Stay hydrated during a workout by drinking two 8-ounce (250ml) glasses of water 1 hour before. If you wait until you're thirsty - it's already too late!
Swimming and Shoulder Injuries in Women
Ladies, the biggest source of swimming injuries is the shoulder. Butterfly swimming is considered the stroke most likely to cause injury, with Freestyle (otherwise known as Front Crawl) coming second.
The shoulder is a very complex piece of anatomy. So if you have hurt your shoulder, it can be quite difficult for professionals to diagnose exactly which muscle has been injured. If your shoulder is hurting while you swim, it's best to decrease or temporarily stop the exercise that's hurting. You should consider staying away from the pool for at least a week or two.
Ask yourself what you might have been doing to cause pain; have you had a sudden increase in training distance or intensity? Keep increases in workload to less than 10% per week.
Are you using only one stroke during your workout? You will gain more from cross training with other strokes.
We are often taught to 'reach and roll' when we put our hands in the water to start our pull. Might you be reaching too far and over-rotating, crossing over in freestyle when pulling? Don't over-stretch your shoulders in an attempt to increase the range of your stroke. Instead, back off a little and start your pull before your arm is fully extended. You might feel you are short-stroking a little bit, but the difference is slight.
Do you use hand paddles? Stop. Paddles put a great deal of unnatural pressure on your shoulders and you likely don't really need them. Any use of hand paddle training devices while injured can add to a swimmer's problems. Most paddles will cause shoulder problems, given time. Instead, use leg fins so you can start going through the motions of your armstroke without much effort.
Concentrate on improving your leg action. Emphasize a steady, even kick to take pressure off your shoulders. As mentioned above, try fins for a while.
One of the most important things in stroke technique, when it comes to freestyle and avoiding shoulder injuries is to bend your elbows underwater during the pull. This is proper form and will keep you from putting your shoulder in an awkward position that leads to problems. You still want to roll your body, but instead of initiating the roll with your shoulders, snap your hips.
If you breathe to only one side, you will develop the muscles more on one side than the other. This could cause a shoulder problem. To avoid lop-sided strength, ensure you use bilateral (on both sides) breathing in your workouts.
You're Now In Rehab. If you have a shoulder injury, according to the Mayo Clinic; initially consider use of an ice-pack (cryotherapy). Later, change to contrasting treatments of moist heat and an ice-pack, twice per day. Ensure you see your doctor if pain continues.
Special Exercises. Employ pain-free isometric and elastic cord exercises with low resistance and a high number of repetitions two to three times daily. Using a 'theraband' or surgical tubing for some light resistance exercises can help in your rehabilitation. Exercises with these help strengthen your muscles without aggravating the injury.
Knee push-ups, regular push ups and wall leans (standing push ups against the wall), can help your conditioning program.
Summary. A shoulder injury forces you to slow down. When you've had some time away from swimming and are resuming training, always ease back into it. Start with something very light, like 800m the first day, 900m the next. Consider this as an opportunity to gently improve your stroke technique and drills, while you get back to full health.
Swimming is a sport enjoyed by athletes of all ages. Although it is not commonly associated with a high risk of injury, swimming does have its own problems. For swimmers, the biggest source of sidelining injuries is the shoulder. While there may be a number of underlying causes for shoulder pain, the condition is commonly referred to as “swimmer’s shoulder" or rotator cuff tendonitis. The symptoms associated with this condition include pain in the anterior shoulder and pain that increases with shoulder elevation.
The shoulder is a unique joint, similar to a golf ball on a tee, or a ball and socket joint. The ball is the head of the arm, medically termed as the humerus bone. The socket (or tee) is called the glenoid fossa. The design of the shoulder joint allows the least amount of restriction to movement, which enables the use of arms with greater dexterity than legs. However, this makes the shoulder relatively unstable and prone to injury. A group of four muscles called the rotator cuff, are involved with fine movement of the shoulder. The muscles that comprise the rotator cuff help to correctly position the humerus in the glenoid fossa.
Swimmers can have muscle imbalances due to over development of their chest and relative weakness of their back muscles. This can cause the humerus to come out of proper alignment causing injuries such as impingement (pinching of tendons), overstretching of ligaments, or tightness in the joint. These problems can sideline an athlete and, if not cared for, eventually lead to more serious problems such as chronic tendonitis, labrum or tendon tears.
Incorrect training techniques can also be the cause of these injuries. Methods such as reaching too far, over rotating, or crossing over in freestyle are examples that can lead to shoulder pain. Your elbows should be bent when underwater during the pull to decrease the strain on the shoulder. It is also critical to vary your swim stroke during workouts since constantly swimming freestyle can put a lot of stress on the shoulder joint causing an overuse injury.
Suddenly increasing your distance or your intensity can also cause injury. It is important to gradually increase your workouts to allow a safe progression. Training tactics such as using buoys and hand paddles can increase the strain on the shoulder and should be avoided. As your training intensity increases, it is necessary to appropriately strengthen the shoulder complex to ensure proper mechanics.
Proper strengthening of the muscles that surround the scapula and the rotator cuff is an important step to preventing injury. Seated rows and lat pull downs are examples of exercises that target the scapula stabilizers. Rotator cuff strengthening should be done with light weights or resistance bands since these muscles are small and fatigue easily. Examples of these exercises include internal and external rotation of the shoulder. Strength training should be done separately from swim training since the muscles will be too fatigued if performed in conjunction. However, gentle stretching before swimming can be beneficial.
The most important thing to remember is to always train properly. It is necessary to perform a warm up and cool down, stretch, and correctly strengthen your shoulders. Never attempt to work through the pain. Let your coach know if you have an injury and seek proper treatment to avoid further, more serious problems. These basic steps will allow optimal performance throughout the season. If you have questions or problems, contact an Excel Physical Therapy location closest to you or visit our website at excelpt.com.
Both Roger Hall & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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