Numb legs
 

Help , I hope this is a common complaint that can be easily resolved !
I have been an open boater for about 3 years with several long trips under
my belt. Recently , I have developed an interest in sea kayaking . The
problem being that after about 25 mins my right foot starts to go numb , 10
mins later my whole leg goes numb followed shortly by my left foot !!
As you might imagine , this causes extreme displeasure and is putting me off
kayaking .
I have never had this problem canoeing , even from a whole day's paddling .
Is there anything I can do to eliminate this ? Is there a specific seat
available that might help ? Does it come from lower back , buttock or
trapped nerve ?
I have spoken to other people who have had similar problems and they have
just stopped paddling !!

Help . If not , P&H Dawn Treader for sale , excellent condition :(

Mike.

"mspenz" wrote in message
...
Help , I hope this is a common complaint that can be easily resolved !
I have been an open boater for about 3 years with several long trips under
my belt. Recently , I have developed an interest in sea kayaking . The
problem being that after about 25 mins my right foot starts to go numb ,
10
mins later my whole leg goes numb followed shortly by my left foot !!

From what I have read from other posts here is that this is mainly due to
either the foot peg adjustments and/or the way you are seated. Possible
solutions mentioned were adjusting the foot pedals or repadding (or
replacing) the seat. I would first try different foot peg adjustemnts and
if none work try changing the seating. I know that when I sit in my boat
(it's design is meant for someone a little bigger then I) correctly (ie: my
knees braced) my thighs are elevated from the seat which causes discomfort
similar, but not as extreme, as what you feel after a period of time. I am
going to try adding some padding to the seat to help support my thighs.

"Don Freeman" writes:
From what I have read from other posts here is that this is mainly due to
either the foot peg adjustments and/or the way you are seated. Possible
solutions mentioned were adjusting the foot pedals or repadding (or
replacing) the seat. I would first try different foot peg adjustemnts and
if none work try changing the seating. I know that when I sit in my boat
(it's design is meant for someone a little bigger then I) correctly (ie: my
knees braced) my thighs are elevated from the seat which causes discomfort
similar, but not as extreme, as what you feel after a period of time. I am
going to try adding some padding to the seat to help support my thighs.

Consider adding knee blocks instead of adjusting the seat. If the seat
angle is too high, that can cause numbness. Knee blocks and maybe even
additional thigh padding is more easily configured to precisely where you
need it.

--
Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal
that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they
ought to be.

This is the common problem.
None of the remedies described above help much.

1. You need a kayak with higher deck to let you bend legs at the knees more.
It might not be much better, because with higher deck you might get a
real clunker - big and heavy expedition style kayak.

2. Another option is "open cockpit" racing kayak like West Side Boat Shop
or Nelo. You probably never heard of them.
These are fast and tippy (18" wide) kayaks - not good for a beginner.

3. Surf ski is another knee - friendly craft. They are "sit on top" style.
Those are even tippier than kayaks.

Kayaks were invented by generally small people for specific tasks
and do not suit all the people.

Modern forward paddling stroke technique generally requires you to
seat with your knees up and torso unobstructed for rotation so
most of the kayaks that would feel comfortable for you are built
for racing.

I had the same problem and abandoned "sit in" kayaks if favor of
surf ski and never felt any numbness or even tension ever since.

Serge wrote:
This is the common problem.
None of the remedies described above help much.

1. You need a kayak with higher deck to let you bend legs at the knees more.
It might not be much better, because with higher deck you might get a
real clunker - big and heavy expedition style kayak.

2. Another option is "open cockpit" racing kayak like West Side Boat Shop
or Nelo. You probably never heard of them.
These are fast and tippy (18" wide) kayaks - not good for a beginner.

3. Surf ski is another knee - friendly craft. They are "sit on top" style.
Those are even tippier than kayaks.

Kayaks were invented by generally small people for specific tasks
and do not suit all the people.

Modern forward paddling stroke technique generally requires you to
seat with your knees up and torso unobstructed for rotation so
most of the kayaks that would feel comfortable for you are built
for racing.

I had the same problem and abandoned "sit in" kayaks if favor of
surf ski and never felt any numbness or even tension ever since.

