Have been trying to elongate stroke and perfect front quadrant and early-vertical forearm freestyle. Also, lift weights and do yoga so not sure why I pulled a muscle (rhomboid? trap?) near right shoulder blade. Tried to continue workout on Monday but couldn't generate power on right side because of pain. Not painful otherwise. Anyone have this before? I've had shoulder and lower-back injuries before but this one is new for me.
Sorry to hear you're experiencing some shoulder blade pain. It sounds like you made some sudden changes to your stroke which may have led to overexerting muscles that you are otherwise not accustomed to using. This can be especially true with early vertical forearm. Have you had a coach take a look at your stroke? This can be very helpful to determine if your technique might be causing the muscle strain.You can also post a video of your stroke so that the forumites can take a look and give you their opinion. First things first, however, take it easy with that arm and allow the injured muscle to rest and recover. If it does not improve, you might want to see an orthopedic specialist. Good luck!
Thanks Swimspire. I couldn't stay away from the pool but did rest my arms and did a lot of kicking last week. I also continued to go to the gym and yoga but skipped certain exercises. Happily, on Monday, there was no pain at all! I'm 63 and worry that my next injury will be the one that might force me to quit swimming so this new pain ache was distressing. Our Masters group is down to meeting only once a week and I've mentioned what I'm trying to do with my stroke to my coach but he is not the kind of coach that gives much feedback. He said it looked fine. I got a gopro knockoff sometime ago and filmed myself with a friend but not recently. Noticed someone with a gopro and with attached to a thick cable that he was able to attach to the lane line a month ago but didn't have a chance to ask him about it. Haven't seen him since.
So glad to hear that the shoulder blade is not hurting after you gave it some rest - I hope that is currently still the case since your last post! It is more than understandable that you are concerned with making sure that you are able to pursue the sport that you love, injury free. I would definitely encourage you to learn good stroke technique and increase the variety of your movements in the water - these are the keys to avoiding injuries in swimming.
I'm sorry to hear that your coach is not open to feedback, but hopefully you are getting some of the answers you need through the forum and other avenues. If you can get a video of yourself up here, then great! A GoPro is a good tool to work with, but I've done many stroke analyses through a simple, short video clip from a camera phone. That works just as well!
Best of luck to you.
Likely a rhomboid strain. There are stretching exercises (well described on various websites) that help both acutely and to prevent recurrence. I would also suggest deep tissue massage by a CMT who works with athletes. Worked for me.
