Dragon Boat West

I just began showing signs of arthritis in my left index finger joint. Yikes! I'm not young, but still; I don't want it to progress further if I can prevent it. Does anyone know if dragon boat paddling can cause arthritis in the fingers? I've been paddling four years and I give it my all, pulling really hard. I can see how that could cause stress to my joints.

I'm going to look for padded gloves, and I wonder if I can pad my paddle handle with neoprene or something with some give. Or should I just give up paddling and find something more gentle for exercise and fun?

I doubt that paddling is causing the problem. I have arthritis in both of my wrists and my doctor has told me that paddling didn't cause the problem nor would it make it worse. I did some physical therapy and use heat packs after paddling and that seems to keep the pain at bay. I would encourage to keep paddling and just find a way to manage any pain. It would be such a shame to give up something you love!

I know what you mean, but I could love a Tai Chi class or one of those dance aerobics classes too! Thanks for the advice. I have an appointment next month with a hand orthopaedic specialist about something else that is a result of paddling and I'll ask her about the arthritis.

I have arthritis in both of my wrists, hips & one knee, pop a couple of IB's about an hour or so before paddling, use some heat & a couple more @ the end of the day, it will make it more than manageable. In my case I pretty much live on IB's festival weekends.  Don't give up without exploring all your options and trying to manage it, the arthritis will still be there and will increase over time whether you are paddling or not.

Thanks, Haywitch. I'll quit feeling sorry for myself now that I see compared to your situation mine isn't so bad. It doesn't hurt when I paddle, just when I bump it in regular life. But I did go back to wearing my full-thumb, padded palm Thunderwear gloves.

Hi Judy,
I'm assuming that you are probably paddling lefty as the fingers on your bottom/outside arm tend to be more stressed.  The sort of stress that typically is put on this bottom hand comes with alterations in your grip and how tight or loose you are holding onto the paddle.  It's fairly common to loosen the bottom hand grip some in order to get a little more reach or positive angle during your attack phase- when you finally catch and pull, the position of your fingers and hand determine the forces placed on your fingers.

Unless you have had a specific trauma or injury incident to your finger joints, degenerative arthritis is not the first thing that comes to mind although I wouldn't totally rule it out.  Structures that bear the brunt of the forces are your tendons, their synovial sheaths, and ligaments of your finger joint capsules.  This can happen in other sports such as rock climbers. 

As I am still a relatively new paddler, I am experimenting with ways of trying to help reduce this pain since I get it every now and then.  Trying more conservative methods such as modifying the grip of your paddle to have more friction or a little more padding can't hurt.  Wearing gloves with a little more padding or friction may also be beneficial, but ensure that the grip doesn't become so large in circumference relative to your hand that you have difficulty maintaining a full grip on your paddle.  You may also try to use some appropriately-sized athletic tape to try and support your most symptomatic finger joints. (If you have access to an athletic trainer, occupational therapist, etc. who is skilled in taping, that would be ideal although doing an internet search or asking around could yield some tips on how to tape fingers properly i.e. taping guides from rock climbing pages/forums, etc.) 

As suggested by another poster here, there are other things to try such as over the counter analgesics taken about 30 minutes to an hour before practice (taking into account any drug allergies or contraindications you may have to taking those medications), icing afterwards, and even just some plain rest could help.  Warming up with appropriate range of motion and stretching exercises could also help.

Hope you continue to paddle strong with less pain!