Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board

Re: OUCH !

Posted By: David
Date: Sunday, 8 October 2000, at 6:02 a.m.

In Response To: Re: OUCH ! (Lee)

: Hi David, I thought the ACA curriculum for instructor training went
: overboard with "HOW TO LIFT A KAYAK" lessons. But after slinging
: a few of these boats around the last ten years and seeing folks bending
: from the waist and/or twisting while cantilevered it's easy to see that
: 15lbs of anything can wrench ones back. In the beginning of most classes I
: usually mention that folks are more likely to injure themselves lifting
: their kayaks than from paddling.

Hey Lee

Yeah, legs only, no back. According to the physics of the lift, the spinal cord is set up in such a way that it takes the load from what you are carrying (no surprise). That means that if you lift a boat 12" away from your body, your transferring about 1,000 lb of pressure on the small muscles connected to the spinous processes and the transverse processes. Because all that weight is being transferred, ultimately, to a very small spot (the spine takes the weight which transfers to the pelvis and legs), if you bend over laterally (to the side) you can suddenly amplify the force on the spine exponentially. So all you need to be doing is carrying an unloaded kayak on the sand, have the sand shift underneath you, and bango! The real bad thing is that you can't really paddle or sit upright with alot of these spinal strain injuries, and if you are on a trip without a double, that is not so pretty.

I guess I am talking to the converted, bend at the knees, never more than a 90 degree angle at the knees and lift straight up, as though there was a steel cable attached to the top of your head. Don't wrestle the boat around, stay in good upright posture, and bend from the knees when placing the boat down. And never, never try to carry or manouever a loaded boat. Carry a small 2 foot section of 2 X 4 pine to put under the boat when you land on a rocky beach and pull the boat using your powerful leg muscles, onto the wood. Then use a small duffle bag to ferry gear to the campsite. This might be old hat, but if there are new readers or surfers, this tidbit might help.

Regards

David

Messages In This Thread

OUCH !
dave mcadoo -- Saturday, 7 October 2000, at 12:16 a.m.

Re: OUCH !
David -- Saturday, 7 October 2000, at 1:06 a.m.

Re: Back injuries from?
Don Beale -- Saturday, 7 October 2000, at 1:19 p.m.

Re: OUCH !
Lee -- Saturday, 7 October 2000, at 2:21 p.m.

Re: OUCH !
David -- Sunday, 8 October 2000, at 6:02 a.m.

Re: OUCH !
Ian Johnston -- Saturday, 7 October 2000, at 1:23 a.m.

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