It’s well known that swimming is an outstanding full-body exercise that any person can take advantage of, including individuals with weak joints. Swimming casually for a few laps a few times a week usually has no adverse effects. Still, long-distance, professional, and regular swimming can result in the uncomfortable ailment known as “swimmers shoulder.”
Fortunately, you may take precautions to avoid the swimmers shoulder and practice up and down the back line without pain. Read out the ultimate ways to prevent swimmers shoulder pain and stretches to have happy swimming.
One of the greatest methods to lower the risk of injury is to maintain an appropriate posture in and out of the swimming pool. Here we bring some excellent tips that will assist you in improving your posture while swimming.
Sleep on your back:
You may want to sleep on your side, but if your shoulders are tender from long swimming, this is not a good idea. Pressure on them can just aggravate the inflammation; therefore, it’s best to acquire the practice of sleeping on your back, which is also beneficial for your general spine health.
Try to sleep with your arms crossed on your chest to completely align your shoulders into their sockets. If the pain or stiffness persists, raise the elbows gently using cushions.
Strengthen your rotator cuffs:
This is an effective preventative measure, but only when combined with other crucial body parts, such as strengthening the upper back muscles. Workouts or activities to maintain scapular muscle balance and posture are also beneficial in improving impingement symptoms. Many swimmers perform internal and external rotator cuff strengthening workouts using bands to prevent swimmers shoulder. You will notice a significant improvement if you add these exercises as a warm-up before you swim.
Improve your swimming technique:
Maintaining good swimming posture and technique is the most important preventive precautions you can take to avoid swimmers shoulder injury. Remember that swimming is a kind of resistance exercise like weight lifting. The proper form is vital for avoiding injuries, as in the gym. Before you consider raising the intensity or duration of your activity, you should focus on developing proper technique. You can take the help of a swimming coach who can assist you by identifying and correcting incorrect techniques or training habits.
Fix your stroke technique:
This is a win-win condition since you can simultaneously improve your stroke and avoid a swimmers shoulder injury. One of the simplest methods to obtain more power from your swim and minimize shoulder injury is to maintain your shoulders relaxed and un-shrugged throughout the stroke. Shrugging shoulders throughout the pulling process adds unnecessary strain to your minor but important shoulder muscle.
In freestyle, an inadequate body roll may result in excessive tugging on the tendons. Many swimmers’ thumbs and pointer fingers enter the water first, causing significant internal rotation and shoulder impingement.
Another key factor to consider is the way you drag through the water. If you cross your body’s midline or pull the water with a straight arm or a lowered elbow, these are all reasons that might contribute to increased strain on your inner rotator cuffs.
Stretching and recovery:
Over-training, you may not get adequate recovery time which could raise your chances of developing a swimmers shoulder. In any sport, adequate recovery is just as vital as the activity. Shoulder stretches for swimmers and a good night’s sleep is the best way to recuperate from the practice. Stretching will help you to ease your muscle stress.
Furthermore, if you want to swim faster, then flexibility is a must. Not all swimmers can take a nap during their morning and afternoon training sessions. To compensate for that, you can focus on adequate pre and post-workout nutrition and include potassium-rich food in your daily diet. You can also check the complete guide for swimmers’ diet.
A Swimmer’s shoulder is a situation that can be avoided by following the above-mentioned preventive measures, but despite our best efforts the injury may happen. If you are suffering from the swimmers shoulder symptoms like the lowered range of motion, raised joint laxity, rotator cuff, discomfort, and inflammation, you can take the assistance of a professional physiotherapist.
