I'm so frustrated!! I've had neck (trap)and upper back pain for almost a year now. It would come and go. Now it is "going" almost constantly. I went the medical route first....muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory drugs and rest....for about 2 weeks. It helped temporarily. (I HATE taking muscle relaxers....they make me feel tired and lazy!)The minute I stopped taking them and tried to swim, it came back.
I went to a chiropractor. He did X-rays and said my neck was straight. It is supposed to have a slight backward curve...sort of a natural "shock absorber" for your spine. He also said my neck (cervical spine) is shifted big time to the left.....explains why it hurts on the right! :doh: He said my trap muscles have been doing all the "shock absorbing" and had many knots in them on both sides. He also said my pec muscles were too tight and pulling my traps I've been going THREE times a week to get adjusted by the chiropractor. I've been stretching, icing and not swimming. The only thing that has helped is massage...and that's not in my budget! It doesn't seem to be getting better.:shakeshead: :cry: I finally went "swimming" Thursday to try to stretch it out. The doctor said it was ok as long as I didn't push it! I thought I would just kick a lot. I did try to swim some EASY strokes. It tightend up real fast! I ended up kicking on my back and doing a lot of vertical kicking in deep water. Any advice?
I know the feeling. I've got similar neck, shoulder, and back pain.
I've found that NSAIDs actually make them worse over time and I was suffering from "Rebound Headaches". See Are you a Pill-Popping Masters Swimmer?
by Jessica Seaton, DC at www.spma.net/.../sep2007.pdf.
I've been pestering my Dr for several years. I've had X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, seen a neuroligist, and rhumatologist. Have you tried acupuncture?
If you've got good insurance through work, keep going until you get results.
If you do a lot of kicking, stop using a board. Kick on your back, side, or underwater.
I know about the frustration.
Have you had a good coach evaluate your stroke? If you have poor technique you could be causing your own pain. Self evaluation usually doesn't work unless you are a swim coach yourself.
Oh, one of the things that helped me the most was seeing a physical therapist. I was referred by my Dr. He taught me some better stretches than the standard ones we've done for years. Also, I'm using 5-10 lb weights to strengthen the small muscles of shoulder. Stretch bands work great for this too.
Check out forums.usms.org/showthread.php as it has some great stretching information from USA Swimming.
I know the feeling. I've got similar neck, shoulder, and back pain.
I've found that NSAIDs actually make them worse over time and I was suffering from "Rebound Headaches". See Are you a Pill-Popping Masters Swimmer?
by Jessica Seaton, DC at www.spma.net/.../sep2007.pdf.
I've been pestering my Dr for several years. I've had X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, seen a neuroligist, and rhumatologist. Have you tried acupuncture?
If you've got good insurance through work, keep going until you get results.
If you do a lot of kicking, stop using a board. Kick on your back, side, or underwater.
I know about the frustration.
Have you had a good coach evaluate your stroke? If you have poor technique you could be causing your own pain. Self evaluation usually doesn't work unless you are a swim coach yourself.
Oh, one of the things that helped me the most was seeing a physical therapist. I was referred by my Dr. He taught me some better stretches than the standard ones we've done for years. Also, I'm using 5-10 lb weights to strengthen the small muscles of shoulder. Stretch bands work great for this too.
Check out forums.usms.org/showthread.php as it has some great stretching information from USA Swimming.
