Low Back and Shoulder Pain while paddling?
After passing the 50-year-old mark it seems as though I keep getting (and fighting!) these little aches and pains that keep interfering with my fitness training. I have been an athlete since 15 years old. Swimming in High School and College, which included plenty of surfing. Post College it was bike racing and then in 1979 after watching the Ironman Triathlon on Wide World of Sports I started triathlon training. I couldn’t stop myself, after the first competition I was hooked. With 30+ hours per week devoted to triathlon training my surfing was pretty much ended.
Two years ago I got back into surfing… in triathlons off-season. I was hooked again, so much so that I began making my own surfboards! You see I am an artist/craftsman at heart and just couldn’t help my self!
We have a local surf contest at Carmel Beach that I have competed in for the past two years. I sign up for the long board competition and the (about 1 ½ mile) distance paddle. I haven’t placed or moved onto a next higher heat but boy is it fun! Have I mentioned that I’m competitive?
Every year on the paddle my limiting factor is back and shoulder pain. I keep changing from knee paddle to prone to ease the back pain then the shoulder pain. Last month a friend suggested we go up to Santa Cruz and do an organized paddle that the Life Guard Assoc. was putting on. We did the two-mile on borrowed ‘official’ paddleboards. I was using a stock paddleboard. I got in the water a little early to test this Minnie missile out! I had enough trouble prone paddling let alone knee paddling. I would have to go the WHOLE way prone! I did fine except the back and shoulder pain again. Of course after the race there was MORE information about upcoming paddles. The Wharf (Santa Cruz) to Wharf (Capitola) race was over double the distance we had just competed in, could my back and shoulders stand up to it? It was a challenge I had to do!
Thank goodness, a week before the paddle, I read an ad about PaddleAir. Something caught my eye; decrease back pain from paddling? It’s a rash guard that has an inflatable chest bladder to ease the back muscles. I got online to read more. It sounded like something that would work for me. I called, ordered and had it shipped ASAP. I received it two days before the Wharf to Wharf.
I organize a regular Friday Night Open Water Swim (FNOS) for our local swimmers and triathletes and figured this would be a good time to test the PaddleAir out.
It takes a little getting used to…like putting it on! “Where does that inflator hose go”, under the arm…over the shoulder… around my neck? I finally figured it out, it’s now comfortable, well as comfortable as EXTRA stuff can be. I mean…I’d LOVE to surf with just shorts on, but not here in Central Cali!!!
I inflated the bladder to prone paddle then deflated it to knee paddle. It didn’t take long to get used to it. I figured it’d work OK for tomorrows ‘race’ so decided to go for it.
Race morning we drove up to Capitola and dropped off one of the cars, we weren’t going to paddle BACK! Then drove the rest of the way to Santa Cruz wharf, parked, signed in for the race, took pictures and hopped in the water for the start. Have you ever entered or watched a paddle race? These things are aqua-missiles! BANG! And they were off! I do distance triathlons so knew not to sprint out, my goal was to finish! Just ahead of me I saw a friend that I paddled against in Carmel. I focused on him and gradually caught up to draft off him. It worked fine for awhile, he must have took off to fast because I had to ease off a bit. I saw another peddler on a ‘stock’ board just ahead and pushed a bit to catch her. Around Pleasure Pt. the waves were breaking about 5-6’ so went the outside until I nice swell came in and I took it! GREAT! Woops! I remembered I didn’t have a leash. I OK without one but didn’t want to mess up and loose my board so took it easy, no fancy stuff, and pulled out to paddle more. Must have made up a little time plus the change of position was nice. Paddled on the outside of the Hook and again here comes another swell with no one on it…I surf another 100 yards or so closer to Capitola pier. All this time I’m surprised…impressed… that I’m not getting cramping in my back muscles, my shoulders feel decent, no major pain anywhere! I continued pushing towards the finish, now insight just on the other side of the wharf. Coming in I noticed a lot of boards on the beach, I wondered what place I came in? This is a low-key event so it took awhile but while paddling with the FNOS this last Friday I saw the guy that I drafted off in the race. He said the results were up on EATON’s web site. Soon as I got home I had to check… FIRST PLACE LONG BOARD!!!
I liked using the PaddleAir for two reasons and will recommend it to all of you:
1st - for the advertised reason that it helps support the back muscles and
relieves stress, i.e. decreased or no pain.
2nd – I was REALLY surprised when I didn’t have the usual pain in my
shoulders. I think as the bladder lifts up your chest it puts the shoulders
higher out of the water and puts the recovery part of the stroke in a better
biomechanical position.
Yours in Health,
Les Waddel, D.C.