Look at the hands of a paddler and you’ll see scars, scratches, sun spots and chipped nails. It’s easy to see that these are important, but often neglected, tools of the trade. Paddlers tend to focus on the big joints: elbow, shoulders, hips. But the assortment of phalanges, carpals and metacarpals that make up your hands and wrists are the first link in this chain that provides power to your stroke and are responsible for everything from snapping on your skirt, to tossing a throw bag or performing the J-stroke.
For all paddlers—from whitewater enthusiasts to multiday canoe trippers—hand and wrist health is integral for a good day on the water.
Stretching and preventing
Simply put, the best treatment is prevention. Being aware of paddling habits (good and bad), and working on flexibility is a great place to start. Getting into the habit of doing a thorough pre-paddle warm up is one way of preventing injuries; try adding these three stretches for hand and wrists.
Crab grab
Extend your left hand in front of you, palm up, keeping you forearm, wrist and palm in a straight line from the elbow. Make a ‘crab claw’ out of your right hand and grasp your left hand using your thumb as a supportive beam beneath the four knuckles of your left fingers, (close to where they join the hand). Gently bend your left fingers back beyond horizontally and hold for 10-15 seconds. Release and then repeat on the other hand for three reps.
Wrists extension and flexion
Hold your arms straight out in front of your body, with shoulder, forearm and wrist forming a straight line with your palm facing down. Lift your palm and fingers up, flexing them to the sky, then back down to a horizontal position. Repeat for 30 seconds. Do three to five sets. Then extend your hand down so that fingers are pointing to the ground, and back up to horizontal. Repeat for 30 seconds. Do three to five sets.
Fingers flexion and extension
Make a fist (flexing the muscles of you hand), then extend your fingers out. Repeat this for 30 seconds. Do three to five sets.
Abduction and adduction
Hold you hand out in front of you with your fingers close together and palm flat. Open and close fingers (abduction and adduction them) slowly for 30 seconds. Do three to five sets.
Strength and conditioning
Incorporate some hand and wrist-focused exercises into your workouts—or do them when you are driving shuttle. Add weight with common items like a can of soup, or water bottle. Add weight to the wrist flexion and extension stretches mentioned above to make them into mini strengthening workout. Try some reps with your thumb pointing up. Exercises with resistance in each plane of wrist movement will ensure your small stabilizers are strong and able to adapt to the rigors of paddling.
As with most things in life, wrist and hand health are all about balance. Strong hands and wrists mean strong forearms, biceps and shoulders, which makes for happy paddlers.
This article was first published in the August 2015 issue of Paddling Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or browse the digital archives here.
