Cervical Disc Herniation and swimming

I've been having numbness and tingling in the right arm for 2 weeks. I got an MRI last Friday, and it showed that I had herniated cervical disks (that's slipped disks in the neck in layperson-speak) at the following levels: C3-C4, C4-C5, and C5-C6 (this last level is where it's worst). I haven't experienced any loss of strength and coordination (yet). Based on the advice of a friend of mine that has had the same problem, I've avoided any exercise that could involve bending or stretching of the neck (so just stationary cycling for now), restricted myself to lifting no more than 10 lbs. at a time, and am taking anti-inflammatory medication. I'm awaiting a (timely) referral to a neurosurgeon. My questions to my fellow Masters swimmers: 1. Have any of you ever experienced this problem? 2. If the answer to (1) is yes, then what sort of treatment (medical and non-medical) did you receive? 3. Are there any specific things I should be avoiding, swimming-wise (certain strokes, drills, etc? I assume diving is out of the question) and exercise-wise? 4. Before I saw what my MRI looked like (I'm an Internal Medicine MD, so I could see my MRI was abnormal), I had continued to swim, and actually felt that swimming helped me feel better. Does anyone out there know if swimming can actually put you at risk for this type of injury? Physicians, as a rule, tend to err on the side of rest and inactivity for recovery from any injury, so if anyone has any evidence that states that I can keep up with at least some swimming while I find out what my course of treatment will be, I would certainly be grateful for that. I've only started to get seriously back into swimming since last fall, and was actually starting to feel good about my swimming, so this recent setback has me really bummed out at present :-( I feel so much better reading what you all wrote in this thread. I was DEVASTATED just 5 days ago to find out that i have a Cervical Slipped Disc { C2/C3, C3/C4, C4/C5, C5/C6 }. I just joined the IRONMAN PHILIPPINES recently and swam the RELAY 2km SWIM and did ok. I frequently experience neck pains but it was only last week while running that i felt excruciating pain that radiated from my neck to my left shoulder and left armpit. I had to stop my usual 30 minute, 5 km run immediately. I was told by many that I SHOULD FORGET ABOUT RUNNING and that is TOTALLY SHOCKING TO ME since i really consider running the best way to keep myself lean. I am encouraged however that many people are saying that swimming 2.5km is equivalent to running 10km (in terms of calories burned). Does anyone agree? I've had neck aches for a long time (maybe not realizing that i already had a cervical slipped disc for a long time) but swimming NEVER made it worse. On the contrary, i felt that swimming made my neck feel better. I am religously doing TRACTION THERAPY. But i still feel pain on my left arm and the left side of my neck. What other therapies would you recommend? Thank you for all your help

I was told by many that I SHOULD FORGET ABOUT RUNNING and that is TOTALLY SHOCKING TO ME since i really consider running the best way to keep myself lean. I am encouraged however that many people are saying that swimming 2.5km is equivalent to running 10km (in terms of calories burned). Does anyone agree? Don't be shocked, you might be picking up something better. Not only will swimming keep you lean it would also build some muscle that will make you look better than a runner any day. My wife is very pleased.

I, too, have had neck problems recently (over the past year or so). I have swum masters now for 3-4 years, and last year I started getting a burning pain in my upper back / neck area, with numbness down into my elbow and 2 of my fingers. When I took small breaks from swimming, it went away. This past summer I was training for a big meet, and the pain increased to the point where I was practically doubled over at the end of my lane between sets. I've taken 2 months off now, and it's about 70% healed now. There was an article on the USA Swimming site about neck pain in swimming (see link below). After I read it, I think the issue is my head position in freestyle (70% of our swimming is freestyle, although I'm a breaststroker). The hyperextension of the neck when using a kickboard is no picknick either - I'll never use one again. I'm seeing a physiotherapist at the moment who was prescribed all kinds of neck exercises and upper back and rotator cuff work to correct some imbablances. I think someone mentioned already that swimmers have a tendency to have the shoulders internally rotated (stronger chest, front delt muscles than rear delt and scapular retractors. Over time and over 1000's of yards of training, it can lead to injury. www.usaswimming.org/.../ViewMiscArticle.aspx Good luck, and try to avoid surgery at all costs (if possible)!

