Tips for Fly Fishers: Prevent and Recover from Overuse Injuries

fly fishing in the PNW

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As the summer fly fishing season comes to a close, many fishermen and women may start feeling the aches and pains from repetitive casting, mending, and reeling. The neck, shoulders, elbows, and wrists take the brunt of these repetitive movements, which can lead to discomfort and overuse injuries.

There are several stretching exercises that can be done either dynamically (with movement) to prepare these body regions ahead of a long day of fishing and/or statically (while holding) to recover after the day is done. Ideally, we would all do a little of each to avoid and prevent the following common overuse conditions: neck and upper back trigger points, rotator cuff and biceps tendonitis, tennis and golfer’s elbow (really in fisher people??), and wrist strains/sprains and tendonitis.

Taking the time to prep your body for the rigors of a day on the water as well as to elongate muscles that have been working hard for you all day is as smart as “matching the hatch.”

an artistic photo capturing a fly fishing pole over the river
a man fly fishes from the bank of the river at sunset in Central Oregon

Dynamic stretching involves gently moving through stretches without holding longer than the length of an exhale and releasing the stretch for the length of an inhale, performing 5-10 total repetitions. These can also be done throughout the day if certain areas are getting tired or sore.

Static stretching involves holding the stretch movement near the end of its range of motion and breathing. Commonly, static stretches are held for 5-6 deep breaths which will take 30+ seconds. This type of stretching feels good at the end of a long day of muscle use either while still on the river, at the truck and/or before going to bed that night.

It is common to think, “These ailments will never affect me,” but the truth is the more we use our muscles and the older we get, the stiffer we can get and the less resilient we are to succumbing to the overuse pathologies mentioned earlier.

A good sequence of exercises to help starts at the neck where you gently nod your head up and down, tilt it side to side and rotate it right and left 5-10 times each.

Next, grasp the side of your head and provide overpressure from your hand in the side-bent position, exhaling as you tilt to the side and return to the center position. Doing at least 5 of these in each direction should be a good start.

Then, turn your head to one side and tuck your chin toward your collar bone while grabbing the back side of your head with the hand of the direction you have turned. Gently pull your head down and across diagonally toward your armpit. From here, gently rotate your head back and forth 5-10 times and then repeat in the other direction. 

If doing this statically, hold the stretch in the position of greatest stretch and breathe.

You can prep the shoulder in a couple of ways. You can simply pull the arm across your body as you exhale and release it on the inhale.

Additionally, you can lean up against the truck with your upper arm placed at a 90-degree angle and your elbow flexed to a 90-degree angle as well. Slowly bringing your hand/palm toward the truck as you exhale and releasing on the inhale will give you some necessary shoulder joint mobility.

Lastly, you can grab a wading staff behind your back and alternate between pulling the upper arm down and the lower arm up as you breathe and then repeat in the opposite position. You might find that one side is more limited going in one direction and vice versa. Spend a little more time in the tightest direction.

Your forearms can get an extreme workout fishing all day. Most of these muscles cross both the elbow and the wrist joints as they coordinate with each other to bend and straighten the elbow, move and stabilize the wrist as well as synchronize the dexterity of your fingers as you manipulate your rod, line, net and fish. 

Again, you can start the day by doing some dynamic stretching that includes brief overpressure from your opposite hand, forcing the wrist to bend forward and/or backward.

Because these muscles cross both the elbow and the wrist, you can also hold the wrist in position and move the elbow by bending and then straightening it.

To finish the day, allow those holds to be longer to help create length and decrease feelings of tightness.

A great idea for the wrist and elbow would also be to take “micro-breaks” throughout the day. This could include moving the wrist up/down and in circles both with the fingers bent and straight. You could also maintain wrist and elbow positions and move the entire arm up and down via the shoulder to target tightness throughout the upper extremity.

By committing a short bit of time prior to hitting the water, throughout the day in forms of “micro-breaks” and afterward as a recovery tool, you can help minimize the risk of developing overuse injuries in the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist. Once these injuries start and linger, they are difficult to resolve, especially if you continue doing the activities that may have caused them in the first place and currently aggravate them.

If you are struggling to diminish the symptoms and you are missing out on further fishing opportunities and other activities you love, physical therapy can help guide you by offering additional treatment options outside of stretching to help you get back at it again.

PT Chris Cooper shows off his catch after a day of fly fishing.

Don't let overuse injuries keep you off the water.

Schedule an appointment with a physical therapist today to prevent or recover from pain and stay at your best for your next fishing adventure!

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