Dr. Ryan House, of In Motion Spine and Joint Center in Spring Hill, TN, not only makes his living by treating injuries to the joints and soft tissues of the body, but he’s also a bass fisherman. I can vouch for his expertise. He’s not only a good friend, but he’s also the guy I see when my body needs a little “tune-up”. We often exchange exercise-related ideas, pontificate upon the ills of modern living, discuss sports specific risk factors, rehab strategies, etc… The man has done his homework and he has some homework for you too.
What’s one of the keys to a long career of healthy, pain-free fishing? According to Dr. House, the answer is “extension”.
When you cast, you are engaging flexor muscles to not only to whip the rod forward, but also to grip the rod and reel. Over time the flexors become excessively tight. “If you have really tight forearm flexors, your extensors are taking a beating”, says House.
Neglect these tight flexors at your own peril. As the flexor muscles become short and tight, they overpower the weaker extensors. This is the essence of the “imbalance”. If this imbalance gets too out of whack, the muscles can actually pinch the median nerve, resulting in pain or even numbness.
Overuse injuries from prolonged holding, repeated movements, and improper muscle balance can cause tendinopathy”, says House. ”Tendinopathy” is basically the fancy term to describe injury and/or inflammation to the tendons. Conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow are examples of tendinopathy.
So where does “extension” come into play? Extension is how you fix it. Moving the arm and wrist into a position of extension stretches the flexor muscles and helps reorient the muscle fibers… which can become scarred and knotted up over time. It’s not the only remedy, but it’s the one I will provide in this article.
An easy on the eyes visual of my favorite stretch. Do this to combat tight flexors.
The above stretch accomplishes the necessary extension of the forearm and wrist required to get the job done. To accomplish this stretch, place your hand on a wall with a straightened arm. Turn the hand down clockwise (for the right hand) or counter-clockwise (for the left arm) to intensify the stretch. The goal is to press the palm into the wall. The higher your hand is on the wall, the more intense the stretch will be. Don’t overdo it and start slow. Hold for at least 30 seconds.
Dr. House also believes that smaller more ergonomic reels go a long way towards preventing overuse injuries.
Thankfully, we have more ergonomic options today.
“The less spread there is in your grip, the more compact and natural your grip is, and the less stress you put on the thenar muscles [muscles along the thumb side of your hand]… The more stretch you have, the more tendency there is towards injury or failure. Everyone has more advantage at 2/3 muscle length than they do in a full stretch.” In other words, the easier it is to palm your reels, the better. The older style round reels are the most problematic because they spread your grip out so much more, making the wrist and hand muscles more vulnerable.
Optimizing rod balance also goes a long way. In a recent conversation, Elite pro John Crews made one of the best analogies I’ve heard on the subject:
“It’s like sitting in the car with a three inch thick wallet stuffed in your back pocket, you’re going to sit crooked and get added pressure. If you sit for 5-minutes, that might not be a big deal, but if you sit and drive for 10 hours like we fish 10 hours, you’re going to feel the effects of that. I think it’s the same way with a rod and reel. Constantly fighting the balance can cause undue stress eventually you pay the price.”
It’s all about longevity. How many more casts can you make with that clunky old combo before your joints start begging you to stop? How many more before you start living off Goody’s powder just to get through the day? It’s only a matter of time before the athlete angler reaches a threshold of injury. If you need help dealing with this, House is your man. Not the guy from the TV show. This guy…
FishStrong!
