This week’s discussion point from me is about paddling and injuries. We’ve all had them, some have been worse than others, some have been superficial while others have been more profound. Injuries can make or break us and our responses to them can be vital. We can take a gamble and ‘push on through’ our injuries, often to our detriment, resulting in the worsening of an issue and delaying or preventing our recovery, rather than opting to rest and rehabilitate at the earliest opportunity.

Whether injuries occur through our paddlesport or are acquired outside of it impacting our participation, they can be frustrating, debilitating and even disabling. Taking or being forced to take the decision to reduce our involvement can have wider impacts further than the obvious physical issues. For example, the social aspects: suddenly being placed outside of our usual peer group and the mental aspects of perhaps disappointment or annoyance or even anxieties of the perceived likely progression of others in our absence. Outcomes resulting from an injury may also vary depending on the skill or participation level or competitive involvement of a paddler. For example, from a recreational paddler missing out on a planned weekend paddle with friends at one end of the scale, to a competitive paddler having their career hopes dashed in a moment at the other – yet both could equally be affected by these wider impacts, no matter their chosen pathway. Positive or negative outcomes stemming from these wider impacts would be in the hands of the paddler and their support network to identify opportunities, areas of flexibility or adaptability and ways in which they can move forward, both in life and in their paddling.

Has an injury ever prevented you from progressing in paddlesport as you intended? If so, what wider impacts did this have? Ever been impacted by an injury you chose to ignore and ‘push on through?’. Have you ever had to reduce or avoid aspects of your paddlesport or maybe even sought out, adapted and embarked on alternative options and ways to be involved or participate? Have you ever been told you can’t do something due to an injury and proved them wrong? Has an injury ever had any positive effects or outcomes for you and changed your life for the better?