Shoulder Injuries

I would disagree on the shoulder only limitation for a surgeon. I have an orthopedic surgeon who only does shoulders and knees and he is terrific. He's done one each for me. Very convenient.

I would disagree on the shoulder only limitation for a surgeon. I have an orthopedic surgeon who only does shoulders and knees and he is terrific. He's done one each for me. Very convenient. That is good to know. I guess I meant that they don't do one every now and then. As long as they do them regularly then they will be great. I have some friends who just go the nearest surgeon to do their op and it didn't work out too well. The more of your injury they have seen the better in my opinion. Glad to hear your shoulders are now solid.:)

I'm working on an article for American Fitness about the anatomy of the shoulder, common dysfunctions, and how to promote better shoulder function, which will print in the Nov-Dec issue. I'm going to try to get a pdf format I can share. That would be terrific. I still have limiting issues with my shoulder, but I have found that I can swim long distances at a moderate speed. However, I still can not race hard at "shorter distances" (a mile or less). The funny part is that after a long swim at an easy pace my shoulder feels better than before the swim. I hope over time I am going to be able to train hard enough to race a mile without pain. I think a better strengthening program will get me there.

My left shoulder has fully dislocated more times than I can remember. I've managed however, through preventative measures such as weight lifting and stretching to keep it under control, and not dislocate in over 10 years, I'm 46. It is however, very loose and potentially problematic. If it dislocates again I would likely need a Bankart repair. Additionally, when I started swimming (almost 4 yrs ago) I favored my right shoulder to protect the left and doing so, caused some damage to it (my good shoulder). I cant do breaststroke because of this. Still not bad enough in my opinion for seeking medical help, yet. Nevertheless, I have shoulder issues, but managed to keep it under control without surgery, to the point where I can still enjoy life and swimming. At least give weight lifting, stability exercises, and stretching a try if you have not.

My left shoulder has fully dislocated more times than I can remember. I've managed however, through preventative measures such as weight lifting and stretching to keep it under control, and not dislocate in over 10 years, I'm 46. It is however, very loose and potentially problematic. If it dislocates again I would likely need a Bankart repair. Additionally, when I started swimming (almost 4 yrs ago) I favored my right shoulder to protect the left and doing so, caused some damage to it (my good shoulder). I cant do breaststroke because of this. Still not bad enough in my opinion for seeking medical help, yet. Nevertheless, I have shoulder issues, but managed to keep it under control without surgery, to the point where I can still enjoy life and swimming. At least give weight lifting, stability exercises, and stretching a try if you have not. The glenohumeral joint in the shoulder is unique in that it relies entirely on surrounding soft tissue for proper movement and placement of the humerus. That puts us in the driver's seat as far as keeping the muscles around there properly balanced. Posture is usually the biggest problem because no overhead movements can be safely executed when we're hunched forward. I used to pop my shoulder out on backstroke and tore my infraspinitus, but I haven't had problems since I started mostly light work on rotator cuff muscles, rhomboids and upper posturals with resistance bands and foam rollers.

.... light work on rotator cuff muscles, rhomboids and upper posturals with resistance bands and foam rollers. A couple questions... How do you use foam rollers? What do you mean by "upper posturals"? Thx, Skip

A couple questions... How do you use foam rollers? What do you mean by "upper posturals"? Thx, Skip Hi Skip, When I saw upper posturals, I mean the major muscles that create balance in the shoulder girdle and neck. The ones I focus on, other than the external rotators (back rotator cuff muscles) are the levator scapulae (back of the neck), upper trapezius (upper back) and rear deltoids. We have a tendency to be overly strong/tight in the front of the body and weak and flexible in the back of the body. Creating a balance between the front and back muscles creates good posture and healthy shoulder movements. I use the foam rollers to lengthen tight tissues and also to stretch. For posture, I often lay on the foam roller and extend my arms out to the side to stretch my chest, which becomes overly tight when I spend hours writing on the computer. I reach overhead to stretch the lats or gently roll them placing the roller under my arm pit and gently rolling, being careful not to roll over the back of my rib cage. I hope this helps. I'm working on an article for American Fitness about the anatomy of the shoulder, common dysfunctions, and how to promote better shoulder function, which will print in the Nov-Dec issue. I'm going to try to get a pdf format I can share.

There is considerable info on preventing and rehabbing shoulder injuries on the STR website - www.swimmingtechnology.com/.../ Rod Havriluk Swimming Technology Research