How To Fix Swimming Injuries

How To Fix Swimming Injuries

Swimming is not a high impact sport, but it is one of the most well rounded exercises, in that it targets multiple muscle groups at a time. This is an advantage for those looking to get in shape and get all your body’s muscles pumping. What it also means, is that there are multiple muscles susceptible to injury while swimming. Swimmer injuries commonly include, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, back injuries and neck injuries. For this reason, it is important to take precautions to avoid falling victim to a swimming injury and to know how to properly treat one if necessary.

Rotator cuff injuries are one of the most common injuries among swimmers. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that connect the shoulder and the arm.  Its main function is to provide stability to the shoulder joint.  This repetitive motion makes the shoulder susceptible to rotator cuff injury.  Symptoms of a rotator cuff injury are shoulder pain and inflammation.  Swimmers repetitively reach their arms over their heads to get from one end of the pool to the next.

To treat a rotator cuff injury, you should make an appointment to see a Physical Therapist at the first sign of a sore shoulder. This can help prevent tears and more severe shoulder injuries that may require shoulder surgery. Luckily, physical therapy can help with tears and strains. Physical therapy can help restore range of motion and strengthen the muscles surrounding the shoulder. A physical therapist can also teach you ways to stretch and exercise the area to avoid preventing a future injury.

Neck injuries are also very common amongst swimmers. Swimming can cause strain on the neck because swimmers usually swim with their heads above the water, placing extra strain on the muscles to keep it afloat. Other swimming strokes involve swimming under the water. In strokes such as these, swimmers must repeatedly come up to the surface for air, rotating the neck constantly. This can lead to neck pain.

Neck pain can be caused by herniated discs, nerve issues and muscle strains. A physical therapist can help treat your neck pain by first diagnosing the cause of the discomfort and then working with you to personalize a treatment plan. Physical therapy and combined manual therapies such as massage and acupuncture can help decrease neck pain and increase mobility.

At Sarrica Physical Therapy & Wellness Center, our physical therapist can help treat your swimming injuries with decreased recovery time. Call us today at 347-560-6920.