COMMON MUSCULO-SKELETAL ISSUES FOR ROWERS

According to FISA, the World Rowing Federation or Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron, the most common injuries for rowers are back and shoulder problems, rib stress fractures, and tendinitis.

Back and shoulder problems have increased with the introduction of new materials for the equipment. Wooden boats and oars have been replaced with carbon fibre. This is more rigid and is harder on back and shoulder. Conversely, tendinitis is becoming less frequent due to the development of newer styles of oar handle which are now available in a wide variety of sizes and materials. Rib stress fractures would seem to be becoming more common, but this may be simply a result of more efficient diagnosis.

Melbourne is famous for it’s rowers (as well as it’s trams, cafés, and coffee), and I have found a singularly informative piece on the website of the local South Yarra Sports Medicine website (South Yarra Sports Medicine, 2013. Common Rowing Injuries). It asserts that the majority of complaints associated with rowing result from overuse or from equipment problems. In the piece, it specifies that a literature search found the lower back to be the primary site of back problems, and interestingly went into some depth about the possible causes:

• High percentage of time spent in lumbar flexion during rowing

• Short or stiff hamstrings decreasing pelvic motion during flexion of the spine

• Fatigued or stretched muscles supporting the spine

• Most fascinating, and quite logical from a bio-mechanical point of view, is the time of day. As we know, the discs of the vertebral column absorb fluid overnight, and rowing is most commonly carried out early in the morning. This means that it takes place when there is increased flexion stressors on the spine, as opposed to later in the day when the discs would have less fluid

The article asserts that rowers are, as a result of the demands placed upon the lumbar spine, vulnerable to conditions such as spondylosis, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and disc herniation.

Other common complaints that are mentioned in the SYSM article include shoulder pain resulting from overuse, upper body tension, or poor technique. Knee pain may also result from abnormal patella tracking as a result of the rowing action. It also mentions wrist and forearm injuries and a range of thoracic problems other than stress factors, such as costochondritis and intevertebral muscle strains.