An Olympian's nightmare - injury
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 | 04:09 PM ET
Canadian rowing team member Adam Kreek gets his daily dose of physical therapy.
Injury.
Sooner or later all athletes must recognize that there are real physical limits when pursuing the highest level of human performance.
Within my low back lives a demon.
When awakened, this ordinarily strong region goes into spasm, and the thought of washing my face in the sink sends chills through my lower lumbar.
This affliction is not unique. Most adults experience back pain at some point in their life, but not likely while striving for Olympic Gold.
Every sport takes a toll on the human body. We have all experienced or known someone with a tennis elbow or runner's knee. In the sport of rowing, typically injuries affect three regions - forearms, ribs and back.
The forearms are used to ‘feather’, or to reposition the face of the oar blade parallel to the water when the blade is out of the water. The training leading up to my first international competitions in 2001 left me with lumps the size of golf balls in the middle of my forearms, the result of swollen tendons. The pain was so intense that I could barely open a door or spread peanut butter (the latter a true devastation...). Since then I have adjusted my technique and learned to grip the oar lightly; fortunately I have had no problems in this realm since.
The ribs are another commonly injured area of a rower’s body. Luckily – knock on wood - my only complaints in this region have been soreness after high load workouts. Several of my teammates, however, suffer stress fractured ribs frequently... and miserably.
If the thought of breaking a rib is not enough to make you cringe, remind yourself at this point that rowing is a NON contact sport. Broken ribs in rowing result from the structure of the load placed on an athlete, from the oar in the water to the foot plates in a boat: oar - hands - arms - shoulders - ribs - spine - hips - legs - feet.
The weakest links are the ribs for two reasons: 1) these bones are more flexible, yet less rigid and surrounded by fewer muscles to brace the impact than other regions, and 2) the rowing stroke places unnatural levels and angle of load onto the ribs.
Third: my nemesis - the low back.
I am currently injured, recovering from a strain in my low back. Past injures include two bulged discs and ceasing vertebrae. A strained back is a surprisingly common diagnosis among rowers and most athletes. Now, instead of going to three practices a day on the water, I see three trainers and/or doctors each day. My rotation includes a chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, acupuncturist, and an osteopath. All are excellent and provided for rowers through Rowing Canada and our National Sport Centre, Pacific Sport.
Along with traditional therapies, I have magic healing lasers, electricity injected via needles to the back, a stretching table reminiscent of medieval torture and elbows dug viciously into my hamstrings and psoas muscles of my stomach.
At best, injury is tough. The pressure to train is immense - both internal and external - and the shock to the system of latency is severe. I want to train - need to train - but if I train too hard or too early I will spur re-injury and further delay recovery (yes, I am guilty, and reminding myself as I write ... ). My teammates and competitors for my seat in the eight are getting faster and I want the same for myself. However, I can only control my actions and attitude. I find the best recovery tool is a positive outlook ... and a lot of cross training!
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Athlete Diary | Adam Kreek »
About the Author
Four-time world champion rower Adam Kreek has his eyes set on a second trip to the Olympic Games this summer in Beijing after being part of the Canadian men's eight four years ago in Athens. The 27-year-old native of London, Ont., debuted on the national rowing team in 2001, winning the U-23 world championships. Adam is very committed to issues of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. His interest and experience in energy technologies led him to construct a Biodiesel reactor from which he processes waste vegetable oils into diesel fuel. He now lives and trains in Victoria, with his wife Rebecca.
Recent Posts
- The test of trials week
- Thursday, April 24, 2008
- Questions Answered
- Monday, April 7, 2008
- An Olympian's nightmare - injury
- Wednesday, March 5, 2008
- An Alternative Lifestyle
- Monday, February 4, 2008
- Subscribe to Athlete Diary | Adam Kreek
Archives
- April 2008 (2)
- March 2008 (1)
- February 2008 (1)
Comments
Mike
Hey Adam,
I can relate to some of the pain your speak of. I used to train in the sport of sprint canoe/kayak, and my lower back used to kill me from trying to keep such a tall posture for rotation in the kayak. Fortunately, after lots of pain and practice i was able to rotate my core further, extending my reach with the blade of my paddle. Good luck this summer in China!
