Kayaking Injury

[Romo]

Well, I never quite go to the kayaking part... I really screwed myself up this weekend. Was launching at a new spot on the delaware river in search of bass and snakeheads. Had to carry my revo about a hundred feet across a parking lot. Made it 10 feet from the beach and some lady's dog ran in front of me. I was carrying the kayak by my side with one handle as I've done many times. When the dog ran in front of me I stopped but the kayak kept going...

Felt something in my back pop/snap and i immediately dropped my yak. Instead of cursing the woman and her foo foo dog I was doubled over in pain trying to catch my breath. I am a pretty fit guy and have never had a major injury/health issue but this pain was radiating out of my back between my shoulder blades and I wanted to cry.

I asked 2 guys who were also launching yaks to help me load it back on my truck and thankfully they were real cool about it. Drove 20 minutes to my parents house bc they were the closest ppl I could think of and had them drive me to the hospital. I was sure I had done something horrendous but thankfully the doctor said it was just a severe muscle spasm/possible slight muscle tear and I'd be better with rest, ibuprofen and thankfully a little bit of valium. The trouble breathing was due to the swelling pressing against my ribs. It was extremely, extremely uncomfortable to say the least.

Just sharing this story as a lesson. I am 28 and in good shape but being too lazy to use my kayak cart has put me out of commission for possibly weeks. I'm really annoyed because fishing has been real good up here lately and now I'll be sidelined for a while.

[MrJB00G13]

Damn man, that sucks. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you bro!

[sparky1423]

Blessings on a quick recovery! Sounds like you'll be trolling ebay and amazon the next few weeks to satisfy those fishing cravings...that's the only thing that gets me through winter...that and the yellow perch

[JohnE]

Hope you recover soon and that it does not come back on a regular basis like my back pain does. Surprised they didn't give you muscle relaxers. I usually only get pain that bad a couple times a year and less severe flare ups about every 2-3 months. I used to do pull ups very frequently and my back pain almost entirely went away for a couple years, but haven't been keeping up with them lately and it comes back on a regular basis.

I get these knots in the middle of my back about 4" down from shoulder blade. Sometimes I can barely move when it happens. When I pulled my kayak out from under the deck earlier this year, I had a flare up and couldn't go fishing that weekend at all and the pain lasted several weeks. I usually ice it down and rub it out in the evenings. Then I stretch it out in the shower under hot water in the mornings and use Tiger Balm when I have to get moving for work. Tiger Balm really does work. Several people have recommended accupuncture...I may give that a try.

[eyedaddy]

Sorry to hear about your injury, but this should be a wake up call for all of us to use the equipment we have to make it easier to move, load,and unload our equipment no matter what our age or conditioning may be. Something as simple as a small dog can put all of us out of commission for some time. Get well soon!

[daolai]

Get well soon and I am up that way alot let's fish together some time - i can help you with your yak..

[Rockchaser]

28? Suck it up Buttercup!

Just kidding, I am nursing my knee from playing socker in the front yard with my 6 year old nephew on Sunday.
Hope you feel better soon. Back injuries suck. Makers Mark can always help. Ask MOC.

[Pc4sun]

Thanks sharing your story, as we can all learn from others mistakes. And I'm sorry about your injury. Maybe meet up with group of people and they can help you with your kayak until you can get strong enough to lift it again.

[Memory Maker]

REALLY sorry dude !!!!!! ........... Back pain is the worst .......... But it can happen anywhere and anytime ...... I stayed at a hotel in Chincoteague while fishing ........ I bent over to put my sandals on and my back went out .......... I became the hunchback of Parkville for 2 weeks even with muscle relaxers and 800 mg Motrin ..........

Might want to go to an Osteopath ........ Sometimes they can do a couple adjustments and get you back into shape faster ......... At least he will get you the proper meds

[bgriff]

Sorry to hear about your back. I had a similar incident last year about this time when I went to lift my kayak and twist my upper body at the same time. I felt something "pop" and was a little sore. Two days later I could barely walk. I went to the doctor and was relieved to hear that that it was just a severe spasm. After three days of being on muscle relaxers and pain meds was doing nothing for the pain I decided to go to a Chiropractor at the urging of my wife. I had never been to one before and was skeptical, but after that first session I felt a whole lot better than I did from the meds. They used some kind of deep tissue electronic stimulation that I believe is what helped the most. The one thing I learned from all of it was to be careful of body positioning whenever I move my kayak. Good luck with your recovery. I know it's frustrating as fishing is heating up and your mind wants to go but your body can't.

[Romo]

Thanks for the support guys. Was in bed all day yesterday and started to finally do some light stretching. I'm not big on taking meds so I'm done with that and back to work today. Still sore but mostly able to function. Checking my blind spots on the drive in this morning was a little challenging but hopefully that's the worst of it. Gonna start looking in to ways to prevent this in the future. Stretching, core exercises, chiropractors, whatever. I definitely don't want this to become a reoccuring thing.

[Mark]

Romo,

Sorry to hear of you injury.

Your Revo is over 60 pounds. That's a lot of weight to suspend from one arm and a lot of stress on one handle of the kayak. (I say that because I noticed a few weeks ago that the screws on my handles had loosened and I never carry my Revo with just one handle. I can't! I'm more than twice your age.)

Have you thought of using a cart?

It makes moving mine much easier.

Hope you're back in the seat soon.

[Romo]

Yea Mark I actually have a cart I just usually choose not to use it unless its gonna be a long way to the water. I learned my lesson now though. By the way ACK.com lists the revo 14 at 82.8 lbs but I honestly think that may be a little on the light side...

[Mark]

Romo,

My 13 is supposed to be 62 pounds empty and I believe it is every ounce of that.

Anyway, the cart works well and you're wise to use it in the future.

[mytmouse]

Man back injuries are the worst! I have dealt with a bad back since H.S. I had a situation when I fished out of Kipto and just stepping wrong on the sand jacked my back all up and had to get help loading my yak. I'd probably still be down there if it wasn't for him. LOL!! Have you seen a Chiropractor? Man they work magic with keeping your back loose and nimble. Kibby out of Crofton is the truth! LOL No association with the man, but he helped me a lot with managing my back pain and no meds either.