Pain Boating

msims · Post by **msims** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:20 am

Ok, not to be a complainer or anything but....

1. My ankles kill when I hyperextend them
2. My legs fall asleep quick.

I'm not so worried so much about legs falling asleep... but it's more my ankles. I have no ankle blocks underneath the arch of my foot. My seat is about 6.5".... It seems I spend most of the time on a 3-4 hour trip getting painully in and out of my boat... and learning to walk again.

Granted I've not been boating much this spring - but does it get better than this? What do people do to releive some of the pain?

I'm thinking:
a) specific yoga stretches
b) ankle blocks under the hollow of my leg.
c) take some leftover perkosets from my back surgery a few years back, (sniff if necessary)
d) real cboaters don't complain about the pain?

Any advice?
________
POT NEWS

bearboater · Post by **bearboater** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:04 pm

the ankel blocks, make a remarkable difference, when i added mine, alot of the pain went away, and i am now able to stay in my race boat4.5 inch saddle for 2 hours and then take about 5 minutes to get out.
also when you get out, try just sitting upright on your saddlefor a few minutes with your knees at 90 degrees, thighs parallel to the ground, and letting the circulation go back to your feet before you apply pressure.
cheers
-isaac

Tiggy · Post by **Tiggy** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:25 pm

Sheesh, all that shoulda gone numb years ago!!! lol

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Mon May 01, 2006 12:01 am

Stretching every day is a good thing to do. I should, but don't. I can't paddle without ankle blocks. Mine are right under my ankle, but creek1er has long pads under his shins. I didn't paddle his boat, but I got in it & was comfortable.

Look at how wide your seat is. Before doing my 1st conversion I measured a freind's seat & it was 6" wide. Even at 8" high I could only stay in the boat 15 minutes. I changed my seat to 9" wide & can stay in MUCH longer now

Bruce Farrenkopf · Post by **Bruce Farrenkopf** » Mon May 01, 2006 3:51 am

Hello Msims,
Your first two suggestions hit the nail on the head: 1) specific stretching, and 2) ankle blocks, will very likely make a BIG difference. You might also try increasing your seat height by 1/2 inch or so - a little bit can greatly help

.
If you need any help with selecting particular stretches to do, let me know. I do some regularly and they HELP.
SYOTR,
Bruce

yarnellboat · Post by **yarnellboat** » Mon May 01, 2006 5:51 am

Bruce, Please share!

I've just gone into a C-1, and leg numbness seems to be the biggest hurdle to enjoying it, and to doing longer river runs. So far I've just taken it out for little test paddles, and in 15-20 mins I need out. So, whether I can paddle it or not, I don't even want to take it on a real river.

I'll mess with my ankle blocks - how high and where do others like them? But stretching will clearly be necessary too.

Thanks, P.

bearboater · Post by **bearboater** » Mon May 01, 2006 6:01 am

i put my ankel blocks right where (if i were standing up, the front of my foot would begin to turn) which in my is about 3-5 inches back from the front of the saddle (at 4.5 inches) and then slope down and flatten in accordance with the foot. oh yeah, they're about 1/2 inch high, any higher any the foot goes numb too fast for me, any lower and it hurts too much. it's sort of like goldielocks and the bears bed's. just keep trying until its comfy, or doesn't hurt :wink:
that bad
cheers
-isaac

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Mon May 01, 2006 8:29 am

Mike,

Just suck it up, princess!...

...

Stretching helps, try kneeling on a beachball when watching TV.
Add ankle blocks, try different heights and positions, tape them down first until you found the ideal position.
Make sure your saddle is wide enough to prop[erly support your butt, my experience is a minimum of 8-9 inches. make also suyre that the edge of the saddle does not cause any pressure points on your thighs.

Cheers!

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

keez · Post by **keez** » Mon May 01, 2006 1:11 pm

Hey Mike,
When are you going out next.
We should get together and work on our outfitting and roll complaints.
Geoff

Bruce Farrenkopf · Post by **Bruce Farrenkopf** » Mon May 01, 2006 3:18 pm

Mike,
Comfort boils down to making custom adjustments in your C1's outfitting to get the right 'fit' for yourself. Ankle blocks and seat height are part of the process. There are others. A quarter inch here or there can make a critical difference in terms of comfort and control. You'll find that there is a compromise between these two factors. This adjustment process is critical and takes a little time. We have all been through this

.
The best exercise for comfort that I do for the C1 is the thigh stretch. This exercise also stretches out the ankle. Kneel on the floor with your ankles set so that the instep is flat. Bend your spine and head back to try to touch the floor with the back of your head. Do this on a carpeted surface. A less difficult and kinder version of the thigh stretch is to stand on one leg and grab the foot of your second leg with both hands to bring your heel to your butt. You are just bending your thigh and forcing it with both free arms. At the same time keep your ankle flat and assure this by grabbing the instep of your bent leg as you force the flex. This also enhances balance as you will find out

.
Hope that helps.
SYOTR,
Bruce

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Mon May 01, 2006 3:44 pm

bruce hit's the line again...the ankle blocks are key, as is saddle height. but the proper height and position is different for everyone. it takes time to get the boat dialed but it's worth it. it shouldn't be so painfull.. i can paddle my creek boat all day without any pain or numbing, but my race boat, with a lower saddle, is a foot numbing mo-fo.. i am compromising comfort for stability. i agree that stretching is very important. thighs and shins. time in the boat helps too...

yarnellboat · Post by **yarnellboat** » Tue May 02, 2006 2:58 am

Thanks. I agree on the too-high vs. too-low problem.

Basically, I think I'm so inflexible that the ankle blocks are neither here nor there - it hurts so much, so fast that I can't determine whether my blocks are in the right place, or if they're too low or too high!

Maybe I'll rip out the existing ones and start fresh.

How do people glue minicell to kayak plastic?

P.

bearboater · Post by **bearboater** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:01 am

3m super 90, is a very easy way to go, especially for that area where you have to glue in a few times, cause its so fast, i think it adheres better if you sand the plastic alot, and get down a little bit, but it works either way sanding or not.
cheers
hope some of the pain goes away.
-isaac

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