Posted March 6, 2008 10:20 PM
Gilly
Vancouver
Hi Mike,
I am a certified Rubenfeld Synergist - I work with people physically, emotionally, energetically and spiritually with the mind being an inegral aspect of all... I had an interesting experience with an American professional baseball player who had a back injury and had been receiving all of the physical care that his team could buy. The long and short of it is that his pain was not physical - it was emotional and manifested physically. This was not talking about emotional issues - it was a release of an emotional holding pattern. So for him it was emotion. I have worked with athletes from different fields - including acouple of rowers. If you are interested to learn more: www.rubenfeldsynergy.com or www.evolutionergonomics.com
Posted March 7, 2008 10:51 AM
Adam
Montreal
Hey Adam,
I'm a competitive rower as well, although not near national team level. I'm currently suffering from overuse injuries in both my knees and have only recently overcome constant lower back pain.
Every day I've had to take off from my program has taken stress off my body and put it on my mind. Pressure from teammates and coaches and for improvement are always lingering overhead. All that can be done is to take each day at a time and make sure your body can adjust and slowly improve in order to handle the demands of high intensity training.
All the best in Beijing this summer, I'll be watching!
Posted March 8, 2008 11:50 AM
Stevenson
Canada
Adam,
I noticed that your midsection is quite pale in comparison to your legs. Could the lack of tan on your chest and stomach cause a weakening of your core? Your hair looks great!
Stevenson
Posted March 8, 2008 06:07 PM
Rudy
Bracebridge
Great insights into the sport and some very fine writing. If -- God forbid -- the injury keeps you out the Games as a rower, perhaps the CBC will take you there as a correspondent! Good luck!
Posted March 11, 2008 11:20 PM
Mercy
Montreal
Good Luck Adam!
Just hang in there, and try to enjoy as much of the rehab experience as you can! Try not to think of injury as a set back, it's a unique time to build strength in places you don't get a chance to, and a unique time to study all the psychological and strategic elements of your sport that can really give you a competitive advantage over your competitors when the next championships or olympics come around!
Posted March 18, 2008 02:32 PM
Lorne A. Davis
Adam
Maintain, maintain and maintain...as an old senior oarsman from LRC (Thames River is re-doing the river, alas, to Springbank Park. I, too, had a low back pain my first summer in 1965 from Leander BC as a Lwt Four. Two weeks to go, the pain wastoo much in my No 2 starboard, and off to a chiropractic weekly, and had to stop. The team put a sub and the Henley won that race. I was 20 yrs old, and I never won to race. I continued to back off for 8 years later. But, I came back to rowing again in the Thames. It's that "niche" in the amateur people, and finally won a medal in 1980 in Henley from our Cox Lwt Four since. It's the passion in life, and still row in my single too (probabaly in Fanshawe Lake this spring). It's tough to be the National Team, and it's that blood inside too. Your journey was a good way to tell the message, Adam, and the determination was unique from your Dad (South HS as I was in Beck CI then)too. Kudos from the world Eight last fall. I will scull each summer and fall, and hope your low back theopy too.
Posted March 19, 2008 09:54 AM
Mel
London
Praying for your recovery - keep trusting! Looking forward to seeing you perform in Beijing!
Posted March 27, 2008 04:40 PM
peter
ottawa
Hey Adam,
Hope you are getting better and all is well.
I sure know about pain and injuries I had a compartment syndrome in Munich and had to row with it.
Now it's two pulled neck muscles and sore ribs.
We will be ready for Beijing and we will kick but.
Take care and see you in China.
Peter
National Adaptive Rowing Team
AMx1
Posted April 1, 2008 02:29 PM