While it's possible that these ideas may help, they are by no means the
only solutions. There are MANY ways to paddle a kayak and having your
knees bent IS NOT mandatory. Greenland technique uses relatively
straight legs and works every bit as well and modern techniques. It's
also quite comfortable for many people. Similarly, large or open
cockpits are not only NOT necessary, many people find small ocean
cockpits to be more comfortable and far more supportive. It's easier to
get good knee/thigh contact with the boat when you don't have a huge
hole in the deck. It's also nearly impossible to fall out of the boat
unless you want to.

Here are a couple suggestions:

- Reposition your foot pegs so that you can fully straighten your legs
if you want to. You can still brace simply by flexing your feet forward
against the pegs, but you're not wedged in place uncomfortably.

- Consider replacing the seat with a custom made foam seat. It's easy to
do in most boats and typically makes a huge difference in comfort. You
can make the seat with as much support as you need and whatever angle is
comfortable for you. One simple method is shown in some of my Webshots
albums at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom

Thanks for all the help. I have just discovered that I have been in the
early stages of a flu like illness. My arms and back are now starting to
ache ! This has probably been exagerrating the leg problem as well . I'll
wait a couple of weeks and try some of the suggestions :)
wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 19:15:48 GMT, "Don Freeman"
wrote:


"mspenz" wrote in message
...
Help , I hope this is a common complaint that can be easily resolved !
I have been an open boater for about 3 years with several long trips
under
my belt. Recently , I have developed an interest in sea kayaking . The
problem being that after about 25 mins my right foot starts to go numb
,
10
mins later my whole leg goes numb followed shortly by my left foot !!

I have an old boat with multiple foot positions possible. Perhaps you
can buy some new foot braces and insert them to be able to change
positions easily.

My boat has 5 positions for each foot through fixed fiberglass riffles
for foot braces rather than fancy metal pedals. I'm happier with it
that way.

I had this problem, the few times I've spent a lot of time in a
particular kayak (Dagger Vortex). After I'd get numb, I'd wiggle out,
stretch for 5 minutes, than the rest of the day I was okay. Other
kayaks, I have not had this trouble. But I haven't spent much time in
other ww kayaks. I prefer open boat.

-Dan V.

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 18:57:20 +0000 (UTC), "mspenz"
wrote:

Help , I hope this is a common complaint that can be easily resolved !
I have been an open boater for about 3 years with several long trips under
my belt. Recently , I have developed an interest in sea kayaking . The
problem being that after about 25 mins my right foot starts to go numb , 10
mins later my whole leg goes numb followed shortly by my left foot !!
As you might imagine , this causes extreme displeasure and is putting me off
kayaking .
I have never had this problem canoeing , even from a whole day's paddling .
Is there anything I can do to eliminate this ? Is there a specific seat
available that might help ? Does it come from lower back , buttock or
trapped nerve ?
I have spoken to other people who have had similar problems and they have
just stopped paddling !!

Help . If not , P&H Dawn Treader for sale , excellent condition :(

Mike.

Don Freeman wrote:

: "mspenz" wrote in message
: ...
: Help , I hope this is a common complaint that can be easily resolved !
: I have been an open boater for about 3 years with several long trips under
: my belt. Recently , I have developed an interest in sea kayaking . The
: problem being that after about 25 mins my right foot starts to go numb ,
: 10
: mins later my whole leg goes numb followed shortly by my left foot !!

: From what I have read from other posts here is that this is mainly due to
: either the foot peg adjustments and/or the way you are seated. Possible
: solutions mentioned were adjusting the foot pedals or repadding (or
: replacing) the seat. I would first try different foot peg adjustemnts and
: if none work try changing the seating. I know that when I sit in my boat
: (it's design is meant for someone a little bigger then I) correctly (ie: my
: knees braced) my thighs are elevated from the seat which causes discomfort
: similar, but not as extreme, as what you feel after a period of time. I am
: going to try adding some padding to the seat to help support my thighs.

Hmmm, i bought one of those little gel seat things, it's pretty comfy for
relatively long trips.

--
John Nelson
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