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FLY-FISHING may look serene and peaceful, but it can produce aches and pains
matching those typical of rougher sports. Keith Berend, an orthopaedic surgeon
at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, surveyed 131 fly-fishing
enthusiasts and found that more than two-thirds had lower-back pain. A smaller
proportion had wrist, elbow or shoulder pain, he told last week’s annual meeting
of the Southern Orthopedic Association in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. Berend blames
the repetitive motion needed to keep the fly dancing on the water like a live
insect. To make matters worse, many anglers overburden themselves with gear and
are unfit. By analysing fly-fishers in slow motion, Berend hopes to work out
techniques that minimise pain without sacrificing the catch.