shoulder bothering new swimmer

Could be a Rotator Cuff / Shoulder Impingement issue. I have done a search for "Rotator" and "Impingement" in this forum site and have found some great information. Listed below is one of the many informative links found here(this being exercises to help the shoulder) Rotator Cuff Exercises

I also am hesitant to tell you not to seek help, but here is my experience. I experienced some left shoulder pain for a period of roughly 6 weeks, with onset a few months after I starting swimming around 3000 meters three to five times a week. I did not feel it was serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, and it eventually went away. If I remember correctly, it was during a time when I was swimmimg mainly freestyle and working hard on lengthening my stroke and reducing my stroke count. I think I was trying to reach too far in front of me and leaning on my extended arm. Symptoms were pain on raising the arm with some numbness. It got to the point where it was uncomfortable to lay on it at night, but I never experienced any clicking or popping, and, if this makes any sense to you, it just felt like something that would resolve. I breathe to both sides, but tend to breathe to the right when sprinting or tired, which I believe stresses the left shoulder disproportionately. I am 45 with no history of shoulder problems. Good luck to you.

I can't argue against seeing a skilled doctor. But I think it is very possible for your shoulder pain to go away without any significant medical intervention. A year ago I had consistent shoulder pain consistent with rotator cuff-related problems. I experienced the pain mostly during the recovery portion of butterfly. My shoulder had a clicking sound/feel when I lifted my arm while standing. I've had the pain for years - and I think it begain with a snow skiing fall, not swimming. I saw an orthopedic skilled with sports injuries. Xrays showed nothing. Then an MRI, which, after I read through the medical mumbo-jumbo, didn't show anything conclusive at all. Since ibuprofen helped, the doc was not alarmed. He prescribed PT, which I ignored. I continued to swim, but with more attention to warmup and continued work on my elbow position underwater. Now the pain is largely gone. I think my conditioning is much better than a year ago and the joint bears less strain than before.

Here are some more documentation about shoulder injury prevention (links toward the posts at the bottom of the page) forums.usms.org/showthread.php Personnally, I got a beginning of a tendonitis 1.5 years ago. The cause was a lack of warm up combined with an accidental bad and strong sweep. I pulled a muscles in the back of the left shoulder. In subsequent swim sessions, I modified my stroke to accomodate the pain and after 3 months, the area showed signs of a tendonitis talking place. The pain was very mild but noticable. I got extra careful, seeing a PT, getting off swimming 2 months, and doing all the shoulder strengthening exercises. When I got back to the pool, I was still careful may be the 2, 3 first months not doing any hard sets. My shoulder troubles were cured for good. The main factors were plentyful rest, strengh exercises and a better awareness of stroke form and especially "shoulder mechanics". Retrospectively, I didn't regret a few months off. Coincidentally, that was at this time that I discovered the benefits of weight training. This really helps me in terms of injury prevention for everyday life and for practicing sports. From your previous posts, I think you are way above average in terms of conditioning. I am confident you will get over this temporary shoulder problem . Good luck.

Thanks for the link. I have been shown these excersizes before and I will start incorporating into my workouts. I have reduced the weight in my bench and press workouts. Should this go away over time without having to stop swimming? as long as I train smart?

As a veteran of various shoulder issues and a non-expert swimmer and non-expert medical authority, my advice would be to find a sports-minded orthopedist (there are many out there) and be examined, diagnosed, and treated now. In my experience, the problem will not go away and will probably get worse (and more unlikely to be fixable) if you don't correct matters now.

I had some pain in my right should for several months and it turned out I had a pinched nerve in my neck (although they can get pinched at the shoulder, elbow, and/or wrist too). After a few trips to the chiropractor I immediately felt better and haven't had any problems since.

Thanks for these comments. I can relate to alot of what you are all saying. I don't have any clicking or popping. I am still managing to train. I am focusing more on a slow warmup and swim mechanics. If I concentrate on form, I can stay away from the pain while swimming. I can cycle the arm without any problem, so I am just reducing the force and concentrating on my kick and efficiency. Fortunately I breathe on the left which I feel is reducing the strain on my left shoulder. I do have trouble sleeping on my left side. So I must sleep on my right. I cannot sleep on my stomach anymore because of my lower back, so I am running out of ways to sleep! The bottom line is I am lefty, and I basically wore my shoulder out (and elbow) throwing a baseball and football. I am not new to sports so I do expect some issues to come up since I am a new swimmer. I certainly had them as a runner! Thanks.

Swimmer's shoulder is extremely common among Masters swimmers. As others have pointed out, treating the pain and inflammation is not enough--you have to address the cause or it will be a recurring problem. Personally speaking, I would not have been able to construct my rehab program on my own. A physical therapist with experience in sports medicine is invaluable, in my opinion. I really believe rotator cuff exercises are essential whether or not you've already suffered an injury.

Originally posted by osterber I've got chronic shoulder tendonitis... the best thing that I can recommend is doing shoulder strengthening exercises with stretch cords. When I am good about them... my shoulders are fine. As soon as I let up on my shoulder exercise routine, my shoulders start hurting in practice. By all means -- see a doctor. But get on the shoulder strengthening circuit. I agree. I use Therabands, but the concept is the same. Like you, I have found that my shoulders bother me when I am not doing the exercises regularly (2-3 times/week).