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....:(
Parents
Former Member
Kari- in weight training, two key exercises: shoulder shrugs, full range of motion, light weight, high reps; barbell upright rowing very strictly done light weight high reps. These two help strengthen & condition the muscles supporting your neck.
- in posture: most people carry their head too far forward, stressing the neck: you should get feedback on this.
- in swimming: almost all of the tips you have been getting contribute to balancing the load on your neck.
- in doctor management: you should have an mri of c5c6, you can probably get it fairly quickly, up here it took over a year of constant pain before I could get one (the system: when I finally saw a neurosurgeon after 18 months, the first thing he said was "why has it taken so long for you to see me?" I could only gape). MRI should likely reveal if that area is the problem, if it is, they may want to do neck fusion-that is a last resort, many rehab strategies to try before that.
I have been 'managing' this condition for over 20 years, through several crises; always, part of the solution has been to get back in the water & do long, easy distance with no expectations working on perfect technique, slowly building from there. It has always worked, that is until I next collide with someone.
Kari- in weight training, two key exercises: shoulder shrugs, full range of motion, light weight, high reps; barbell upright rowing very strictly done light weight high reps. These two help strengthen & condition the muscles supporting your neck.
- in posture: most people carry their head too far forward, stressing the neck: you should get feedback on this.
- in swimming: almost all of the tips you have been getting contribute to balancing the load on your neck.
- in doctor management: you should have an mri of c5c6, you can probably get it fairly quickly, up here it took over a year of constant pain before I could get one (the system: when I finally saw a neurosurgeon after 18 months, the first thing he said was "why has it taken so long for you to see me?" I could only gape). MRI should likely reveal if that area is the problem, if it is, they may want to do neck fusion-that is a last resort, many rehab strategies to try before that.
I have been 'managing' this condition for over 20 years, through several crises; always, part of the solution has been to get back in the water & do long, easy distance with no expectations working on perfect technique, slowly building from there. It has always worked, that is until I next collide with someone.
