How do I avoid damaging my knees when hiking in a dinghy?

TTT Yachting Medicine answer...

A newly formed group of healthcare specialists, whose focus with TTT is to provide specific and appropriate advice and treatment to the sailing market. All three partners are experienced racing sailors in their own right. Timo Malinen is a qualified Chiropractor and Physiotherapist from the University of Glamorgan and Tampere College of Healthcare Finland, respectively. He most recently was the Medical Coordinator for the Volvo Ocean Race and the representive for the Medical Advisory Committee during the Race. Tim Spalding is an Orthopaedic Consultant at Coventry Hospital. This means he knows an awful lot about bones and joints and specialises in knees, a common problem for sailors. His current active research area is the prevention of offshore yachting injuries. Tim has been Medical Advisor to the Volvo/Whitbread Race since 1989. Mark 'Tommo' Tomson is a GP. He specialises in providing on board medical kits and has been Medical Advisor to top racing teams such as Kingfisher, ENZA and Royal Sun Alliance. Tommo has been Medical Advisor for the Whitbread/Volvo Race for over 10 years.

Tom Greig asks:
I would like to know if there are any particular exercises you can do to prevent the problems with knees, which is happening among lots of dingy sailors when hiking.

Everyone says that to, "hike in a dingy you have to be fit", is this true? When I hike I do not have the same pain or breathing pattern, as when I run for example. It’s more of a "lactic acid", pain sensation. Does this mean I need to be fitter or stronger and how the best why to overcome this.



Tom

In your short question you managed to raise quite a few different points:

It is true that Lactic acid built up is common in dinghy sailors' thigh muscles. This is due to the nature of hiking activity. Your muscles tend to work Isometrically which means that they do not contract nor lengthen as they would do if you were straightening and flexing your knee. The muscle squeezes tight for a long period and has poor blood supply as end result.

Some research suggests that dinghy sailors are very fit with their cardio-vascular system and this is good. However it is not the only important thing.

It appears that most hikers also have strong thigh muscles in the front (quadriceps) but often not as strong muscles at the back (hamstrings) of the thigh. This may result in muscle imbalance between the two and cause knee problems.

To improve hiking ability (= keep on hiking) a very useful thing would be to increase the strength, muscle balance and endurance. This muscle balance should cover the whole body, not your legs only!

The exercises should include long sets with high number of repetitions to increase the endurance, however to increase the strength the resistance must be big enough. For the thighs this would be knee bending and straightening exercises.

It is very beneficial for you to find a good sports physio or a trainer who would help you to make sure you perform the exercises correctly and get the most out of them!

Hope this helps you and good luck with your sailing!
TTT

Important note: This medical advice is offered as only an opinion and does not constitute a diagnosis or a recommended course of treatment. The opinion offered above is bound by the terms and conditions of www.thedailysail.com.

Got a question that's burning a hole in your hull? Ask the Experts!