I have pain in my right shoulder/arm and a X-ray said I have arthritis in the joint space in my shoulder. It aches in my tricep which is weird if it is arthritis in my shoulder!!?? I haven't swam in 3 weeks. Going to lay off until the irritation subsides some more. Doctor prescribed Naproxen 500mg 2x daily. It is an anti-inflammatory drug. It seems to be helping a little. I am wondering about competitive masters swimming? I have been doing this for 3 years and I am afraid my competitive days may have to be behind me. : ( Does anyone else have arthritis in their shoulder? or anything similar they are dealing with? I am sure it varies with each individual. However, how much yardage can one do before it hurts and you have to quit? I was trying to swim through the pain and it just got way to aggravated. I have to learn when enough is enough. It is hard because my brain wants my body to be able to keep going...push through it. I have to stop that cause now i am out of the pool trying to heal what i have done to it!! Any help/suggestions on what i can expect would be welcome. What have you been through with this? I love swimming and will not stop swimming. I just afraid trying to do distance and speed are over! Please tell me what you think??? Thanks : ) (btw I am 51 )
First and foremost, you need to listen to your doctor in terms of what your limitations may be. If there is no objection made to engaging in some form of activity in the pool, there are many ways to continue swimming without necessarily irritating the shoulder and forcing yourself to swim through the pain.
In our sport, it is very important to have as balanced as symmetrical of a stroke as possible, so that you are not putting undue pressure on certain muscles and joints, thus leading to aggravation and pain. What I have done in cases where my swimmers experience pain is to have them avoid using those areas of the body and focus on strengthening other areas instead. For example, you can practice single arm using the non-painful arm. Or you can focus on strengthening your kick without using your arms at all. In this way, you are not only giving your shoulder a chance to recover, but you are also helping to strengthen other areas of the body that can help take some of the burden off of your shoulder during your swim.
When your shoulder has recovered enough to return to a normal swimming routine, be sure to keep the balance between kicking, drills, and full stroke sets. You should also consider getting your stroke analyzed by a qualified coach to see if there are any issues with your stroke that may have caused the shoulder pain. Physical therapist Ryn Lister wrote a great article for us on swimmer's shoulder that may help provide some insight: www.swimspire.com/.../
Best of luck!
First and foremost, you need to listen to your doctor in terms of what your limitations may be. If there is no objection made to engaging in some form of activity in the pool, there are many ways to continue swimming without necessarily irritating the shoulder and forcing yourself to swim through the pain.
In our sport, it is very important to have as balanced as symmetrical of a stroke as possible, so that you are not putting undue pressure on certain muscles and joints, thus leading to aggravation and pain. What I have done in cases where my swimmers experience pain is to have them avoid using those areas of the body and focus on strengthening other areas instead. For example, you can practice single arm using the non-painful arm. Or you can focus on strengthening your kick without using your arms at all. In this way, you are not only giving your shoulder a chance to recover, but you are also helping to strengthen other areas of the body that can help take some of the burden off of your shoulder during your swim.
When your shoulder has recovered enough to return to a normal swimming routine, be sure to keep the balance between kicking, drills, and full stroke sets. You should also consider getting your stroke analyzed by a qualified coach to see if there are any issues with your stroke that may have caused the shoulder pain. Physical therapist Ryn Lister wrote a great article for us on swimmer's shoulder that may help provide some insight: www.swimspire.com/.../
Best of luck!
