Mending Fly Fishermen and Women with Pilates and Neuromuscular Massage

Have you missed a day out on the river because of shoulder, elbow, or wrist pain?

Balancing on logs, slippery rocks, and steep inclines makes it easy to miss that honey hole, and casting through the pain often means you barely notice until the fun's over. At Pila-Teas, we're a boutique massage and Pilates studio built to help anglers keep up with their goals. I've been fishing in Colorado and Mexico with my dad since I was six. After years of school and years of fishing, I developed a fly fishing treatment protocol using Pilates and massage called Mending Fly Fishermen. As a licensed neuromuscular therapist, a certified Pilates instructor, and an MRI technologist, I have the training to tune up your casting arm and get your posture and proprioception on point.

Why does fly fishing cause shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries?

Fly fishing is a high velocity, repetitive, overhand sport, which makes it a setup for injury. It calls for a fluid throwing motion in both forward and backward directions, not unlike the movement pattern on a Pilates reformer. Throwing a cast repeatedly puts real stress on the body, and it's easy to end up with what we pros call an overuse injury. Pilates and massage together can strengthen and relax the muscles most at risk, which helps prolong and enhance your season.

What are the most common fly fishing injuries?

• Falls from slippery rocks, heavy gear, or swift water

• Lacerations to the hand or arm

• Repetitive motion injuries in the shoulder, elbow, and hand

• Lower back pain

The shoulder is a complex joint, plenty of range of motion, not much stability, and it's prone to injury. That can trickle down into the arm and even cause neck tension. A doctor might use terms like impingement syndrome, rotator cuff strain, angler's elbow (yes, that's a real thing), or tendonitis of the wrist known as DeQuervain's.

You might feel it when lifting your arm overhead or behind your back, flicking your elbow, or noticing your grip start to weaken. Impingement syndrome and rotator cuff strain happen when the bone in your upper arm presses against the acromion of your scapula, pinching the nerves and tissue between them, often from the repeated overhead motion of long casting and the force it takes to get your line out further.

Other techniques, mending, high sticking, setting the hook hard, can bring on angler's elbow too, a repetitive overhead motion that leads to swelling and inflammation where the extensor tendon meets the elbow. That can mean weak grip strength, pain, or a burning feeling on the outside of the elbow. Wrist flicking has its own risks, tendonitis and carpal tunnel among them.

What can anglers do during the off-season?

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation help in the moment, but what actually gets you stronger and more mobile, pain-free, going into next season? Pilates and massage. [Book now]

What happens in a Mending Fly Fishing session?

Mending for fly fishing is a one-on-one appointment in a safe, clean space. This protocol can also work in a group setting depending on location, or from the comfort of your own home over Zoom, we recommend a few props to get the most out of that experience. Expect a brief history intake before we move into the studio equipment. I've got a full setup, three reformers, a Cadillac, a Pilates chair, and a massage table, plus a traditional dry sauna that runs up to 170 degrees for your use before or after treatment (note: Sauna is no longer available at Pila-Teas Studio). Your Pilates session is tailored to your needs and ability, and your massage will target your specific pain. Think of it like a physical therapy appointment, some movement, some manual therapy, real progress, and a better season ahead. There's magic in movement, and movement is medicine. You can visit pilateas.studio for current services and booking.

Additional Reading

Overuse Injuries in Fly Fishing: Recognition and Injury Prevention, Seth L. Sherman, MD, Taylor Ray, BS, and Mark F. Sherman, MD, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, https://imis.sportsmed.org/