Paddler's Palsy

To the Editor: One of us, a 40-year-old physician (C.H.R.), decided to take up white-water kayaking. After he had two hours of instruction on flat water, his thumbs and the first two fingers of both hands became numb. He attributed the symptoms to the cold. After four more hours of instruction, he awoke from sleep the following night with tingling in the thumbs and first two fingers of both hands. In the morning he could not start his car because his right hand lacked strength to turn the ignition key. He moved on to more advanced kayaking, with only mild . . .