Postscript to the Upper Wakamarina

Last November we explored the upper Wakamarina river in Marlborough, paddling from Doom Creek to Butchers Flat. I related the low water level, the beauty, the complacency, the upside down experience. Unfortunately, this particular batch of complacency has had a much longer lasting effect than a little wounded pride.

I knew something wasn't right in my shoulder but I thought like most things it would recover in a few days time. A few weeks later I paddled on the Waiohine river in the Wairarapa - I had full range of motion but my shoulder felt weak, sore and clunky. At first I instituted a self-developed rehab plan. This plan involved some randomly chosen band and free-weight exercises. I worked reasonably hard and went to the Tongariro a month later to test. No dice. Finally, in March I booked an appointment with a physio.

An x-ray and an ultrasound later the verdict was a large tear in the subscapularis caused by a blunt force impact. With the right exercises and dedication my shoulder improved but the process took some months. By mid June I was feeling out a few grade II rapids on Te Awa Kairangi. By late July I had tentatively run some short sections of grade III. Now, in late September I feel pretty much back to my normal self. I'm running grade IV, can paddle multiple days in a row and try hard.

The rehab exercises continue, most mornings I'm still doing up to 30 minutes of exercise with band and free-weights with the sole focus building and maintaining shoulder strength. These exercises have no end in sight but it's a price I'm happy to pay for kayaking. I'm also yet to move back to my full size paddle blades.

So what did I learn? Well it's all pretty obvious.

  • If something feels wrong, it probably is - get it looked at by a professional if it doesn't heal in a week.
  • Treat low-water rapids with respect, the stakes may not be super high but rocks hurt.
  • It's important to have other passions because the psychological impact of not kayaking was the most difficult part of the injury experience.

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