Neck spinal joints are often stiff and tender and several pressure points will be found in the upper back on the affected side. It is invariably worse with increased training levels in the boat and improves with rest. In severe cases it may interfere with sleep because of the constant ache. Rest, massage, stretching and minor alterations in technique seem to be the best treatment for this problem. In the junior rower, bones are still growing.
Long bones grow in two main segments.
One, the diaphysis, is the main shaft of the bone. Several smaller bony segments called epiphyses, grow at each end of the diaphysis and where major tendons attach to the bone. Whilst the athlete is still growing, these points of cartilage are where the growth of the skeleton takes place. They are strong, but not as strong as bone. When lifting heavy weights or undergoing heavy training loads, the repeated or excessive pull on certain epiphyses by tendons and muscles can tend to pull the epiphysis away from it s main bone.