Helping people stay active with rowing without aches and pains.
Hi, I'm Amanda Diver, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I am here to share my passion of rowing with my PT knowledge to help people live pain-free. My videos go over rowing technique and ways to prevent getting injured and be pain-free on and off the rowing machine to keep you active longer.
DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only. It is general advise and is not intended to be medical advice, nor does using it create a physical therapist-patient relationship with you. Please consult a healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis and to ensure this content and any included products are safe and appropriate for your own medical and physical condition. Stop immediately if you experience pain. The Rowing Doc makes no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this content for you. By voluntarily using this content, you assume all risks for any resulting losses, injuries, or damages.
Thank you so much! I was wondering why, after rowing, I had these small angry cramping muscles near my ankles. I always thought you were supposed to pull on the straps to get back to a knees-bent position. I'll try the strapless rowing :) --- To make sure, should I be pushing my heel downwards into the heel guard/cup to give me traction on the recovery phase?
Hi. I have been rowing for years but in the last few months I am getting serious pains on the outside of my thumbs into my wrists. I only do 3k each session. I'm glad I found your video and am going to start your exercises. Thankyou so much.
Thanks for video, I always get tailbone pain , tried a cushion then got friction burns on my butt , maybe try to start of from beginning and get a better posture first , I think too I go to fast and change positions when rowing to backwards position , cheers for video 100% informative 🙂
Hi, I want to thank you for the tips, after I watched your video I did notice a huge change of my rowing exercise, before I wasn’t able to last 5 minutes without break but now I can continue for 20min and at the same time enjoy it. Thank you again
Awe...now I see the light!! Thank you for first going through the wrong way and showing us what is happening and how to fix it! Wonderful step-by-step lesson! I am new at rowing and thought about buying bungee chords to wrap around my feet! I will try the warm-up first! Thank you!! 😆
hey great channel lots of good info for a beginner like me, i have a question. my heels are in horrible shape (i have to use dressing plaster to protect them but after 30 min of rowing i have blisters). i have changed shoes twice already, bought a training ones but still my heels cover with blister after each training :( any tips how to deal with that?
Hey. Thanks so much for the kind words. Sorry to hear about the blisters. Are they on the back of your heel or bottom part of the shoe? Do you feel your foot sliding in the shoe up and down in that area?
@@TheRowingDoc hey, thanks for replay. they're on the back, and yes my shoes are sliding, i can tighten them up but it is uncomfortable and seems to even make it worse :/ so far i just ignored the pain but since im rowing everyday after every session my blisters are back to to where the ware after last training even when i use plaster to protect them. i have bad feet when i was in the army it was my worst nightmare :) and even in very comfortable shoes they tend to blister until i walk a lot in them. i did google a bit and found silicon protection and also some ppl did advice to use baby powder but not sure about that :)
Hey. Sorry to hear that. What I mention at 3:35 in this video might be contributing. I'll add this to my list of videos to make though. Please let me know if you have other questions or this doesn't help.
I just found a row machine and how to work it and fell in love. I was having so much fun. But then after I was in so much pain. My back and neck pain after casued migraines everyday. I really hope these tips help me next time. Never thought to record myself to see my posture.
Sorry to hear about the back and neck. Is the back your upper or lower back? The tips in this video will hopefully help with the neck, but please feel free to reach out if you have questions.
I have been literally tucking the straps into my shoelaces to keep them from slipping. I had no idea I was using my toes so much! Some people at the gym said “wow my legs are so sore after that rowing workout today”, and I thought to myself “hmmm the only thing that’s sore is my calves and my lats” hahaha. Thank you for the video!
I have constant slight pain in that area which you have shown to rub the ball.. Below knee I feel the pain only when sitting on floor...even walking increases the pain.. My PT told its gastrocnemius muscel pain... Can you tell if its shin pain or something else
You could use any. Research does show that the ones that go around your chest are usually more accurate and I find with rowing, how the arms are moving, the wrist ones aren't always accurate. Polar is the gold standard brand. I'll put a link in the description.
I was recently found to have mild glenohumeral and AC joint osteoarthritis in the right shoulder. I have been using an indoor rower 3-4 times a week for typically 20 minutes for many years. Would these exercises be useful? Is there anything I should do?
Hey Andrea. Sorry to hear about the shoulder. Yes, these exercises could be helpful in addition to rowing, however depends a little on what level you are at with your shoulder. Give them a try and if they hurt or are easy, I'd adjust. This video gives a pretty well rounded grouping of exercises, so you could do more, but these are a great starting point.
