FLY FISHING AND SHOULDER PAIN

It has been well-documented that fly fishermen have an above 50% incidence of shoulder pain. This work was done by Dr. Tim Mc Cue when he surveyed 577 fly casting instructors. These instructors also shared that in addition to their own shoulder pain, many of their clients also had shoulder pain. Appropriate fly fishing technique obviously requires tremendous use of the shoulder and can be painful. This pain is worse when they are at the top of their cast, casting forward. Also the fact that the age of fly fishermen being primarily above 35 is also likely a contributor, as shoulder pain is such a common problem in those over 35. Keep in mind that the incidence of shoulder pain in the population is about 25% at any given time amongst adults.

Recently there has been a new development in shoulder pain treatment that involves a noninvasive, conservative approach. Currently, physical therapy is good for shoulder pain. Unfortunately many people will experience a return of shoulder pain after they graduate from their physical therapy regimens. There is a new product out called RotatoReliever that is an at-home treatment system for the shoulder. This product is exciting and has tremendous research behind it.

The RotatoReliever is starting to gain traction in the fly fishing community and in fact the author of the paper, Dr. Tim McQue, has endorsed the product and believes it is very viable for this population. Recent fly fishermen who got better include a gentleman by the name of Charles Jones from Niles, Michigan. He is active in his local fly fishing chapter. He was able to return to fly fishing after a several-month hiatus due to shoulder pain when he used the RotatoReliever. He remains excited about it, and he believes that it allowed him to avoid surgery and kept him on the river catching fish. This product can be further researched at RotatoReliever.com.