"Sleepy" Leg

Question - been trying out a few OC1's and regardless of canoe, my left leg goes numb pretty fast. Like painfully fast. I was out yesterday and it happened again. I thought it was because the ama wasn't 'heavy' enough. Being still very new I'm still nervous about huli. This was a Storm so super light. I figured I was leaning left to much, so the adjustment to the ama would allow me to sit more straight up and new lean my hips to the left.

Felt better for a short time, then still the left leg fell asleep. When that happens I can't steer.

Then I recognized/remembered that my left leg is a tiny bit short than the right. I noticed this because the right heel was pressing a bit more in the footwell than the left. Wondering if all these combinations could add up to left leg going to sleep. Wondering if anyone here has experienced this and how they fixed it. Wondering if adding a little 'shim' to balance out my heels sit would also help?

I know this is a lot of info, hope it makes sense, but I really don't want to drop $$$$ on a canoe and had it not be fun to paddle. I've never had this happen racing/paddling my SUP or in an OC6. On my SUP both feet can get numb, but that's typically because of water temp.

Thanks!!!

Submitted by bsmart on Sun, 06/22/2014 - 8:27am



Hi bsmart.

Actually it is due to the concentrate compression on your left butt. You must bear in mind that besides limiting blood flow, you are also compressing you sciatic nerve.
I know this sucks. I have also experienced it. This dsconfort steals all the pleasure of the paddling. I would suggest:
- try to improve your balance so you can spread the load between your right and left butts. Do not be afraid of hulling. Find a place with flat waters where you feel confortable and practice.
- try to change the position of the bench. Your knees should be bended at aprox. 135 deg. It would release some of the load.
- Another tip would be to use some kind of cushion. It helps to postpone the numbness. But not avoid it.

In summary, focus on the balance. The pilates ball is a good off water training. Try to stay sit without touching the feet on the floor. In very short time you will see results.

Do not give up.

Hope it helps.

Cheers


#1 Sun, 06/22/2014 - 4:22pm


I had the same problem for the first couple of months in an OC1. A doctor that I paddled with suggested modifying the seat by shaving down the back support thickness and hollowing out the bottom cheek area a bit. Cured the problem immediately.

Lee


#2 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 7:19am


Thanks for the input, this is all really great info! Glad (??) to read that others have experienced this but more importantly found ways to fix the issue! Right now I'm demoing as many canoe as I can to find the best one for me. Once done then I can focus on the balance and getting the fit right!!


#3 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 8:44am


Aiken,

Can you explain in again what you mean by shaving the back down and hollowing out the bottom check?
Maybe a picture of your seat?

Thanks

Joel


#4 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 10:07am


I think what Aiken means is shaving down the one side, but I could be wrong.


#5 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 12:50pm


pad the seat. Paddle more on right side. also make sure you are back enough so you can still put good pressure on your heal as part of your pull. If too far forward in the canoe, bad balance which can add to left leg pain, too far back, not enough pressure on your heal and then lower back will hurt. This is a hard sport but once you get it , it so far fun being on the water!


#6 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 1:01pm


the reality is that you will not find a oc-1 that this will not happen.It happens because you are not used to it.After paddling a few times it will go away because you got used to the canoe and the balance,you are now comfortable,and can sit straighter without leaning so much on the ama side.Change canoes,it will happen again until you get used to that one.the more you paddle it,the faster it will go away.Like Mrs 1000 said,always check the angle of your legs,we go about a closed fist distance between behind your knee and the top of the canoe.This does not happen on a 6 person canoe because you are not individually controlling the balance like on a oc-1.It doesn't even happen to me on a V-1,even without a padded seat, probably because i don't need to control it with my feet.Anyone else experience the same,not getting numb with a V-1?


#7 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 6:35pm


Ok, thanks again for all the advice. Yes, still shopping/deciding on the.......'right' canoe. I'm really glad I posted this question here! Never ever would have though about the bend in the knee angle. fun to learn new stuff.


#8 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 7:54pm


What will eventually happen the more you paddle is you will "paddle off your blade". It will be your balance aid and "second rudder" and you will subconsciously use it for that purpose during the normal paddle stroke especially on the non Ama side. Buy the canoe you like, go with what feels right to you, your gut instinct and then paddle as much as you can. It's a voyage of discovery.


#9 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 8:29pm


I believe that what Aiken said about hollowing the bottom cheek could be something like this: http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com.br/2007/03/about-my-single-outrigger-c... .


#10 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 10:26pm


Yep, but I would hold off any seat mods until after you have paddled the canoe for some time.


#11 Mon, 06/23/2014 - 11:33pm


Wow!! Again, thank you all for such help! This all great information that seems to point that this issue can be fixed. I will keep on trying canoes but think I know which one I will be searching for soon enough. Thanks Rambo for the tip on'discovery' too! I'm finding that OC paddling have a lot of learning and technique involved which appeals to my critical side, just can't let it outshine the fun factor!!


#12 Tue, 06/24/2014 - 5:25am


q

Hi,
Everyone assumes you're a novice and all your problems arise from leaning to the left. Maybe so, let me offer the minority opinion. I, like you, have one leg shorter (left side) than the other. I pad the left footwell to compensate and it fixes most everything. My hips are squarer to the canoe, I can drive off both legs equally during the stroke, my left leg stopped going numb and it takes longer for my butt to get sore. The back of my thighs were touching the seat so I sanded that part of the seat down just a little to relieve pressure. That helped too.


#13 Thu, 07/03/2014 - 12:20pm


Thank you G. I was thinking about that too, padding once I finally found a canoe I liked. So far the Scorpious seems to fit the bill, but just did a short race on a Pueo and no issues there. It was a SHORT race.

Thanks for the input, it's appreciated.


#14 Sun, 07/06/2014 - 6:17pm


Picked up a buddies XM w a Huki seat. It's like a Barca-lounger! Have noticed that I don't get the sleepy leg in this canoe, probably the main reason I bought (other that it was local and available). Now I'm curious about leg extension (??) angle/distance for best performance. Some say knees more bent, some say more straight. Or, does this just come down to messing around with seat fore and aft and seeing what feels best? Would some GPS work help? Thanks.


#15 Mon, 03/30/2015 - 1:41pm


Numbness? Been eating much in the way of reef fish? Could be ciguatera.


#16 Mon, 03/30/2015 - 1:54pm


YankeeHookele - No reef fish here as I'm in the PacNorWest!! Salmon, cod, etc. I know it's leaning Ama side and having the ama heavy while I'm learning. Messed around with seat distance last night, and ama 'weight'. Also learning to be centered in the canoe.


#17 Thu, 04/02/2015 - 8:54am


Please register or login to post a comment.

Page loaded in 0.289 seconds.