Hi,
After having some trouble with a sore shoulder due to instability in the shoulder joint I've quit the pool for 2 weeks. Been to a physiotherapist which suggested strenghtening the rotatorcuff muscles, bicep tendons and general core stability of the shoulder. I've been doing these exercices and have noticed some improvement in the stability so I decided to go back to the pool last weekend (after talking to my physio first).
My first session was a short 1500m workout with no intensity or toys used. Two days later I went back to the pool, this time for a planned 2000m session focussing on endurance, using the pullbuoy for a total of 500m of the session, the rest was just frontcrawl and some kicking.
During the training I felt my shoulder playing up again so I ended my training early.
So I am doing something wrong obviously. I don't really see how I could make my sessions even easier on my shoulder? Basicly I'm puzzled about how to resume training and remain pain-free while recovering. Any advice?
I wish I liked kicking more LOL. I've been out of the pool for about two months with a neck/shoulder injury and rotator cuff soreness. I've done deep water aerobics with a flotation belt, but it's not the same. I crave being in the lap lane. So I go over, do a couple laps, and regret it later when the injury flares up.
My therapist says the best thing is to do PT and rest, build strength in the surrounding muscles, and when the injury is gone, start slowly. I don't know if that would work for you. I'm impatient but the pain I'm in makes me too tired to do much, anyway.
I have chronic shoulder issues and often have to baby them. I find the easiest thing in my shoulders is fist swimming dog paddle with fins and snorkel.Then comes BR fist swimming,then Free fist swimming with fins.Then is full hand dog paddle, then regular BR,leading to regular free.Only after I can do free consistently with no pain do I add if fly and BK.
First of all, it's great that you are checking in with a physiotherapist and working on strengthening your shoulders via dryland exercises. However, it is likely that your swimming technique is serving to continue to irritate your shoulder. If you are swimming with improper technique, it will not make a difference whether you are training with intensity or not - the repetitive improper movement will cause further strain and aggravate the injury.
If an athlete comes to me with a shoulder complaint, I first assess their stroke to discover any flaws that might be causing their pain. I will then design workouts for them that do not require the use of the shoulder, but that are still serving to increase their strength and endurance (kicking, drills that use the non-injured arm only, etc.). When there is no longer any pain in the shoulder, I will work on developing the swimmers' technique such that they will avoid the repetitive motion that caused the injury in the first place.
I would recommend getting your stroke analyzed by a coach who specializes in technique, and trying workouts that include drills specifically geared towards your particular stroke needs. There is no point in swimming fullstroke - with or without fins - if you are continuing to make the same error each time you complete a stroke cycle. Correct your technique so that you can help your shoulder heal and avoid future injury.
I have bicep tendinitis in my right shoulder (from another injury, not swimming) and a pinched nerve between my C6-7 vertebrae so I am familiar with this type of injury. I also had major loss of strength in my tricep with numbness so recovery has been slow.
I continued going to Master's workouts with a major focus on kicking. Do you have fins? I usually use them for a large chunk of my workout in order to protect my shoulder while I recover - basically my right arm is "just going through the motions" while I am kicking and pulling with my left.
The rest of my workout is easy swimming and A LOT of kicking without fins. My coach has me doing a lot of kicking with my arms at my side with my snorkel so it takes pressure off my shoulder. I can also streamline kick but occasionally it bothers me so I switch it up. When the injury was at the worst I did not use a board for kicking because it was uncomfortable, sometimes painful. And probably no buoy until you are more recovered.
My other advice is to keep doing Rotator Cuff strengthening with the advice of a physical therapist. I still go 2 times a week and the work I do (and exercises at home) has really helped. I am now back to swimming almost completely pain-free, just working on regaining strength.
First of all, thanks for the answers.
I'll have my stroke checked out by a coach somewhere in the next weeks, so hopefully that will point out a few errors. I hadn't really thought about it before, so thanks for the tip Swimspire.
At the moment I guess I'll be doing alot of kicking as suggested. Shame tho, just bought a new wetsuit for openwater swims and it hasn't seen a drop of water yet.
Anyways, focus on kicking and keeping the feeling with the water from tomorrow on, and hope the physio makes some more improvement soon. Thanks for the advice!