Hi Ya Im finding my right ankle on the outer side hurts and than pain for a good few days after as well. I have a larger belly so my feet do tend to bend out a littel
New to rowing and my achilles have been hurting on my right leg, I’m going to give this a try as it makes total sense that this could be causing it, particular since I’m prone to it even via running. Thanks for the tip 👍
Hi, I am not sure if I have a hernia. I get pain in my left groin whenever I strain my abdomen. Recently, an ultrasound showed no sign of a hernia. Should I tolerate the mild pain and continue rowing? Thanks in advance.
Hey. Sorry to hear about your groin. Do you get the pain when you move your back like leaning forward, backwards, rotating, or sidebending? Sometimes groin pain can come from other areas like the back. It's good you've been cleared and don't have a hernia, but if there is a smaller range of motion you can row in without causing the mild pain, I'd recommend doing that rather than pushing through without knowing exactly what's going on. If it continues, I'd recommend following up with a physio or MD to make sure something isn't developing or getting worse. Good luck and hope you feel better soon.
I started rowing about a year ago. Lately I've been having shoulder pain so I did a google search and found you. Wow! Your video on shoulder pain is excellent so I subscribed and started looking at your other videos. .. and yes! My glutes burn during sprints. The exercise you show in this video is a perfect for what I need. Thank you!
Hey! Sorry to hear about the shoulder pain. I'm glad the video was helpful and thanks so much for the sub! If you have specific questions, feel free to reach out, always happy to help.
Hey Jezz. Please note this isn't medical advice since this is just on YT, but listen to your body and ease into it. If you get more pain or discomfort, stop. But yes, you should be good to start gentle, see how it goes, and increase intensity as you are able if you are cleared for activity.
thank you so much. I thought I had the wrong shoes on but now I can see that my toes were up like you show in the video. I also think the strap was coming across the wrong part of my foot. I will alter my position. Thank you again again great video.
Hello. Just found you and am experiencing the exact symptoms you described here. Could you tell me what the video is called where you go over the exercises that are helpful to deal with this? I’m having a hard time finding it. Thank you so much!!
Hey. Sorry to hear about the pain. Here's a link to a video that might help, I also put it in the description in case anyone else needs it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k_FvLxMno68.html
this is great information, thanks! I've been getting tension headaches and a tight neck since I started rowing, I'm going to try these suggestions today.
Thanks, good advice and right on the spot for me as I begin rowing at 75 years old to get exercise in spite of bone on bone knees. Keep them coming, you are really the best youtube set for getting a good start with rowing.
Thank you so so much for this. I do have a belly, but my legs are more or less normal. But it’s really helpful to know that you can still get a work out even if you don’t go all the way forward or all the way back.
Honestly, not all that motivating. ANY exercise that a couch potato does is better than none at all. I am a Pilates instructor and see people make changes for the better ALL the time.
Hey. Sorry if the video wasn’t helpful. Totally agree that any movement is better than none and I’m so happy you see people improving daily. Me too :) I was trying to help answer one persons specific question and apologies if I failed. Excited to keep seeing people improve and work on themselves however they choose to do it.
This was really helpful! I am starting rowing again after extended illness and injury that has me limited in knee and ankle strength and motion and have been struggling with figuring out adaptions. And it's just helpful to hear the reminder to go slow again :) I do have a question regarding building strength again. Is it better to increase the drag higher or increase time? I am guessing increasing drag will put more pressure on the joints, which can be good, but I'm really afraid of overloading and I'm not sure which winds up being easier on the joints overall. Longer rows at lower drag or shorter rows at higher? Is it better to work up to longer time on the machine at lower drag before increasing it or is better to do shorter rows at higher drag and work on increasing that part first? Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated!
Hey Sarah. So sorry for the delayed answer. I was on a two week vacation and just getting back. I'd recommend checking out this video about the damper setting which impacts the drag factor. I would go more for time and mixing up your rows than increasing the drag factor. Let me know if this video doesn't help or you have other questions. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FINm4t97B9U.html
@@TheRowingDoc Thanks so much. I learned the hard way that it is best to keep it lower for now. I tried increasing and it did wind up giving me more trouble... I think I'll heed your advice and just keep it low for a while longer and work more on increasing time. Thanks again. You've been a huge help!
Hey. I just did a series on hip pain that might be useful. It’s not specific to hip clicking but the concepts are for the most part interchangeable. I’ll make a hip clicking one next month for you. But to start video 1/2/3 in this might help. Start here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sHFRdMy0HTU.htmlsi=TlsGpNi9Nd6tX0wf
@@TheRowingDoc Thank you so much I just watched all of them, looking forward to trying out your suggestions and exercises. I'll keep an eye out for that video then 👀
