Recovering from shoulder surgery; feeling crummy...
Former Member
and actually considering giving up swimming. I am so discouraged these days....
I fell and hurt my shoulder about 9 years ago. I didn't have surgery at the time (was told I didn't need it) and thought I healed correctly. Fast forward to today...after swimming 6 years I start to feel an ache in my "bad" shoulder when I swim longer than a mile. So off to the sports med doc I go....I get an MRI which looks like I might have torn cartilage, which is causing the pain. Surgery is scheduled....they find nothing. Nothing is torn; nothing to fix. So now I will have to swim with the pain....
I know that some of the tension is a result of an imbalance in my freestyle...I always breath to my left, which means I pull harder with my strong (right) side. When I try to breath to the right it all falls apart. I don't feel balanced in the water; I am sure there are a million things wrong with my stroke...I should kick more...blah blah blah.
I just started swimming again...been in the water for the last few days and I am very discouraged. I'd love to hear from folks out there who have taught themselves to breath to their uncomfortable side.... and how you did it, how long it took, etc.
Anyone else out there going through a discouraging time...or if you have in the past, how'd you get over it?
Ande - what are your thoughts?
I used to box...maybe I should just go back to the ring and stay out of the water....:(
Try replacing the committee in your head with a couple of meet announcers who are, to paraphrase Spiro Agnew, prattling paragons of positivism (he once famously referred to the media as "nattering nabobs of negativism") Try and forget times and past glories and focus on improving what you can right now.
"ANNOUNCER ONE: (voice of Mark Gill) Well, it's sure good to see Kari back in the pool. You can tell she's been working on those stroke mechanics in this recovery period. Just look at the glide she's getting in that drill!
ANNOUCER TWO: Right, and is that some bilateral breathing I see happening? Unbelievable, this gutsy swimmer has really gone back to school on her stroke, and it's starting to pay off . . . "
You get the idea. Good luck.
Try replacing the committee in your head with a couple of meet announcers who are, to paraphrase Spiro Agnew, prattling paragons of positivism (he once famously referred to the media as "nattering nabobs of negativism") Try and forget times and past glories and focus on improving what you can right now.
"ANNOUNCER ONE: (voice of Mark Gill) Well, it's sure good to see Kari back in the pool. You can tell she's been working on those stroke mechanics in this recovery period. Just look at the glide she's getting in that drill!
ANNOUCER TWO: Right, and is that some bilateral breathing I see happening? Unbelievable, this gutsy swimmer has really gone back to school on her stroke, and it's starting to pay off . . . "
You get the idea. Good luck.
