Does anyone suffer from swollen and tingling sensation in their fingers after sailing for 2 successive days? I am 56 and it may be a by-product of age but I'll be damned if I am giving up sailing Lasers.
I first experienced it a couple of years ago after about the 3rd day at Rick White's seminar. My roommate said he had the same problem and our solution was to lay in bed face down with each hand sumberged in buckets of water and ice. The tingling would wake you in the middle of the night and by the following week the finger tips had swollen so much that the outer layers of skin would crack and peel. Eventually the symptom went away.
It happened again 2 weekends ago after sailing a regatta in Bristol and the next day frost biting in Newport. Sure enough wakes me up Sunday and Monday nights and for most of last week - tingling in fingers, numb little finger tips, and then last Sunday frost biting at Cottage Park in Boston and little fingers swollen and slightly numb.
I use full fingers gloves but they of course have no padding and small diameter mainsheet (Rooster) which I know from talking with occupational therapists is a sure formula for problems.
I was going to go see a physical therapist to see if there were some exercises I could do to ?? strengthen my grip if that is the issue but before I go that route I thought I would ask you folks.
I saw my regular doctor today for it and he said it may also be a matter of building more flexibility in my tendons and slowly building those elements up. He ruled out any evidence of carpal tunnel syndrome. Part of the problem may be that Laser saiilng is NOT something I have been doing since a teenager so my body is trying to perform at top level but hasn't built up to it gradually.
Any ideas, exercise suggestions, equipment changes? A larger mainsheet has the obvious performance drawbacks. Padded full finger gloves ? do they exist? Be more macho? If I see a P.T. and get a solution I'll post it on the forum for others
I first experienced it a couple of years ago after about the 3rd day at Rick White's seminar. My roommate said he had the same problem and our solution was to lay in bed face down with each hand sumberged in buckets of water and ice. The tingling would wake you in the middle of the night and by the following week the finger tips had swollen so much that the outer layers of skin would crack and peel. Eventually the symptom went away.
It happened again 2 weekends ago after sailing a regatta in Bristol and the next day frost biting in Newport. Sure enough wakes me up Sunday and Monday nights and for most of last week - tingling in fingers, numb little finger tips, and then last Sunday frost biting at Cottage Park in Boston and little fingers swollen and slightly numb.
I use full fingers gloves but they of course have no padding and small diameter mainsheet (Rooster) which I know from talking with occupational therapists is a sure formula for problems.
I was going to go see a physical therapist to see if there were some exercises I could do to ?? strengthen my grip if that is the issue but before I go that route I thought I would ask you folks.
I saw my regular doctor today for it and he said it may also be a matter of building more flexibility in my tendons and slowly building those elements up. He ruled out any evidence of carpal tunnel syndrome. Part of the problem may be that Laser saiilng is NOT something I have been doing since a teenager so my body is trying to perform at top level but hasn't built up to it gradually.
Any ideas, exercise suggestions, equipment changes? A larger mainsheet has the obvious performance drawbacks. Padded full finger gloves ? do they exist? Be more macho? If I see a P.T. and get a solution I'll post it on the forum for others