Thursday when I was swimming I did a flip turn, and it felt like my shoulder popped out of position - it really hurt a lot. I walked to the other side of the pool, and by then it had eased back into position, but it was still quite painful. I got out and put ice on it, and today (Saturday) it feels pretty good.
I have no idea what I did that caused this. Has anybody else experienced something like this? Any thoughts about what might have caused this to happen?
Former Member
I had that happen to me, see an orthopedic surgeon he may be able to help. I was not able to get my shoulder fixed until the orthopedic surgeon who worked with the Egyptian marathon swimmers looked after it for me. Don't take any chances.
George www.swimdownhill.com
If you've been swimming for a long time I suspect it's a loing history of "swimmer's stretches" that you learned a long time ago and see other swimmers do every day when you hit the pool. As was pointed out by Wendy Weil in Swim magazine in 2001, www.swiminfo.com/.../200105-01swim_toc.asp, most of these exercises serve to loosen your shoulder capsule and predispose you to to this sort on injury.
To me this is the most important article I have seen in the four years or so I have been reading swim magazine. Oddly enough no one talked about it. The main thrust of the article is that most of the stretches you see people do before they swim are bad for them! That the stretches we are taught actually contribute to the high incidence of shoulder problems n swimmers.
If this sounds like you I'd urge you to get a copy of that article and the one that was in the following month's issue.
You can pay for it through swiminfo.com or head to the local library, my library has online access to back issues of siwm magazine.
Also, if your shoulder pops out you need to see a physical therapist to strengthen the muscles that hold your shoulder in.
Originally posted by geochuck
Did you know many shoulder injuries for swimmers come from stretching exercises before they are warmed up? Some experts say you should not stretch at all, and do longer warm up and cool down swims.
George Park www.swimdownhill.com
Well, I guess that isn't it for me - I don't do any pre-swim stretching, though I do warm up. I've always felt a bit guilty because I didn't stretch - now I won't have to. :-) The shoulder felt fine today, but I think I will get a massage sometime during the week.
Did you know many shoulder injuries for swimmers come from stretching exercises before they are warmed up? Some experts say you should not stretch at all, and do longer warm up and cool down swims.
George Park www.swimdownhill.com
