Fly Casting Injuries?

[Royal Wulff]

Deanna, RW here

My wife had the operation for carpal tunnel. She was driving within 2 days. A clerk who worked for me in the post office had severe carpal tunnel, aggravated even more by the repeated motion of sorting mail hours every day. She had both hands done and was a mess for almost a month. Go figure. I think some folks have post operative problems and some don't.

But remember this Deanna. It never gets better...only worse, and the nerve damage becomes irreparable. I know you probably know this, but I would certainly get the operation. I don't know anyone that wasn't glad they had the operation.

Later, RW

[Silverexpress]

1. Lower back - Probably from carrying way to much stuff in my vests and not paying attention to proper load distribution
2. Upper shoulders - See above
3. Blisters on right hand/fingers - Need to remember to take a break now and then, and lotion would probably be helpful.

I've had carpal tunnel in my early twenty's on both my hands. I worked as a data entry clerk entering in insurance claims into a database. It was lot of typing and I was paid on the amount of claims I processed. Eventually I changed jobs, and the injury went away. As of today, I have not experienced it while fly fishing.

[Shoe]

Casting (tennis) elbow - cured after 6 months of annoyance with very serious exercise program under the supervision of a good physical therapist.

Shoulder - mild pain the last few months probably related to golfing or baseball as a youth - seems like the joint is not as stable as the other. Doing the rotator cuff exercises with limited success. May have to check in with the PT.

[J Castwell]

Working in automotive industry developed a 'tennis elbow' in right arm. Two separate injections of cortisone and rest. No help whatsoever. Elbow surgery (thirteen stitches long) corrected totally. Recovery therepy was fly casting. Still doing it. Don't know if I should stop therepy, doctor died. Elbow seems fine. Will keep up therepy whenever possible. Doctors orders.

[Marco]

Every Sept and early Oct, I'm in Wyoming fly fishing 8 to 10 hours a day , 7 days a week for three weeks. When I get back, my elbow hurts for about two months as it still does NOW. I've learned to get over it and suffer in silence.

Mark
The medical term for my condition is "painus in elbowus" heretofore incurable.

[Betty Hiner]

Every Sept and early Oct, I'm in Wyoming fly fishing 8 to 10 hours a day , 7 days a week for three weeks. When I get back, my elbow hurts for about two months as it still does NOW. I've learned to get over it and suffer in silence.

Mark
The medical term for my condition is "painus in elbowus" heretofore incurable.

That may well be, but you're smiling the entire time!!!

[KOA-1]

Lateral epicondylitis is an overuse injury. The extensor muscles and tendons are too weak and/or too
inflexibile to handle the workload of casting. As you perform the back cast or stop the forward cast, stress transmits up your casting arm to where the extensor tendons insert on the lateral elbow. The tendon injury is degeneration and not inflammation at the site of the insertion on the bone.

A few years ago, I developed this problem at the end of steelhead season. It continued for months despite conservative treatment but of course I kept casting. I looked like the walking wounded with a wrist brace and elbow wrap while fishing. By July, I had enough and I injected my own elbow. Don't ask me why this works but it did for me. The pain does need to resolve before strengthing rehab is attempted. It is very important peform the flexibility and strengthing rehab or the problem will return.

Steelhead season is coming up. Time to put the rebok weights under the coffee table for easy access.

[backbeach]

Most of the damage seems to be between the ears, and the wallet...

[perch]

As mentioned in an earlier post I recently went fishing up in Oregon. Never having cast anything larger than a 5 wt I figured that I better practice with my new 8 wt. Oh sure, put a nice big fat chernyobel ant on it and Im good to go.! Yeah, right . I get to Oregon and the guys there tell me how to rig up . Basicaly it was two 22 lb bowling balls separated by 18" of 1" steel chain (Ya gotta be on the bottom.)
Lets talk knuckle bumps on the back of my neck mellon. Back cast my eye! I was thilled to get all that line (about six feet) moving . Then there was the duck and covering that I was doing. I eventually got into a rythm so that when I caught a forward cast with the bach of my head I could use the riccochete with some degree of accuracy and place my casts. I had never really wanted a second ear pierceing but didnt want to go barbless with the particular fly that I was using (The Dr.says that the hole will eventually shrink by itself ).
The next time I go a bit larger than usual Im thinking of getting with some of my military friends to borrow a bit of body armor, maybe somthing in a flak coat and leggings.
Cheers to all,
Perch

[NoLuck]

WOW!!!!
I am skeeered now
All this talk is got me double thinking about all this stuff.
Maybe I better quit now and put all this fly fishing stuff in the closet.
NO way!! I am going to do my best to curb those stinkin problems with stretching and exercises.

Rich