Starting Over

On New Years Eve last I took the kayak out for one last trip for the year intending to do an intervals session on my five mile pound between New Haw and Pyrford. It normally makes quite a good session using the interval timer with a mile warm up, then usually six, four minute efforts, with two minute rests between and often stretching the last effort to the finish. Enthused by the club's racing ethos I was trying to put myself into a position to make a reasonable go at the Waterside and Thameside events in the early Pre-DW part of the year, then who knows what after that.

Since November, just after an entry into the club's 16 mile marathon event I'd developed an occasional (ie post paddle) pain in the right shoulder area that could be treated with cold compress and stretching. This was the other side from the previous year's affliction to the shoulder which had put my bid for DW stardom out of the window in March that year.

This time though I was at full chat approaching Dodd's footbridge and just a little closer to to the right bank than I should have been when I hit something solid with the paddle. It didn't move but I did as I lurched to the left and my right shoulder 'exploded'. That at least was what it felt like as I tried to stay upright. My coach would have been proud of the low brace executed under duress and although ending up crosswise to the banks I managed to stay in the boat. It was however almost impossible to paddle, even closing my fingers to grip the paddle shaft was impossible. It was obvious after a short while that the session for the day was over and I managed a slow and mostly one-handed paddle the two miles back to NewHaw. Even getting the boat out of the water and onto the roof rack with only one arm fully functioning was something of a challenge.

After a couple of weeks laid off from paddling the worst of the pain and resulting stiffness abated and the shoulder began to feel normal again. I took the boat to the water for a try-out but before I had even started I slipped on wet grass with the boat in the left hand and paddle in the right only to put myself back to the beginning as the shoulder muscle tore again. This obviously wasn't going to just go away.As the week's rolled by no amount of hot/cold compresses, stretching or exercising seemed to improve. The dull ache and sharp pain if I moved the shoulder involuntarily just hung on continually. Time to go to docs.

By the end of February after a month's wait for an ultrasound scan resulted in a diagnosis of: A full thickness tear in the Suprasinatus tendon and a thickening of the sub deltoid bursa. What this boils down to is the dreaded 'rotator cuff' injury. On then to a specialist after another months wait for an appointment, who then requires a MRI scan, (this time only requiring a three week wait), to see if it requires an operation to restitch the tendon or if excersises will have to do.

All this boils down to nearly five months away from paddling for fear of doing more damage that may become irreparable. Other than for two short trips in canoes I haven't been in a boat since last year. It seems that I'm going to have to take the initiative and get on with paddling whatever the outcome. On the plus side the shoulder has been gradually improving over the months and with careful management I may be able to salvage something out of this year.

So from next week the new canoe is likely to see some action.