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Sore shoulder from swimming (Read 87 times)

jerseyrunner


Half Fanatic 12680

    I've been working on my swimming for the last 6 weeks, trying to build a base and working on form in preparation for summer triathlons. Figured this would be a good idea while the roads are covered with snow and I can't bike outside. For the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that my right shoulder has felt achy and it's gotten worse in the last week. Mostly hurts when I move my arm up. I did a bit of internet research and I'm wondering if this is a rotator cuff problem due to repetitive movement, like swimming. The advice seems to be to rest, but I'm wondering how much rest and for how long. I'd rather not stop swimming all together since I've been getting a lot out of a weekly Master's swim class, but I also don't want this to turn into something really serious.

     

    Anybody have any experience with this? Will a couple of weeks of rest make a difference or is this something that needs more treatment, e.g., P.T.?

     

     


    Running Rev'd

      Not something I've personally dealt with, though I swim a lot, but it happens, particularly if you ramp up your yardage too quickly. It should resolve fairly easily with rest or with backing off a little. You can always work on your kick!

       

      Also, make sure you're getting good form instruction. Some tweaks to your form can go a long way to preventing more serious damage.

       

      And come on over to the Swim, Bike, Run group if you're getting triathlon ready!

      Called to Endure - Blog

      "Everyone gets the sunset. Only the dedicated earn the sunrise."

        It's not clear if my shoulder issues were a result of swimming (bad form; too much, too soon etc), or complications from other health issues, or both, but I've lost about a year of swimming because I ignored the smaller pains, which became larger pains, so I'd take it seriously if the pain isn't going away. I did not need surgery, but a cortisone injection allowed me to sleep and get PT, and months of PT now have me back in the pool for 10 minutes of breast stroke. I'd say see a professional about the shoulder, and definitely have someone look into possible form issues. MTA: note that I'm especially paranoid given my issues, this wasn't meant to scare but to remind that it could go in this direction. In the past, I've worked through shoulder issues with no problem, many times.

        jerseyrunner


        Half Fanatic 12680

          Thanks for the input. I'm going to take this week off from swimming and see a doctor. I've been working on my form, but I'll check with my swim instructor. I was feeling good about getting so much training in and hate to back off, but you've convinced me that this could get worse if I ignore it.

           

          I suppose there's still time to rest and get back to shape for tri season. I'll check out the Swim Bike Run forum for more tri training discussions.

           

           

            It looks like you have at least 1 well documented swim training from 2/24 (from a Garmin or some device).

            It looks like your breaking out your workout into manageable intervals (which is good).

            Your speed isn't high (1:17 for 50), and it's quite possible that your form is off.  I'd guess your legs are deep in the water and you're propelling yourself up-river with your arms.

            You likely want a pull buoy to get leg buoyancy while working on your arm stroke properly.  Until you're under 2:00 / 100 yd, I've heard that you don't want to work on propelling through the water.  By propelling at slow speeds, your form is off and you create added strain.  Your arm should only flow through the water the speed that you're flowing through the water.

            Also, get some flippers to use with a kick board to get a good aerobic workout without the shoulder pain.

             

            You can still swim, but you'll need to work on it a different way than your normal workouts.

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            jerseyrunner


            Half Fanatic 12680

              It looks like you have at least 1 well documented swim training from 2/24 (from a Garmin or some device).

              It looks like your breaking out your workout into manageable intervals (which is good).

              Your speed isn't high (1:17 for 50), and it's quite possible that your form is off.  I'd guess your legs are deep in the water and you're propelling yourself up-river with your arms.

              You likely want a pull buoy to get leg buoyancy while working on your arm stroke properly.  Until you're under 2:00 / 100 yd, I've heard that you don't want to work on propelling through the water.  By propelling at slow speeds, your form is off and you create added strain.  Your arm should only flow through the water the speed that you're flowing through the water.

              Also, get some flippers to use with a kick board to get a good aerobic workout without the shoulder pain.

               

              You can still swim, but you'll need to work on it a different way than your normal workouts.

               

              Thanks for the input. Actually, the workout you referenced was focussed on form so some laps were very slow because I was "skating" (not stroking, but working on balance) or doing other exercises, such as the "sweet spot" drill.  I use the Total Immersion (TI) approach that emphasizes balance: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-swimming-blog/2013/dec/23/swimming-lessons-total-immersion-method

              http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/total-immersion-swimming-drills-11909.html

               

              I have been doing some pull buoy work (some of the laps from that workout were with the pull buoy) to keep me from kicking too wide, but sinking legs have not been a problem.

               

              I'm definitely going to work on form, but at the moment, I think my soreness is most likely due to increasing the volume of swimming too fast.