The most common injuries in rowing are to the shoulder, elbow and lower back. These are all caused by repetitive motion and overuse. Shoulder injuries are the most common, followed by elbow injuries. Lower back pain is also a common problem for rowers.
Shoulder injuries can include rotator cuff tendinitis or bursitis, impingement syndrome and labral tears. Elbow injuries can include tendonitis or epicondylitis (tennis elbow). Both of these types of injuries can be very painful and limit your ability to train properly. Lower back pain is often caused by poor posture and muscular imbalances. It can also be aggravated by the rowing motion itself.
To prevent these types of injuries, it’s important to warm up properly before training sessions and to cool down afterwards. Strengthening exercises for the shoulders, elbows and lower back muscles will also help to reduce your risk of injury. If you do start to experience pain in any of these areas, it’s important to seek treatment from a physiotherapist or sports doctor as soon as possible so that you can get back on the water safely.