Pacific Paddler June 2017 - 35

Preventing shoulder pain

Shoulder pain is one of the two most common
sources of pain for canoe paddlers along with low
back pain. As training ramps up for the six-man
season, it's important to consider if your shoulders are ready for the demands of paddling over
the next six months. By the time long distance
season rolls around, many paddlers have started to
develop shoulder pain, but what if that pain could be
prevented?

The shoulder joint is unique in that it allows for
large degrees of motion in multiple directions, but
this increased motion also makes the shoulder more
susceptible to injury. The shoulder joint is a "ball
and socket" joint, and is often compared to a golf
ball sitting on a golf tee. Basically, the ball part of

the joint is bigger than the socket which allows for
increased motion, but can also lead to instability.
Luckily, we have four rotator cuff muscles attached
around the shoulder joint to help compress the ball
part of the joint into the socket which creates stability.
The problem is, most people have underdeveloped or
weak rotator cuff muscles which can lead to the ball
part of the joint moving around too much during the
paddling stroke leading to "impingement" of certain
structures and pain.

Consider how many strokes a paddler may take
during a one hour pre-season race. Sixty strokes a
minute multiplied by 60 minutes comes out to 3600
strokes. If the rotator cuff muscles aren't doing their
job, it can lead to significant "impingement" over

the course of 3600 strokes. It's a recipe for shoulder
pain! The good news is that it's early in the season,
and here are a few simple rotator cuff exercises to
improve your shoulder joint stability and decrease
risk of shoulder pain throughout the season.
Three direction isometric hold: keep shoulder blades
pinched down and back. Hold for 2-3 sets of 1 min
using 3-5# weight.
Bilateral external rotation with band: rotate arms
outward as you pinch shoulder blades down and back.

Side lying external rotation: keep elbow bent at 90
degrees and rotate arm outward. 2 sets of 15 reps with
3-5# weight.
By Tim Chang PT, DPT

JUNE 2017

PACIFICPADDLER.com

https://www.jacorehab.com http://www.PACIFICPADDLER.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler June 2017