Fishing may not seem like a sport that has a high injury rate, but surprisingly, there are some common fishing injuries. Especially here in South Florida, where fishermen are reeling in monster fish such as wahoo, tarpon, sailfish, mahi-mahi, and more.
Of course, there are the commonly thought of fishing injuries such as a rogue fishhook, a fish bite, slipping on a wet dock, sunburn, and being caught on the water in a dangerous storm. Additionally, among the most common injuries suffered by sport and commercial fishermen are hand and wrist overuse injuries, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder injuries, and biceps tendonitis.
Just like overuse injuries can occur in sports such as baseball and golf, the repetitive motions of casting and reeling can damage the joints and tendons in the wrist. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, numbness, and weakness, and treatments range from exercise to surgery based on the severity and debilitating nature of the injury. If pain is causing a disruption in your daily life, it’s time to see an orthopedic specialist.s
Depending on the severity of the injury, orthopedic surgeons use a range of interventions for overuse injuries such as splints, physical or occupational therapy, medication and steroid or cortisone injections, and in severe cases, surgery.
Despite its name, tennis elbow affects a much larger population than tennis players. The main sufferers are men between 35-50 who use repetitive motions in their wrists and elbows such as weight lifters, golfers, fishermen, painters, and baseball players.
Characterized by pain, tenderness, redness and swelling on the outside of the elbow as well as stiffness, weakness in hands and wrists and numbness and tingling in fingers, tennis elbow is highly treatable through rest, NSAIDs, physical therapy, braces, steroid injections, and shock wave therapy. In fact, between 80-95% of patients find relief through non-surgical treatments.
Other common fishing injuries are shoulder pain and injury. In a study of upper extremity pain in fly-fishermen, results showed that 50% of participants suffered from shoulder pain and some had experienced rotator cuff tears and injuries. There are many orthopedic interventions to repair torn rotator cuffs and get fishermen back in their boats quickly.