Photo Credit: Flux Photography

I prone paddle several times a week and typically do about 3.5 to 4 miles per session which takes no more than 43 minutes.  My question is in regards to a tightness I feel around my left hip when I knee paddle.  I typically do 2 to 3 minutes in the knee position then drop back to prone for a minute to minute and a half.

The pain doesn’t really impact my technique but it is uncomfortable and I wonder how it will impact me and my time once I start upping my distance.

I don’t think it is an issue with my hip joint since I don’t have any mobility issues when running, surfing, biking, etc.  After doing a little research on line, I believe it might be my hip flexor but there is so little information on prone paddling online that I am not sure.

I was curious are aware of other prone paddlers experiencing a similar pain while knee paddling and if you could suggest any stretches or exercises that might minimize that pain.  Thanks in advance.  I plan on doing a few races in the coming year and using all the great info on your site.  Thanks.

Standard disclaimer: We are always reluctant to answer specific questions about aches and pains because pain is subjective. For all we know you have a tumor growing in your pelvis. Before we can even think about answering your question we need to remind you to go see a doctor before listening to anything you find online including us.

With that said our second standard disclaimer is that sports injuries may be caused by a problem distant to the joint affected. For example, it is possible  that you have pain in your left hip because you lack flexibility in your spine and/or shoulders. After you see your doctor you should also consider seeing a physical therapist just to make sure you do not have any mobility issues that could hamper your paddling.

You say that your injury does not impact your technique. We say you should think twice about that. As David Darbyshire always reminds us –  athletes are the greatest compensators. You are likely compensating for your injury and this could have upstream effects such as shoulder or back pain at some time in the future.

Once you are done with all of that you can digest our answer. You might have come to the right place as we have loads of experience with hip issues while paddling. Roch recently had a hip replacement and Matt is in line to get one.

It is good to hear that you have no pain when running and only when you are paddling. As a quick reminder, however, that does not rule out a hip joint problem. Matt is currently able to run 10 miles without pain but is often crippled after a long paddle (1). That said, we agree with you, it is more likely that this is a soft tissue issue/hip flexor problem rather than osteoarthritis in the hip.

Assuming that this is a soft tissue issue, Roch has some advice that he uses to keep his “good” hip in check.

1. When you knee paddle, rather than taking your normal 50 strokes or “ 2 on one off ” try taking 10- 12 strokes a little harder then glide 1-2 seconds. This opens the hips up more often and allows you to knee paddle for longer periods of time. The trick with this technique is that you have to put an extra 5% effort into each of those 12 strokes to keep your speed because you are gliding more often.
2. When you reach forward while knee paddling be sure you are really focusing on reaching forward rather than straight down. This will also help you keep your hips open.
3. Focus on your flexibility and mobility off the board. Keep your hip flexors and quads stretched throughout the day. Sitting at a desk is no bueno. Standing desks are all the rage.

Bottom line: it is next to impossible to even attempt to “diagnose” the origin of your pain without seeing you paddle and doing some diagnostics. Our recommendation is to get checked out and make sure you do not have a structural lesion (osteoarthritis, tumor, etc.), make sure you do not have a mobility issue distant from your pelvis (spine, shoulders, etc.), and then try Roch’s hip saving technique for those of use with bad hips who still want to paddle.

Whatever you do, you need to get this sorted out now. If you have a nagging injury while paddling for less than an hour, in our experience, it will only get worse once you start upping the miles.

Roch and Matt

Notes:

1. For those prone paddlers who have bad hips and it is known that arthritis is the cause, Matt has found that some off the shelf board designs might have cockpits that are too narrow and can cause hip pain. You might consider a custom board. A few centimeters here and there can make all the difference.