I am a 67 year old male who has enjoyed swimming freestyle for years as method of exercise to keep fit.
I recently was advised that due to severe osteoarthritis in both my shoulders that I stop that swimming.
I was thinking of using those short stubby fins in the pool to propel myself with my quads in order to get a decent workout without having to rely too much on my upper body.
Was wondering if anyone can provide me with feedback on this situation.
Thanks ,
sytech
Bill Sive, can you recommend light fins? I have Speedos and Finis training fins, but I find the weight of both pretty heavy and can only use them for a very short duration or my legs cramp up. Maybe I'm using the fins wrong, but to me they feel pretty heavy compared to my old snorkeling fins.
or these ones:
www.swimoutlet.com/ProductDetails.asp
or
www.swim2000.com/.../
Thanks fylstorms and Bill. I'm going for an MRI because they can't figure out why my shoulder's still acting up after 2+ months of pt, and all I want is to get back into the pool. Pfffffffft.
Sorry to hear that, however, I swam through the pain on a non-swimming injury and was told I did the right thing.
Recently I attended a USMS Coach's Clinic in our LMSC area. One of the speakers was Mr. Jeremy Vail of UCLA. He provided us a generous amount of great information on recovery and injuries. Just a suggestion to seek out someone like Mr. Vail in your area for some extra advice.
sportsandspinalpt.com/.../our-staff-jvail.aspdailybruin.com/.../
Good Luck.
Hole in the muscle of my shoulder, say what? Doc says to keep swimming through the pain, so screw it, I'm back in the pool next week until the shoulder specialists says I must, must have arthroscopic surgery to close the hole. Or just live with it pffffffffft.
Thanks, Bill. I am fortunate in that the practice I go to specializes in athletic injuries, though there isn't anyone specifically like Jeremy Vail here. He sounds like a real gem. Thank you for posting the links. The practice I go to is big with a lot of specialists. They're known as the go-to guys for sports injuries of all sorts. I'll see the shoulder specialist in two weeks. If I need to have surgery, which is likely, I'll put it off until the fall.
It was such a huge relief to know I can keep swimming, even if it hurts, and that the injury wasn't caused by bad technique. He said it has been a long time in the making, and is probably more related to lifting weights, but not swimming. Honestly, I wanted to cry when he said that. I've been agonizing about what to do if I couldn't go back to swimming. Even if I have to start from square one again I'm happy to know freestyle may hurt but it won't make the injury worse. I'll just have to hit the hot tub after every swim.
