I have a case of tendonitis in my left shoulder. I've continued to train and swim but it's progressively gotten worse. It doesn't hurt so much while swimming, but post workout it's very uncomfortable and there is no sleeping on my left side at night due to pain. I swam yesterday after taking 12 days off from swimming but that wasn't a long enough break to resolve the issue.
The good news is my swim fitness is fairly strong right now as I have been training for my "A" race, a half-iron in early May. I have also done my research and determined that rest, ice, stretching and strength training all will aid in my recovery. So my questions to the group are:
Anyone else have experience working through this issue? Should I cut back on swimming now to reduce further injury or work through it until after my race? (I'm currently doing 4000-5000m per week) Any recovery tips?
Thanks for the help, Ace
I would not try to swim
I would not try to swim through it if there's pain. I would rest until it healed. Also, given that you're not swimming that many yards, you may be doing something wrong (e.g., your arms might be too far outside and therefore putting a lot of pressure on your shoulder). It may be worth a few swim lessons to diagnose and correct the problem.
How did the symptoms start?
How did the symptoms start? Was there a specific event/workout, in which you felt the issue come on?
Technique wise there is a problem with your stroke. If you don't fix that, your shoulder will not heal. Most likely if you fix the technique flaw, you can swim on it, since you won't aggravate the shoulder.
Once the fix is made, I would swim with fins at first, then without. Stay away form buoys and paddles.
Ace3 wrote:I'm currently
[quote=Ace3]I'm currently doing 4000-5000m per week) Any recovery tips?[/quote]
Yes, stop. ;) Give it some rest. The shoulder is very complex: It has a huge range of motion, controlled by a combination of big muscles and little muscles, all strung together with some wirey, tiny, and delicate little ligaments. The shoulder to swimming is like the knee to ... You wouldn't try to run/train through patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) - or at least I hope not. If you insist, try some prescription NSAIDs, but lighten the distance.
[quote=vjohnson]Stay away form buoys and paddles.[/quote]
Re: paddles - Absolutely. They'll shred a shoulder faster than crashing onto a rusty street grate. Have someone qualified look at your stroke (ie, underwater video). See how your mechanics may be impacting your shoulder.
Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for the feedback. I've had swim coaching in the past and like to think I have pretty good technique, but it's been awhile and considering the problem will need to get it checked out.
There wasn't a workout or event, it's slowly become an issue over last several weeks. I've used pool toys in past but haven't even brought them to the pool at all this year.
Chances are its cause is overuse/technique issue. I've got a lot of events on my calendar this year, so need to take care so as to not be in pain all summer. More time to focus on my bike/run.
The nice thing about
The nice thing about swimming, is that you don't lose too much fitness when you need to take a break.
How to avoid and fix
How to avoid and fix swimming shoulder injury
four simple tips which will fix 9 out of 10 swimming related shoulder injuries
http://www.swimsmooth.com/injury.php
Thanks ToaSurfing. I came
Thanks ToaSurfing. I came across this article too. Wish I had found it earlier in the season.
Tao's link is good, but I
Tao's link is good, but I would also suggest some work with rotator cuff outside of the pool to help stabilize the shoulder in the pool. swimming uses a huge range of motion and it is an "overhead" activity which is notoriously hard on shoulders because of the needed stability. Without knowing more about the injury and how you are moving I don't think I can be to much more specific. Good luck with it Ace.
For what it's worth, I used
For what it's worth, I used to have serious should issues. Never felt right. Got to the point I could not swim and could barely lift my arm...started doing simple rotator cuff exercises every other day. After 3 months...almost no pain. I bought this book just to get a little more educated...which was nice. I followed his routines and continue to do so...swim has never been better.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=treat+your...
Good luck!
I'd get it treated once a
I'd get it treated once a week by a physio, and also start doing some thera-band exercises to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder. If you can swim lightly without hurting it you will maintain your feel of the water.
Highly recommend you find
Highly recommend you find and buy the "7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution". It's been around for about 3 decades I think, and it's a really good resource for fixing the cuff and ensuring it doesn't happen again...
I talked about it here too: http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2012/09/episode-208-how-high-intensi...
Hope that helps!
Ben
Weights. Strengthen the
Weights. Strengthen the muscles. That will solve the prob.