Sorry to hear of your issues w/herniated discs. I had the same disc herniations you are reporting, but w/a few weeks out of the water, a lot of physical therapy, and significant stroke changes, I was able to lessen the pain and get back to normal workouts. My husband is a physical therapist and a masters swimmer, so he came along to the doctor visits, and gave me great advice throughout the recovery process. I went the PT route, and as others are reporting, posture was one of the main things my physical therapist went over; we did lots of McKenzie exercises, especially at first to make the pain less intense. My PT advised getting back into the water when I felt ready. Once the pain decreased, I got back in, but it was slow going. Also, as many others are reporting, I never use a kickboard anymore, as it puts too much strain on my neck and back. Workouts were mainly backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle w/a snorkel. My problems were exacerbated by swimming freestyle, especially when I took a breath to the left (I'm a lefty, so that's my natural breathing side). I didn't swim any fly that season. I felt pretty well recovered after all of the PT and swimming modifications, but I also did a major overhaul of my strokes the following summer. At the time, I had a terrific coach who tuned into my specific issues and agreed to video tape my strokes, turns and dives; he then gave me corrective feedback and drills, and this has made all the difference. Body position, posture, and balance were some of the things he commented on. He was a truly outstanding coach, and I was lucky to have him take the time to do this; I think the stroke changes are one reason that this issue has not flared up again. I wish you luck w/this and I hope that, at the very least, you are out of pain. There seems to be a range of recovery times/options for herniated discs, but some of the themes w/in the responses are similar. I hope they help. I also noticed that you are in Chicago, and I'm in Glenview. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to discuss further. Best of luck to you! Nell Cunningham

Dec 4th 2001, Cervical Spine Fusion of C3-C4 and C-5. Used a donor instead of doing a bone graft (Have heard of more people having problems with the graft than the fusion) Lost a little bit of mobility due to the surgery. From the moment I woke up all the pain and numbness were gone...loved it!! Hated the hard brace I had to wear, but got over that. Have played softball, racquetball and swam since without that problem reoccuring. Have heard that the new synthetic disc replacement is a great option. Have a friend that had it done and was back to work within a couple weeks (I was out for a month and a half). Would I do it again? Absolutely, the pain and numbness I experienced prior to the surgery was driving me nuts...felt great when I woke up...

I have disc problems in my neck and lower back also. What has helped me the most is going to a chiropractor that uses the activator method. I also swim with a snorkel for about half of my workout. The snorkel is GREAT for kicking without a kick board. Good luck.

I have been just getting back into swimming after a C6 disc bulge and radial nerve impingement and a T6 prolapse. I am trying to avoid surgery and have tons of exercises for my back. I have found that doing only backstroke has been a good way to start. Just knowing that there are other people who have been able to return to swimming all strokes is such encouragement. I really miss butterfly and turns, but I can see that it may happen for me...

I'm only 21 but have herniated 2 discs in my lumbar region, in addition to some nerve damage. This is related to a car accident. Despite being healed, I've been in pain for 5 years. This is mostly because of the nerve damage leading a small amount of atrophy, resulting in greater muscle imbalances throughout my entire back. I swim everyday and find it to be helpful for the muscle pain. I try to stay away from fly because it really exacerbates the problem. This is a story for another day though. All I can say is I suggest you wait to swim until you get the OK from your doctor. You don't want to have permanent damage. Luckily, the vast majority of herniated discs heal without surgery. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery!

Ronsaque and all; I can relate, badly herniated L4/5 in 2012 - have managed to almost fully recover through proper nutrition; evolving to a 100% raw plant-based diet. I could not recommend this more to anyone. Nutrition is very neglected and misunderstood at all levels. Speedy and full recoveries to all. ~T

I was diagnosed with a form of stenosis 2 months ago and am trying to return to swimming. Lifting my arms overhead and reaching out for freestyle immediately sends tingling and numbness to my arms and hands along with pain to the cervical spine. Anybody else have experience with this? At times, I've managed 2,000 yds, but others, under 1,000. Trying to readjust my head position, but still running into same issues.