Single handing and injury

[thinwater]

... I do some single handing and I was thinking about what I would have (or should) done if was alone. I could "drive" around and try to attract some attention..Get on the radio to see if I could get some help. Probably would have gone off channel a bit and toss an anchor over as it's only 15' deep and I have a light Danforth I could use. Then reassess...All you single handers ever think about what you'd do in an injurious situation?????

I've had my back do that a number of times on shore and twice out sailing. It is often debilitatnig to the point where getting up off the floor / deck takes 15 minutes.

Case one on boat. Was off shore with teenage daughter. She sailed for about 12 hours into harbor. I was able to give some dirrection from the bunk, but that's about it. What if I had been alone? It was fair weather and I woud have simply headed out a bit more. It mostly passed in 2 days. The causative lift (convertable berth) has been redseigned to eliminate the lift.

Case two on a boat. Pulled it while raising anchor, alone. Solution? I put the anchor back down. Cause? I yanked on something stupidly in the early morning without any warm up. My windlass was being fussy. Still, I could have worked with it, as I was in no hurry. Since then, I up-graded to a better windlass.

Singlehanders need to be careful. Plan every move. Since you have only yourself, the weather, and the boat to consider, you should be clear headed; no crew distraction.

 

[Ross]

For anchor hauling now I wear a back brace.

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Mark,

As usual, i may be alittle late on this thread, but your problem hits close to home.

I CAN tell you from my chronic back problems, since you DID NOTsay you had leg pains, it sounds like your Lumbar region has had a jolt.

If having no history of lower back problems, it just may be a nerve/disc pinch. To be on the safe side, ONLY an MRI will confirm this. I don't know your age, but I've dealt with this condition for over 30 years.

I did find out that my chronic problems were the result of playing sports for years. The opinion thus far is to staying healthy is to be active.

That being said, this form of physical activity may also resulted in your pain. I've always believed that WORKING a sailboat can fix back problems & many have scoffed at this, but we are all different). At least, for me this applies.

This of course may not apply to others. I've had days I couldn't stand up straight and had to crawl onto my boat in excrutiating pain. Luckily for me, by the end of the day, I felt fine.

The crux of the bisquit is that you need to know upfront what caused this. If not having a history of back pain, maybe you just tweaked it. People without a history of back problems find that something just "TILTED" and after a small amount of time, found that it cured itself.

If unsure, an MRI will tell all all pal...

CR

 

[anchorclanker]

A person can get hurt anytime. There really isnt any way to guess when it could occur, all we can do is try to prepare ourselves as best we are able. Exercising our back, actually doing back specific exercises to strengthen our pelvis, can go a long ways toward keeping our back fit and functioning. And the same for the rest of our body, being semi fit will semi protect us.

Outside of that, preparing for emergencies before we head out the door to our car, motorcycle, boat, will also offer some protection.

But there will never, ever be enough protection and preparedness to fully protect us from harm. So I do the best i'm able, do my best not to worry and be fearful, ask for Gods protection, and plow forward. The only other alternative is to stay in the house and tremble with fear.

 

[LuzSD]

Yep, always have handheld right there next to me at the wheel, ALWAYS!!! And always have it on.
I do not have my cellphone in the cockpit but maybe I should!

Worst thing about backs is they don't usually give much warning, they just go.... So you have my sympathies... They go out in seconds and take so long to heal, good luck on yours!

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Anchor,

You nailed it pal. There usually is no warning beforehand. What I have found over the years, is that a leg or a back injury in the WILD can be costly. Also falling overboard doesn't help. I say, stay in shape, for some, warmup beforehand, and make sure whatever your problem is, you have a way to call for help.

CR

 

[Mark Maulden]

Went to Doc/Physical Therapist today. Had x-rays taken (no MRI) and my "bones etc" are excellent for a 59 1/2 yr old. No pains down the legs. With all the poking/prodding, the prognosis is that I have a deep muscle sprain. A session of deep massage/ultrasound has improved it immensely and more tomorrow. This happened toward the end of the day so it's not like there was no "warm up". Standing at the helm and turning to uncleat the painter, I probably twisted such that "something" caught and caused a sprain. As stated above, I'm probably going to think about those kind of moves and step around instead of twisting. And, no, this is not going to keep me from single handing.