Awhile ago, Terry asserted that there was an "epidemic" of shoulder injuries among young USS swimmers, which he asserted were all due to stroke defects. Is he right?
Lately, I've been polling parents of 12-15 year old girls and I have learned that they all seem to have nagging injuries, particularly shoulder problems: Tendonitis, scapular pain, knee pain, etc. From what I know about the practice schedules, I don't think the injuries are due to overtraining, although some put in yardage or have some pretty hard practices. None of the girls I know do doubles. They all appear to be in puberty, and perhaps the changes in their bodies account for some of this pain. I'm sure some of it is due to bad technique too. I see a lot of lack of sufficient rotation on freestyle for example. But it's very annoying. Everyone is in PT or pain. I worry that some of these girls, including my own, will quit because they are tired of battling pain.
Another thought. Elsewhere I read that one program started their girls on RC stuff beginning at age 10 and kids doing these exercises have had fewer shoulder problems. Should this be started at a young age? I know my kid is doing them.
I have also heard of this problem mainly among girls. I don't know boys with shoulder problems. But that is likely due to the fact that I know more girls because I have a girl.
Thoughts?
Former Member
One of the 'prescriptions' I was given for shoulder problems as a 20yr old breastroker was to do some dogpaddle, I use this whenever I have done a fair bit of mileage or pull only work.
Seems to keep my RC in check nowadays :agree:
Go gently boys & girls, this is my first post from down under :p
I tried to post this early???? After all my years being involved in swimming, both as a swimmer and a coach I would have to say that injuries are more the norm than not. There are many more causes of injury than there are methods of prevention. I'm tired of people assuming that you can stay injury free. Enjoy the time when you are injury free!!!!
After all my years being involved in swimming, both as a swimmer and a coach I would have to say that injuries are more the norm than not. There are many more causes of injury than there are methods of prevention. I'm tired of people assuming that you can stay injury free. Enjoy the time when you are injury free!!!!
Well, I don't think anyone on this thread was really assuming we could stay injury free. (Anyone can feel free to correct me.) Myself, I've never really been injury free as a masters swimmer. I just sort of "manage" the shoulder in various ways. Most athletes suffer injuries at some point.
Maybe Terry thinks you can stay injury free. He's on record as saying his own age group swimmers are. But I think even he would concede that physiology, age or even dumb luck plays a role. I believe he is rehabing a separated shoulder at the moment.
It's just be nice if kids could learn some basic habits like rotator cuff strengthening to try to keep them on course or prevent what MIGHT be preventable.
Many swimmers tend to apply force too early in their stroke.
If you were to stand facing a wall with your arm fully straightened out and overhead...try pushing your palm against the wall.
You can feel the stress on the shoulder right away. Same thing in the pool.
Waiting for the arm to get a little further along in the stroke before pulling back can reduce this kind of strain.
The greatest force is applied from the catch on.
The hand as it enters the water the force is minimal. A little more pressure is applied as the hand moves to the catch, then give it the works.
A little more pressure is applied as the hand moves to the catch, then give it the works.
Precisely.
The catch sets up the arm for getting the elbow into a high position...
...when the arm is bending...it's time "to give it the works".
Boathead loosening up seems OK with me, I just don't like to see those pretzel like stretches.
I don't do pretzel stretches either. I think we would all be fine if we did our RC and scapular strengthening exercises, stretched a bit if we felt like it and had massages like Dara Torres every day. Then we wouldn't have tight muscles and we'll have happy shoulders. :bouncing:
Is anyone out there getting daily massages? Yeah right.
Is this a new smilie? :kiss1: I think only Blackbeard and SwimmieAvs can use this one.
Is anyone out there getting daily massages?
Need a new car? Buy yourself a beater and then drive to work in DC. All the vibrating and shaking, etc., you may as well have just sat in a massage chair.
There's your daily massage :bouncing::notworking:
This is a good thread.
Thinking about stretching, etc before swimming, I think, yes, we want to be a little warm before stretching, but we also want to stretch before we get warm, too. Contradictory? Not really.
We need to do some moving of our shoulders before we start stretching or swimming. Swinging the arms lightly around, stuff like that. But we need to get our whole body going. I like to lay on my back with hands at sides and bring my one arm up over my head while I bring up the opposite knee. Then I do the other arm and knee, and go back and forth 20-40 times: easy, warms the shoulders and legs, gets the muscles on both sides of the spine going opposite directions, gets me ready for spinal twisting, also light, turning my knees from side to side.
Another part of warmup involves "firing" some muscle groups you are going to be using in your main workout. So I usually do some core strengthening, again not to hard. Finally I get to stretching extremities. By then, everything is pretty warm, but still, BE CAREFUL. You want to stretch your muscles, not pull your tendons or joints out of place.
The RC exercises mentioned earlier (page 2 by Gull?) are terrific. But I have trouble getting to them regularly enough. And before I found them, I found an in-water warmup routine that really is very similar. It was an article called (I hope I get this right) "dips, whirlpools, and shoulder thangs" by Emmett Hines of Houston H2O. I found it through this forum, and it has been terrific getting me ready for workouts.
Ease into everything hard with something less hard. Don't be in a rush. And remember that the perfect form you have at the beginning of your workout will not be so perfect when you are tired at the end.
I wish! Will anyone volunteer to give me one on a daily basis?
After reading the previous post, I do think stretching is a good idea but only after a good workout. I have found that easy stretching, not trying to force the muscles but rather gently stretch them a little farther each time seems to help.
Anyone got any good ones for the upper back area(the area between the shoulder blades?
That's where I most need to stretch too. Try sitting on the floor with your knees bent. Tuck your arms together under your knees grabbing your elbows. Push your back back in a hunch like position. Hold. Repeat. Beg for a massage.
I think massages and ART work the best, better than regular stretching, for tight and impinged muscles. But you'd have to be Bill Gates to get them 24/7. Or George apparently.
