If so, I am curious how long it took to heal.
After doing research, I am sure what I am experiencing is a first degree sternoclavicular joint injury; a sprain. And, in retrospect, I know exactly what caused it: repetitive open turns, pushing hard off the wall and extending my arm before removing it from the wall. And, since I no longer have a first rib after my thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, there are less ligaments supporting that joint, so it was more vulnerable. In addition, as I have increased my yardage for distance free training, I have had to do more turns. And, soreness has recently become an issue. So, I revamped my turn, eliminating the extended arm, but it was too little, too late. After Tuesday's 4,100 yard workout (that felt just ok at the time), my joint popped as I reached behind to spread lotion on the middle of my back; something that has never happened- until Tuesday. It popped out of place then back, again, which hurt, but seemed fine enough to swim on Wednesday. But, after my swim, I really got sore around my clavicle (collar bone), sternum (chest bone), and the front of my neck. So, I stayed out of the pool today and hit the recumbent bike, instead.
So, now, I wonder... How long will it take to heal? Everybody is different, I know, but I am already :waiting: .
As for my return to the pool, I will have to figure out a Plan B for my freestyle turns. Flip turns have been out of the picture, due to having Meniere's and getting seasick from them. I could try to plan my stroke count so I always turn with my right arm coming into the wall, instead of my left, but that could cause repetitive stress problems on my right side. I suppose I could also try to mix in some flip turns with open turns and see how many I can do before I get seasick.:eek: That may be my best choice...
Anyway, thanks in advance for any words of wisdom you can share on this! :agree:
I'd recommend no more 2000 flys. :)
Actually, fly is the one stroke that felt good the other day, as long as I kept my arms shoulder width on entry and didn't reach too far forward. The beginning of the recovery phase felt good, because it stretched my shoulders out. ;)
The good news is that I feel better today than I did yesterday. Another day biking to nowhere on the recumbent bike (and staying out of the pool) did some good.
I learned a lesson from when I had thoracic outlet syndrome and ended up having major surgery: When you feel the wrong kind of pain (and you will know when that happens), STOP! Do not push through that pain and further injure yourself! Because I stopped when I did, I think I ended up with just a first degree injury and mild sprain, rather than something more serious.
I'd recommend no more 2000 flys. :)
Actually, fly is the one stroke that felt good the other day, as long as I kept my arms shoulder width on entry and didn't reach too far forward. The beginning of the recovery phase felt good, because it stretched my shoulders out. ;)
The good news is that I feel better today than I did yesterday. Another day biking to nowhere on the recumbent bike (and staying out of the pool) did some good.
I learned a lesson from when I had thoracic outlet syndrome and ended up having major surgery: When you feel the wrong kind of pain (and you will know when that happens), STOP! Do not push through that pain and further injure yourself! Because I stopped when I did, I think I ended up with just a first degree injury and mild sprain, rather than something more serious.
