Hi,
I'm a 60 year old male who is mostly a runner/biker but who also swims. Typically I swim once a week for 2000 yds. Well, recently I hurt my back and so swimming was my only option. Apparently I ramped up too quickly, and after 3 weeks was swimming every other day, for about 1800 yds per swim. Last Sunday, I noticed a slight pull feeling in my inner left elbow area. I paid little heed to it. It happened again on my swim Tuesday but like Sunday, it didn't bother me and it didn't last. Then on Friday, I noticed a pinchy feeling in the same area. It didn't get worse during the swim but I certainly took notice.
Afterwards, I noticed some discomfort in the area. It's by the knobby bone of the inner elbow. If I run my finger along the tendon into the upper arm, it feels like a little pinchy. The area just below, into the forearm doesn't hurt but feels a little tight. The pain is not bad, but I'm certainly not going to try to swim.
Does this sound like golfer's elbow? Has anyone experienced this kind of pain/sensation?
The funny thing is that usually if I ramp up too quickly, I get pain in my left shoulder. I was pretty careful to monitor that, and even did some left shoulder icing after my swims. So my left shoulder never acted up.
Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice you can give me.
Bob P
Julia,
Thanks for the reply. I do use open turns but it's always with my right arm, and they're pretty gentle. I only swim freestyle. I know my stroke is not very good. I can breathe only on the right, though with this ramp up, I was trying to teach myself bilateral breathing, a few laps per workout. I'm pretty sure the problem is due to my (lack of) form and the fact that I increased my frequency, and thus yardage by so much. I didn't have a problem at once per week.
I increased my swim frequency because I'm recovering from two bulging lumbar discs (L2/L3 and L3/L4) from an unfortunate cycling incident (my own fault) and I can't run or cycle. But swimming actually makes my back feel better and I get a good workout from it.
The other thing that may have added elbow stress are the prone props I've been doing for Physical Therapy for my back. Now I'm using pillows for the propping instead of resting on my forearms.
I've seen ortho for so many injuries over the last year, I don't want to go for another one. What seems different about my symptoms than those of golfer's elbow is that the pain I'm experiencing is in the upper arm, not in the forearm.
I'm hoping the pain subsides with rest and ice. Then I'll figure out what to do next.
Bob P
This could also be referred pain from your shoulder as well. Since you're breathing only on the right side, you can't be sure of what's going on with your left arm - could be a recovery problem or a pull problem which is exacerbated by the sudden increase in yardage. Try to give that arm a rest for awhile - you can still swim, doing kick sets or single arm sets - and when the arm/elbow is feeling more recovered, get a stroke technique analysis to figure out what is wrong before you start up again. Any increase in yardage needs to be gradual and you need to include variety in your workouts - kicking sets, drills and fullstroke will keep you healthy in the pool.
Julia,
Thanks for the reply. I do use open turns but it's always with my right arm, and they're pretty gentle. I only swim freestyle. I know my stroke is not very good. I can breathe only on the right, though with this ramp up, I was trying to teach myself bilateral breathing, a few laps per workout. I'm pretty sure the problem is due to my (lack of) form and the fact that I increased my frequency, and thus yardage by so much. I didn't have a problem at once per week.
I increased my swim frequency because I'm recovering from two bulging lumbar discs (L2/L3 and L3/L4) from an unfortunate cycling incident (my own fault) and I can't run or cycle. But swimming actually makes my back feel better and I get a good workout from it.
The other thing that may have added elbow stress are the prone props I've been doing for Physical Therapy for my back. Now I'm using pillows for the propping instead of resting on my forearms.
I've seen ortho for so many injuries over the last year, I don't want to go for another one. What seems different about my symptoms than those of golfer's elbow is that the pain I'm experiencing is in the upper arm, not in the forearm.
I'm hoping the pain subsides with rest and ice. Then I'll figure out what to do next.
Bob P
This could also be referred pain from your shoulder as well. Since you're breathing only on the right side, you can't be sure of what's going on with your left arm - could be a recovery problem or a pull problem which is exacerbated by the sudden increase in yardage. Try to give that arm a rest for awhile - you can still swim, doing kick sets or single arm sets - and when the arm/elbow is feeling more recovered, get a stroke technique analysis to figure out what is wrong before you start up again. Any increase in yardage needs to be gradual and you need to include variety in your workouts - kicking sets, drills and fullstroke will keep you healthy in the pool.
