I've just returned from a two hour stint in A&E to have my elbow X rayed following a slight misadventure involving 35knots of wind and a dead run in an RS300. Turns out I've not chipped the bone (thankfully) but they've told me I have tennis elbow.

Anyone else been afflicted with this due to sailing? Or any other interesting ailments. I'm getting concerned about the state of my knees from too much hiking as well - is this easily resolved through getting a trapeze boat?

I have had to have head x-rays following an 'interesting' gybe when I got hit on the back of the head by the boom.  That was not too bad, it was the fact that it then drove my forehead into one of the deck fittings and I ended up with blood pouring down my face.

BTW the x-rays were inconclusive for brain presence!

My elbow currently resembles a cricket ball though - I suspect that the tennis ebow is probably just a bruise.

Knee-wise, after a particularly arduous race, my knees are sore and if I bend down to release the pressure, they sometimes lock completely and it's really hard to stand up straight - feels like they're going to explode. :(

I really love the 300 but it seems to be trying to hurt me at the moment.

 Watch it!

Besides, your dad could have been driving to his local water activities centre. Then again, he could be one of the ever-growing tribe of neoprene-clad weekenders, who love to play doctors and nurses in their spare time!

I spent 3 hours strapped to a stretcher in A&E after a particulary nast Grafham grand prix.Turns out I'd stretched the ligaments and tendons in my neck! The docs thought I'd broken my neck  Spent 2 weeks in a neck brace (only to get out of that and break my thumb!)

Mine are stuffed from Skiing over the last 25 years (and crashing too much) and they hurt like hell in the winter.  Not hiked out for years, but after a long race (like say the East coast piers race) I can only just about walk!

I've had tennis elbow in both arms - caused by the loads in a split mainsheet and exercises to manage them. But I've had no symptoms for years since.

My answer - rest the elbow a few weeks at least, then start gentle stretching exercises, then finally re-start strengthening exercises+stretching. I suspect that if I'd stretched properly all along (incl after sailing) I'd never have had the problem. And, of course, replace the split main with a 2:1 ! (just as fast in my view - the absolute centrelining of the boom is of dubious benefit - feels powerful, but mostly adds side-force + leeway + induced drag)

Also needed a cartilage op. after twisting my knee on a high-floored boat (self-draining has a price). Subsequently sorted things out with a good regime of all-round (- important to include the sides) knee-strengthening exercises from a good (and they do vary) physiotherapist. Again, I suspect that if I'd done the exercises in the first place, I'd never have twisted my knee and needed an op. After initial a daily sessions, I do them just once a week now and feel pretty bomb-proof.

Curiously, when recovering from the op., straight leg hiking in a Laser actually seemed to help strengthen my muscles. What I'm sure does your knees no good is bent-knee hiking - you're levering the knee joints open against the ligaments...

Tennis Elbow should go within a few weeks. You need to strap it up all the time you use it. Squeeze the belly of the muscle then pull it over the outer arm and hold in place (PM if you are not sure how to do this). This take the strain completely off the affected tendon. Now go and see a good Physio fo two or three sessions... I had tennis Elbow after my op so badly I couldn't shake hands! I had one treatment, got it strapped up and carried on sailing everyday. Not sailing is definitely not the answer as you lose grip strength.

There is nothing curious about straight leg hiking strenghtening your muscles! This is how you are ment to hike. Not only is it fast but it protects the knee. Note: Straight leg means the muscles hamstring muscles are full lenght, it does not mean lock out he joints!

I've had tendonitis/rotator-cuff problems in both shoulders and related to sailing in different ways.

Right shoulder was never quite the same again after I catapulted into the mast when windsurfing using a harness and landed on my shoulder.  It hurt a lot at the time and for a couple of weeks after, but it has also caused recurrent long-time weakness.

I injured my left shoulder polishing a keelboat. A sailing-related injury if not sailing! I think the problem was that, in order to avoid constantly moving the ladder, I did a lot of the polishing at a stretch, which inflammed the shoulder joint. This took about 6 months to go away, which was tedious.

