all, and wiggle your fingers during the recovery. But if I had your problem I'd ditch that twenty buck torture device and get a Jimmy Lewis paddle ASAP. The Kanaha blade, not the Peahi. I suspect it would cure it instantly, even if you didn't like the paddle for awhile. I find the the JL to be hard to get used to, but my shoulders love them--no pain at all after using one for a full day.  I love my Quickblade and Kialoa paddles, but my shoulders aren't so fond of them.

My JL sits in the garage just like the Advil sits in my truck console--ready to deal with any deep muscle problem. I can foresee a day when it will be the only paddle I can use, just like my Superfreak sails. This getting old crap isn't for sissies.


Here's why it works, that isn't even a great deal of pressure, they flex like that under typical paddling

You'll probably have to write directly to Jimmy to buy one, I have never seen one in a surf shop. Incidentally, there are some very good surfers that swear by them also, mostly because of the way they launch you into a wave. I prefer the control of a stiff shaft, but I understand the attraction. I caught a heck of a lot of marginal waves playing with these odd paddles. This is an old article talking mostly about the peahi version, but it applies to the kenaha too, which I prefer and I suspect you would too.
http://www.kenalu.com/2008/12/27/jimmy-lewis-paddles-very-different/

[rkdjones]

The Bandit is the best brace I've found for tennis elbow.  I wear it when I paddle.
Robert