The Butterfly Lane

Hello Fly-Folks, One of my goals upon returning to swimming was to conquer 100m Fly along with 200 IM and 400 IM. Our coach has me in the lower IM lane and we do short fly sets 3 times per week such as 8x25 with a decent bit of rest. I seem to be doing better as I can, at least, finish the sets with what I believe to be decent form. The problem I have is shoulder pain. The pain is not during the fly set but rather it shows up 30 mins or so after the workout is over. The pain is directly over the crease of the armpit on the front of the shoulder. Strangely, its only on the left side. A friend who is a rehab PT has told me to heat-stretch-ice and eat ibuprofin like candy. He has no special knowledge of swimming so I thought I would ask here as I have searched the forums and not found much. Has anyone else experienced this type of pain? Will it diminish as I get in better shape (general fitness as well as shoulder specific drylands)? Fly must not win (again)... Bill Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell what the etiology of the pain is without having a shoulder doc of some sort look at it. It could be anything from a tight pec minor, rotator cuff tendonitis, AC joint arthritis (depending on your age), to thoracic outlet syndrome. The asymmetry could be related to technique or functional limitations on that side. Trust me on this. I spent three years going from shoulder doc to neck doc and back again for shoulder and neck pain that was aggravated by fly only on the left side only to find out it was thoracic outlet syndrome. I just had part of my first rib and a neck muscle taken out for it, which fixed the pain. The point is, it could be something directly related to your shoulder or referred from another area. In general, don't swim through joint pain, though most of us do. Swimmers tend to have "upper crossed" syndrome, so you would likely benefit, even if your shoulder were normal, from "prehab" work on your scapular stabilizers, rotator cuff, core strengthening, and posture. G. John Mullen has a good program for this at www.corswimmershoulder.com, but your PT friend and Google search for YouTube videos could get you a lot of the information. Many people have experienced great success in managing/relieving shoulder pain just with this. Avoidance of exercises that aggravate impingement (bench press, dips, etc.) also is important. Most long-term overhead athletes (swimmers, pitchers) have a lot of shoulder pathology, and MRIs of their shoulders look like crap, even in those without pain. Lots of people have had good symptom relief with Active Release Therapy, if you have a practitioner (they're usually chiropractors or physical therapists) in your area. Finally, although shoulders are great for butterfly, it's amazing how much improvement you can get by working on your core strength, streamlined dolphin kick, turns, and breakouts. Read Ande Rasmussen's SDK tips and get serious about it. I've made big improvements and have been able to place high at nationals with one bad wing by emphasizing these other aspects of fly. Good luck!

That area described "crease in front of shoulder at armpit" isn't that the pectoral tendon ?

I have yet to attempt to join the Butternut ranks, but I would be willing to arrange something in our neck of the woods and give it a go. :afraid: I did do my 1650 of fly all legal tonight, though I did stop at the 800, and a few more times, but for only short amounts. I suppose I can at least submit the 800 part for Butternuts...

That area described "crease in front of shoulder at armpit" isn't that the pectoral tendon ? Could be. It feels like a narrowing strip going from my chest upward and into the shoulder area. (After doing a bit of google-ing, yes) the pain appears to be at the outer end of the pectoral tendon under the deltoid.

Hey, Swimdoc, how are you doing recovering from your T.O.S. surgery? By the way, I sent in a letter to the editor (see my post on the T.O.S. thread...), regarding a couple of inaccuracies on pg. 36 of the new Swimmer Magazine (T.O.S. is not a "disease" or "illness", nor is the collarbone "reconfigured" during surgery...). I hope you are recovering well! :cheerleader: Thanks, Elaine. I'm doing great from the TOS part of the surgery. I'm a month out, no pain, good ROM in my shoulder, and arm strength better than before surgery.. Unfortunately, the swelling post-op at my neck pressed on a nerve to the vocal cord on that side leaving me quite hoarse and with an exaggerated cough reflex, which makes the idea of being in a pool a bit scary. Could be this way for several month's more, but it's a fair trade for having my arm back again and no pain. If it weren't for the cough that comes out of nowhere, I'd feel like I could start swimming again (though it would be against my surgeon's orders). Glad you clarified that for Swimmer Magazine. I wonder how many of us TOSers are out there?

Thanks, Elaine. I'm doing great from the TOS part of the surgery. I'm a month out, no pain, good ROM in my shoulder, and arm strength better than before surgery.. Unfortunately, the swelling post-op at my neck pressed on a nerve to the vocal cord on that side leaving me quite hoarse and with an exaggerated cough reflex, which makes the idea of being in a pool a bit scary. Could be this way for several month's more, but it's a fair trade for having my arm back again and no pain. If it weren't for the cough that comes out of nowhere, I'd feel like I could start swimming again (though it would be against my surgeon's orders). Glad you clarified that for Swimmer Magazine. I wonder how many of us TOSers are out there? That's great news about your strength and range of motion. You are well on your way to 100% success! :applaud: The cough is a unique side effect; I haven't heard of that before. But, the small group of us who went through a rehab class together all had different post-op issues that eventually were resolved. I'm sure it will be just a temporary issue for you and you will be back in the pool before you know it! Take care and good luck! :cheerleader:

I did do my 1650 of fly all legal tonight, though I did stop at the 800, and a few more times, but for only short amounts. I suppose I can at least submit the 800 part for Butternuts... Well done!

Well done! Thanks, and never to be done again. Ouchy.

Flyathon "postal "???

Flyathon "postal "??? Yes, we'll have to do it that way, since all of us Butternuts are spread out throughout the country.