Hey all - Injury question here.
I used to swim a ton and took a few years off as our masters program fell apart. Since then the last two years I've been putting in a few days a month at the pool here and there, nothing too committed. Since I've recently been recruited to participate in the swim portion of an Ironman Relay next summer, I decided I'd better get my rear in gear.
At any rate, I thought I ramped up my mileage cautiously enough - 4 weeks at only 5,500-6,000 yards a week; then a 6,600 yard week; followed by: 9,400, 10,100, 13,500. I've been a bit sidelined by a nagging pain in my bicep which has since gotten worse since I've stopped swimming. It feels extremely sharp in my mid-bicep area, on the outside of my left arm. It hurts the most when my arm is extended in recovery mode directly over my shoulder. It seems to be particularly painful at night - the last few nights, despite not swimming for about a week now, I've woken up mid night quite a few times in pain and had to change out ice packs and take more ibuprofin or alleve.
I feel like it could be some form of bicep tendonitis, but it seems to be localized mid arm rather than near my shoulder. I'm frustrated that it seems to be getting worse while I'm not swimming rather than better.
Thanks!
I had similar pain and was sure I had done something to the bicep, probably lifting weights. When I went to physical therapy, the therapist said it was not something I did, but something I didn't do. I had stopped doing my rotator cuff exercises. She explained that I had bursitis and the pain radiated to the bicep area. The rotator cuff makes the shoulder stable. When I didn't keep up the exercises and swam a lot, I irritated the bursa. Physical therapy involved specific exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff and rest. Eventually, 4-6 weeks, I was back to normal. Just recently I experience similar pain. I realized I had been in two meets over 3 weeks and had not done the exercises for my shoulder. I cut back on swimming and went back to the exercises and was okay after 2-3 weeks. Someday I'll learn. Preventon is the key.
I had similar pain and was sure I had done something to the bicep, probably lifting weights. When I went to physical therapy, the therapist said it was not something I did, but something I didn't do. I had stopped doing my rotator cuff exercises. She explained that I had bursitis and the pain radiated to the bicep area. The rotator cuff makes the shoulder stable. When I didn't keep up the exercises and swam a lot, I irritated the bursa. Physical therapy involved specific exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff and rest. Eventually, 4-6 weeks, I was back to normal. Just recently I experience similar pain. I realized I had been in two meets over 3 weeks and had not done the exercises for my shoulder. I cut back on swimming and went back to the exercises and was okay after 2-3 weeks. Someday I'll learn. Preventon is the key.
