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What
is Swimmer's Shoulder?
Swimmer’s
shoulder, bursitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, impingement
syndrome are all essentially the same problem. In simple
terms, swimmer’s shoulder relates to inflammation
of the tendons or protective lubricant sacks (bursa) around
the shoulder joint. This is the result of repetitive “friction”
whilst performing the overarm action of freestyle swimming.
It is an even more aggressive action with butterfly and
less so with back stroke and breast stroke.
Is
Swimmer’s Shoulder preventable?
There
are many other exercises you can use and if you have specific
problems, you will need specific assessment and advice.
A physiotherapist with knowledge of swimming can do this
for you.
Symptoms
you may experience
If
you start getting shoulder symptoms, do something about
it immediately. Once it starts, pain tends to worsen unless
you do something specific to help. Most likely early discomfort
will occur during or immediately following your training
session. The pain tends to be in the shoulder joint itself
or in the upper arm. Occasionally it will spread down
the arm. If it is accompanied by pins and needles or tingling
in the hand or arm, your neck may be involved. If the
problem worsens you will get pain on a range of minor
arm movements, particularly behind the line of the body
or overhead. Aching can increase and you may be disturbed
by pain in bed. Swimming is not the only cause of this
problem. Inappropriate gym programs can also trigger swimmer’s
shoulder.
|
|
What
is Swimmer's Shoulder?
Swimmer’s
shoulder, bursitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, impingement syndrome
are all essentially the same problem. In simple terms, swimmer’s
shoulder relates to inflammation of the tendons or protective
lubricant sacks (bursa) around the shoulder joint. This is the
result of repetitive “friction” whilst performing
the overarm action of freestyle swimming. It is an even more
aggressive action with butterfly and less so with back stroke
and breast stroke.
Is
Swimmer’s Shoulder preventable?
There
are many other exercises you can use and if you have specific
problems, you will need specific assessment and advice. A physiotherapist
with knowledge of swimming can do this for you.
Symptoms
you may experience
If
you start getting shoulder symptoms, do something about it immediately.
Once it starts, pain tends to worsen unless you do something
specific to help. Most likely early discomfort will occur during
or immediately following your training session. The pain tends
to be in the shoulder joint itself or in the upper arm. Occasionally
it will spread down the arm. If it is accompanied by pins and
needles or tingling in the hand or arm, your neck may be involved.
If the problem worsens you will get pain on a range of minor
arm movements, particularly behind the line of the body or overhead.
Aching can increase and you may be disturbed by pain in bed.
Swimming is not the only cause of this problem. Inappropriate
gym programs can also trigger swimmer’s shoulder.
Avoiding
the problem
The
best thing to do is to prevent the onset of any symptons. Implementation
of the following points will significantly reduce your risk
of Swimmer's Shoulder:
- Pre-training
muscle/posture assessment and advice from a physio
- Use
of exercises
- Stroke
correction
- Warm-up
and stretch program
- Correctly
implemented gymnasium program. Remember, your gym program
should be directed towards avoiding injuries as well as making
you swim faster.
If
you start getting symptoms, early management is imperative.
Don’t let the problem worsen before getting advice.
Stretches:
Perform
Daily and prior to swimming. do not over rotate, stretch only
to point of tightness.
Recommended
Exercises:
1.
Perform Exercises Daily
2.
Repeat each exercise until muscle fatigue.
3.
Rest for 1 minute
4.
Do 3 - 4 Sets
5.
Dont do these exercises within 1 hour of swimming
6.
Vary Speed
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