When Can You Safely Return to Kayaking After an Injury?
By Dr. Nick Anderson PT, DPT with Pin-Point Physical Therapy
Ahh the old “when can I return to doing my sport” question I quite often get in physical therapy evaluations. My answer is always “it depends.” Every patient, their goals, their injuries and the target sport vary so much from patient to patient that this question can be impossible to answer. There are basic injury guidelines, but with so much variability, all I can offer is an educated guess.
Where does that leave an injured athlete?
The next goal should be to outline what it will take to return to sport. Here is a nice flow diagram which shows proper steps for a safe return to sport protocol:
You can easily transfer the verbiage here into the sport you are interested in. The example of kayaking can be used in the above protocol.
Phase 1: full rest after injury until pain is at a manageable level.
Phase 2: active rest phase where you can add in walking, biking, etc to get you moving without impairing the injury further.
Phase 3: Starting some mobility and resistance training with bands, free weights, bodyweight .
Phase 4: Introducing and progressing sports specific movements, adding in plyometrics, power and stability drills. This can involve a paddle for kayakers for example.
Phase 5: Practice, starting in flat water/pool.
Phase 6: Return to moving water, slowly progressing.
Injuries stink in sport, but to play sometimes you have to pay. That being said, most soft tissue injury responds well to conservative treatment. There is much to consider, including anxiety and psychological factors.
Please reach out to me if you need some guidance, have any questions or just want to chat about kayaking or your sport of choice!
716-969-7437
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