Need paddle advice

[erdvm1]

Have a shoulder injury and am going to change paddles to help the cause. I'm looking for a paddle with some flex that people find works great for creeking primarily. I'd be willing to buy a separate paddle for play. I've only used straight shaft up until now but am willing to use anything. All opinions are appreciated

[Don]

shoulder problems and creeking. There are a bunch of good flexing paddles on the market. Seven2, AT Flexi AT2, and any wood paddle (Mitchell or Jimi Stix). But, they might not be the best for creeking. (stay away from carbon shafts*) *Seven2 has a Carbon shaft, but it's thinner and has great flex to it.

Your best option may be to stay away from kinetic shaped blades. Staying away from a play style blade, where the widest part of the blade is on the tip of the paddle. A Play blade grabs the bulk of it's resistance as soon as you put it in the water, which is as far from the body as it can reach.

Go with something with a more traditional blade shape. This will bring to power face of the blade closer to the body before it reacts with the water. The closer to can keep your hands to the shoulders the less of a chance for re-injury. Think about a Werner Freestyle shape, or an AT Zen/ River/ ATX blade.

Good luck and hope this helps.