For the past few years, kayaking has been a sport in which interest is growing rapidly. However, as an increasing number of athletes and recreational athletes engage in this activity, so does the percentage of injuries grows. The main goal of this paper is to show the most common injuries among paddlers, the mechanisms of their occurrence in order to better prepare and prevent. Through insight into previous research on the topic of injuries in kayakers, the emphasis is placed on the upper body, mostly on the shoulder. The cause of these injuries is attributed by most authors to improper rowing technique, muscle asymmetry, blows to various objects or objects on the water and excessive performance that leads to fatigue, and eventually to the possibility of injury. The shoulder is a major component in performing hand movements in totality. As it is the most mobile joint in the body, kayakers often test it, leading to risky positions for injury. The shoulder muscles that are most injured are the rotator cuffs (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor), which connect the scapula to the upper arm. Due to the constructions of the shoulder joint and the action of external forces, the articular bodies of the humerus (upper arm bone) and the scapula (shoulder blade) separate, causing dislocation of the shoulder. There are several external and internal factors that affect the potential injury of a kayakers. To reduce it, it is important to perform preventive actions such as better information, better warm-up, improvement of technique and dosing the amount of training, which is especially difficult for elite athletes.