I swam competitively from age 9 through high school and hated it. Now at age 30, I joined a local Master's team and love it. My friends say that it is my religion. My change of heart is a different topic however. Now I need some help solving my latest "possible" swimming related problem. I read another post about cervical injury and swimming but thought that this was a somewhat different subject.
Over the past three months, I have had numerous whiplash injuries to my neck and shoulders. Both my right and left sides have been affected. I end up in the doctor's office in such pain that I need muscle relaxants, vicodin, a whole lot of icy hot and some beer to move about. I end up taking time off of swimming to let my injuries heal. The doctors think that it might be swimming related. I personally don't think so and don't want it to be (since I now love it). But maybe I am doing something inadvertently.
1) I have been told that I have "beautiful" stroke technique (expect backstroke where I cross over)
2) I never dive in except in meets
3) I alternate breathe except when my neck won't allow it
4) The pool is over 80 degrees
5) I swim three to four times a week 3500 yards at a time
I want to know if anyone else has these problems or if anyone can think of swimming related techniques that would cause this.
Thanks
Parents
Former Member
Thanks for all of your advice - I saw a physical therapist this week and am pleased with what she had to say. Swimming is actually helping.
She believes that I injured myself doing a very bad yoga move while in bed. The injury never properly healed because of 2 main things - very poor posture and head alignment and weak lower and middle trapezoid? muscles. According to her, I only use my upper trap to life my arm when you should use all three. I now have fancy little exercises to do to build up those muscles. She is a swimmer and thinks that swimming is helping build those muscles. Breastroke doesn't help because I generally hold my head as if I am breathing while doing the breastroke (yes I look like a turtle all day long). As you already probably know, this is not proper head position.
Thanks again.
Liz
Thanks for all of your advice - I saw a physical therapist this week and am pleased with what she had to say. Swimming is actually helping.
She believes that I injured myself doing a very bad yoga move while in bed. The injury never properly healed because of 2 main things - very poor posture and head alignment and weak lower and middle trapezoid? muscles. According to her, I only use my upper trap to life my arm when you should use all three. I now have fancy little exercises to do to build up those muscles. She is a swimmer and thinks that swimming is helping build those muscles. Breastroke doesn't help because I generally hold my head as if I am breathing while doing the breastroke (yes I look like a turtle all day long). As you already probably know, this is not proper head position.
Thanks again.
Liz