Sounds like people need to be sailing a trapeze boat with a high boom and low sheets loads ... can you guess what it is yet?

Rick

Its a 12 footer

As no-one seems to have answered the question yet I thought I'd have a go:-

The action of hiking with bent legs effectively levers your knee joints apart which is what causes the damage and why having straighter legs is better.

Tapezing is a more natural action for your knees/legs because you are mostly just standing up but horizontal (with the wire even removing some of the weight) with the odd bit of flexing as you tack/move around the boat. The biggest danger is in getting your feet trapped in a wipeout and twisting something.

Contender (with a (legal) modified short leech sail)

I spend two thirds my sailing time singlehanded trapeze helming and one third hiking (still helming).

In my experience, helming a boat with trapeze crew is marginally the easiest on my knees - not too much hiking needed!

Second easiest is the trapeze helming - not too bad at all -unless I do something daft.

Worst for my knees by far is hard hiking in anything but especially in a singlehander as theres no way to take a short rest. Straight legging helps, but being human, I can only keep that up for so long and eventually need to shuffle and change position. The next day I can hardly walk sometimes. Can't wait for 5 days x 3 races a day in RS200 at Garda!

So if you're singlehanding - get a trapeze is my advice. Doublehanded get a trapeze crewed boat or if hiking boat get a very, very fit crew so that you can sneak the odd breather!

As far as injuries go, best I know of was a dislocated knee at the Fireball worlds a few years ago. The guy was in a lot of pain  but on arrival at hospital still refused to let them cut the wetsuit off him - hero or just tight?

You guys are a bit slow so here is a clue ...

Nice high boom ... single handed and fast

Fizzicist, I believe you sail a 300 which I found very hard on the knees- (not hiking, but grovelling around downwind). That seems to be one of the main resons people give for giving them up. Personally I found trapezeing worse, 'cos of the constant bend/straighten as you move in and out. You might find a boat with side decks to sit on better? (Part of the reason for my Solo)

Re the tennis elbow, I got it from windsurfing, but a mad German acupuncturist massaged it and used hot/cold compresses every day for a week, and it went and never returned! My mother had the same problem, and similar treatment, with the same result. My sister keeps having cortisone injections, and hers just comes back.

Rob.e - yeah I have a 300, and I think it's probably the grovelling around that does it knee wise. But the concept of a Solo after a 300 isn't exactly appealing!

Re: Tennis elbow for it to heal you need to have more healing than damage! So you either prevent further damage (strap) or premote healing (by encouraging blood flow) or if you can afford the time/money both!

Re: Cortisone injections I would really not like to get into this discussion, apart from the say in most circumstances I am very much against them.

The worst sailing injury I have seen was a few years ago on a windy day at Salcombe when Rob Heath sailing with his daughter had a messy windward capsize in which she planted her foot hard on his eye falling off the side deck.  He came ashore with a black eye and all was well till he blew his nose and suddenly got double vision from his blowout fracture of the floor of his orbit.  Fortunately all healed without incident.

Cortisone injections for tennis elbow are a quick and dirty fix but they do the business and I do them regularly (I'm a GP) but there is always an underlying problem that needs addressing

Originally posted by AndrewM I have always reckoned injections are better from my end of the syringe and needle.  With the tennis elbow ones I know it's going to work if the injectee jumps when I hit the spot

OUCH!

Sounds like you enjoy it too

I used to suffer from tennis elbow and found it was mainly related to slippy gloves and gripping too hard on sheets for prolonged periods. (Self diagnosis if any medics are reading).

My solutions are;

a try not to wear gloves - fine for most helming jobs, not for crewing

b if you do wear gloves wear thin, grippy ones like those from Homebase

c helm a 49er and get the crew to do 90% of the sheet trimming

Bliss!

a/b Good gloves help you grip, so you do not have to grip so hard, this helps! (Do not go for the no glove option!)

c. The crew should do 90% of the sheeting anyway but uncleating the jib when under load is not ideal...