Sit-ups, anyone? Core strength key for rowers

This summer, rowers will row, row, row their boats, but it’ll be anything but gently. Rowers will use a great amount of core, leg, and arm strength to perform at the highest levels of international competition.

Months of training, both on and off the water, can lead to multiple types of injuries for rowers, usually due to overuse. Repeated movements often lead to lower back, rib, or arm/elbow injuries for these athletes. As they prepare for big competitions, the increased training time can also be a cause for a chronic injury to flare up.

First, let’s meet our ATI Injury Analyst. Doug Adams, a physical therapist who calls our North Wilmington, DE, clinic home, has worked with the University of Delaware rowing team and spent a few minutes chatting with us about common injuries in rowers…

What types of injuries and treatments are common…

• Back: Because rowers are constantly repeating the same movement, the spine is very susceptible to injury.
• Treatment: The type of back injury depends on the exact treatment, but Doug said that no matter what the injury, postural strengthening and core stability training is very important. Because the core muscles make the back nine times stronger, those muscles are integral to a healthy spine.
• Shoulder: Did you know that there are seventeen muscles around the shoulder blade, all of which must work together to perform a movement? This can lead to issues like scapular winging, which occurs when the shoulder blade seems like it’s protruding from the body. (It looks like a wing – and it’s pretty painful!)
• Treatment: Doug said that they may use the science of arthokinematics (the movement of joint surfaces) to help strengthen the shoulder area through weight-bearing exercises. For example, they may put someone with an injured shoulder into a push up position and make them maintain that position, even when force is exerted on them from a slight push or shove.
• Wrist: Both acute and chronic injuries can cause wrist pain for rowers. They may experience a one-time sprain or strain, which is a more acute injury, or tendonitis, which is more chronic due to the repetitive movements in rowing.
• Ribs: Rowers are also susceptible to stress fractures in their ribs due to overuse. With each stroke, torque is applied to the oblique muscles around the ribs, which can lead to a painful fracture.

Prevention

Our Injury Analyst provided some insight about how to avoid common types of rowing injuries. Although top rowers have no choice but to put strain on their bodies, there are some ways they can try to avoid the injury plague:

• Be in shape: The better shape rowers are in, the less likely they are to be bogged down by injuries. Even though they are sitting down, rowers use their whole bodies in their boats, transferring force from their legs up through their arms.
• Posture and flexibility training: A regular fitness regime, which includes the all-important strengthening of core muscles, is necessary for preventing injuries.
• Take time off: In rowers, overtraining is often the cause of injuries. Our Injury Analyst suggests taking regular breaks and avoiding heavy lifting or muscle strain outside of practice to help the body recover. If there is any pain or discomfort, it’s important to get it checked out right away and not try to “fight through the pain.”