Swimming Injuries: How to Prevent Common Swimming Injuries
Swimming has long been recognized as one of the safest sports to play, and it is an excellent method to recover from severe wounds and ease your body into physical activity in a secure setting. Swimming, like most activities, can cause injuries, both among competitive and professional swimmers as well as among recreational swimmers.
Reasons for Injuries:
- Overtraining
- Not enough downtime
- Inadequate stroke mechanics
- Poor breathing technique
- Insufficient range of motion or flexibility
- Reduced strength of the scapular or rotator cuff muscles
- Poor stability or core strength
- Weakness in the hip muscles
Here is a list of the most typical swimming-related injuries, along with advice on how to prevent swimming injuries and heal from them.
Shoulder swimming injuries and prevention tips:
Because swimming demands frequent shoulder movements that might increase joint stress, the shoulders are particularly prone for swimmers. A rotator cuff impingement is the most frequent shoulder injury and is brought on by pressure from the shoulder blade or scapula as the arm is raised. Shoulder instability, which occurs when the shoulder joint’s supporting structure fails to keep the ball and socket together, can also affect swimmers. This results from the rotator cuff and muscles around the shoulder blade becoming fatigued and weak.
Swimmers should be careful to avoid any movements that may cause pain since these injuries might develop due to overuse or poor technique.
Regular shoulder workout outside the pool is crucial to preventing and reducing stress on the shoulder joint. The surrounding muscles are continually being strengthened and stretched, which can aid in increasing flexibility and resistance.
Knee swimming injuries and a prevention tip:
Knee injuries are never enjoyable and are more common swimming injuries, particularly for those who swim breaststroke. The breaststroke kick employs a motion that puts a lot of strain on the knee and quickly results in tendons and ligaments becoming injured. This is unquestionably one of the ailments that both professionals and amateurs experience. Breaststroker’s knee can develop for several causes, including excessive training, bad technique, and inadequate warm-ups.
Other knee discomfort includes pain at the front of the knee, which is most likely the result of the patellar tendon becoming irritated while doing kicks like the down kick or the flutter kick.
Along with performing the proper stretching exercises before you even enter the water, swimming with alternate strokes can assist people in avoiding injuring their knees. The hamstrings and quadriceps may be prepared and strengthened by doing this.
Back swimming injuries and prevention tips:
Swimming may be a terrific method to cure back pain symptoms, as indicated at the beginning, but it can also be the cause, and data indicates that most swimmers have suffered back pain as a result of swimming. This is because moves like flip turns and butterflies, which include twisting motions, can irritate the spinal joints and result in excruciating back discomfort.
When making motions like the breaststroke, the back can get hyper-extended or strained for extended periods, resulting in lower back discomfort.
Swimmers must ensure they use the proper technique and avoid uncomfortable or unnatural motions if they want to avoid experiencing this pain.
Hip swimming injuries risk and prevention tips:
Additionally susceptible to swimming injuries , the hip is an issue that is becoming prevalent among frequent swimmers. A broad breaststroke kick poses a danger for hip adductor injury, and deficiencies in strength and timing can lead the pelvis and hips to rest awkwardly, increasing joint strain and causing excruciating agony.
By refraining from practicing breaststroke until the injury has had time to heal and the discomfort has subsided, it is crucial to prevent future strain on the hip and prevent hip pain.
Remember to warm up thoroughly before swimming and vary your strokes to ensure you reduce your chance of any injury.
