anyone back into whitewater kayaking???

[JohnnyD]

ww kayaking was my passion.  i got hurt in 05, tore the abdominal muscles and apparently at the same time my impingements in my hips caused me to tear the labrums and break off piecesof the acetabulum at the same time.
i am looking at resurfacing.
anyone else a kayaker that got back into it?
thanks a lot

[annie]

Hi,

I am a kayaker, not been able to get back into it yet as I feel I should wait a year.  A good friend of mine had this done 5 years ago and he has no bother, he kayaked India Grade 4/5 two years ago.  You should be fine.

annie

[John C]

I realize that it is not exactly the same thing, but I did get back into waveskiing (A hybrid between a surfboard and a kayak. Basically a fiberglass surfboard hull, with a seat and footstraps. It paddles like a kayak, and surfs waves like a surfboard sitting down.) after resurfacing. It does involve a lot of forward flexion, and you really use your hips for turning power. Unlike a kayak, you use a lapbelt across your hips for your connection to the ski. I started back in the water at about four months, though my surgeon had said no until six months. I had no problem paddling, and throwing the ski around aggressively in the surf. The only problem that I had was getting enough hip power into my roles. I have been off the water for the winter, but will be getting back in the water next week, and feel that I have gained a lot of strength and flexibility since last fall, so expect things to go very well.

[JohnnyD]

thanks for the replies!
i hope to get back into some creeking; paddling down creeks that have fairly high rock to water ratio...but no need for class 5 as i don't need to swim in a rapid and get banged up, or worse- carry my boat around a rapid i cant run.
my real hope is to get back into a squirt boat- which is a composite boat with very little volume in it.  my boat is 9'6" long and somewhere around 11 gallons of volume.  it's so low volume that the legs are straight as opposed to flexed at knees and slightly splayed out, and the feet are pointed down towards the bow, sort of like how a ballet dancer holds her feet.
the boat requires a lot of abdominal and back muscle, and it is super responsive in currents.  in other words, i'd be using my hips a lot as teh boat is extremely tippy.
of course, with the injuries i have had, i don't plan on pushing the limits in it like i used to do.
but i do wonder what it would be like with new hips.
i do have a friend who had a thr and was in his squirt boat 5 months later.

[Gavin]

JohnnyD

I'm sure if you proceed with resurfacing you will have no issues returning to kayaking.
I had a simultaneous bilateral resurfacing just 16 months ago and now regularly kayak in the surf at sea with absolutely no ill effects.In fact I was back in the kayak at around 3 months post op.
Whats incredible about this resurfacing procedure is your quick return to normal activities totally pain free and unrestricted.As a side I also have returned to backpacking/hiking in rugged terrain carrying packs up to 35lbs and again with no after effects.A couple of other activities I regularly take part in are scuba diving and mountain biking.
To be quite honest I don't  give my hips a second thought and just marvel at my new lease on active life.
Prior to the onset of OA I did a lot of running but have decided not to continue this post operatively just to give the new resurfaced hip joints a break from the constant jarring that is involved in running.Believe me my body feels quite capable of getting back into running, however I will stick to less high impact activities.
Good luck with your journey back to full activity.
Select a very experienced resurfacing surgeon,for rehab spend a lot of time swimming and you won't look back.If you require any further info don't hesitate to ask.

Gavin (simultaneous bilateral BHR Dec 2007)

[The Kid]

Johnny D...While I'm just a recreational kayaker I had real trouble just sitting in the kayak prior to my surgery but this past weekend my wife and I went out for almost two hours and I had absolutely no pain and more movement than I can remember in a long long time.  I'm very confident that you will be back to your old self in 6 months to a year.  Lots of core workouts has really helped me as has my normal Bowflex routine.  Best of luck to you. Tom

[Owl]

I'm also a whitewater kayaker considering resurfacing and am wondering about the potential for dislocation relative to how one controls the edges of a boat, executes a roll, and (hopefully not) wet exits.

When sitting in a typical WW boat one's hips are in an abducted position.  Adducting forces are used to lift the edges of the boat and to roll it upright.  In the case of rolling one is also bent over at the waist and flexed way over 90 deg.

Also, if one should have to wet exit the boat, the typical exit position is tucked forward (flexed over 90 deg.) while internally rotating the hips so the knees clear the thigh braces.

Any comments on the above would be appreciated.

[John C]

I replied earlier in this thread, but thought that I would update, and specifically address your questions about rolling. My craft of choice is not technically a kayak, but a 7.5' waveski, basically a small surfboard hull that you sit on top of in a kayaking position. Control is through a lap belt and footstaps rather than thigh and knee bracing. It does bring up some of the same issues in terms of rolling and forward flexing. I got back on the waveski at about 4 months (though my doctor suggested 6 months), and had no problem with paddling and aggressive surfing. Forward flexing was much easier than before. According to my doctor, dislocation is not an issue from any of these positions. I did have some weakness during the hip flick phase in rolling for about the first year, but now that is better than ever.
I realize that it is not exactly the same, but from my experience with paddling, surfing, and rolling a similar craft, I do not think that you will have any problems once you are fully healed.