Shoulder pain/discomfort

I apologize for the long post – pretty much unavoidable. A couple of suggestions from someone who has managed shoulder pain, on and off, for the better part of 45 years (injuries from water polo, bike accident, weight lifting) and pretty much every day for the past 10 years. My point is - this is something you CAN manage. It is NOT an all or nothing proposition that so many swimmers make it out to be. First - stay in the water even if you only kick and even if you have to have your left arm at your side. After my bike spill, I swam with my left arm at my side for 3 months. I swam slowly – who cares. Not using one arm will make you aware of how to use your torso to facilitate swimming. Self-awareness will improve your swimming. Second – finding a coach who understands pain-related stroke mechanics will help. Unfortunately, not all coaches are good at this. This kind of coach can look at a stroke and, knowing where/when your pain is, can offer suggestions fairly quickly on technical adjustments that might help. For instance, you said your left shoulder is the problem. Although you don’t say what side you breathe to, if it only hurts when you breathe to the right, there is a good likelihood that your left arm is “hyper-extended” during your breathing motion. This “hyper-extension” can be in one or more planes and caused by incorrect head position (is it because you are practicing buoy sighting?), too much rotation onto your left side or not enough rotation onto your right side during your left arm recovery, incorrect right-side pulling pattern (i.e. outside your body and early rotation), arthritis/scar tissue, etc.. A good coach will be able to identify the specific cause and offer alternatives. Third – “Good” technique that hurts will drive you out of the pool. Technique has to be individualized and should be pain free. For example, “High Elbow” catch as done by the Olympians does NOT work for swimmers with less shoulder flexibility and will lead to injury. BUT, you can perform a modified “high elbow” catch if you let your arm be deeper in the water and allow your arm/hand to “cross” under your body (heaven forbid). As we age, we have to adjust our stroke mechanics to match decreased flexibility (aka range of motion) and strength. Again, a good stroke coach will be able to offer alternative ways to swim that are pain free. Fourth – there is a huge library of information on shoulder issues on the internet. Sorting through all of it is daunting. A PT may be able to help you. Isometric exercises and some stretching helps me. Fifth – avoid cortisone and NSAIDs. Oddly enough, pain/discomfort can be your “friend” because it tells you when your technique is harmful. If the pain is masked, injury will continue to occur – you just won’t know it. I apply a simple philosophy – “The best technique is the one that does not hurt, so, if it hurts, do something different - anything.” Good Luck

I apologize for the long post – pretty much unavoidable. A couple of suggestions from someone who has managed shoulder pain, on and off, for the better part of 45 years (injuries from water polo, bike accident, weight lifting) and pretty much every day for the past 10 years. My point is - this is something you CAN manage. It is NOT an all or nothing proposition that so many swimmers make it out to be. First - stay in the water even if you only kick and even if you have to have your left arm at your side. After my bike spill, I swam with my left arm at my side for 3 months. I swam slowly – who cares. Not using one arm will make you aware of how to use your torso to facilitate swimming. Self-awareness will improve your swimming. Second – finding a coach who understands pain-related stroke mechanics will help. Unfortunately, not all coaches are good at this. This kind of coach can look at a stroke and, knowing where/when your pain is, can offer suggestions fairly quickly on technical adjustments that might help. For instance, you said your left shoulder is the problem. Although you don’t say what side you breathe to, if it only hurts when you breathe to the right, there is a good likelihood that your left arm is “hyper-extended” during your breathing motion. This “hyper-extension” can be in one or more planes and caused by incorrect head position (is it because you are practicing buoy sighting?), too much rotation onto your left side or not enough rotation onto your right side during your left arm recovery, incorrect right-side pulling pattern (i.e. outside your body and early rotation), arthritis/scar tissue, etc.. A good coach will be able to identify the specific cause and offer alternatives. Third – “Good” technique that hurts will drive you out of the pool. Technique has to be individualized and should be pain free. For example, “High Elbow” catch as done by the Olympians does NOT work for swimmers with less shoulder flexibility and will lead to injury. BUT, you can perform a modified “high elbow” catch if you let your arm be deeper in the water and allow your arm/hand to “cross” under your body (heaven forbid). As we age, we have to adjust our stroke mechanics to match decreased flexibility (aka range of motion) and strength. Again, a good stroke coach will be able to offer alternative ways to swim that are pain free. Fourth – there is a huge library of information on shoulder issues on the internet. Sorting through all of it is daunting. A PT may be able to help you. Isometric exercises and some stretching helps me. Fifth – avoid cortisone and NSAIDs. Oddly enough, pain/discomfort can be your “friend” because it tells you when your technique is harmful. If the pain is masked, injury will continue to occur – you just won’t know it. I apply a simple philosophy – “The best technique is the one that does not hurt, so, if it hurts, do something different - anything.” Good Luck