Shoulder Pain

Don't let "Swimmer's Shoulder" take you under!!

Some advice from Jeremy Nyman, Physiotherapist at Woodlands Physiotherapy. Read on to find out how to avoid this nuisance condition that could ruin your chance of reaching Rotto.

To view some exercises to reduce the risk of Swimmer's Shoulder, select the attachemnt at the bottom of the page.

Other than insanity, swimmer’s ear, stings, neck pain, chaffing and rashes, the most likely problem you will suffer whilst preparing for the Rotto swim is swimmer’s shoulder. The incidence of the problem is unclear, research figures varying anywhere from 3 - 80% of swimmers (not just Rotto swimmers) affected.

What is Swimmer's Shoulder?

Swimmer’s shoulder, bursitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, impingement syndrome are all essentially the same problem. In simple terms, swimmer’s shoulder relates to inflammation of the tendons or protective lubricant sacks (bursa) around the shoulder joint. This is the result of repetitive "friction"? whilst performing the overarm action of freestyle swimming. It is an even more aggressive action with butterfly and less so with back stroke and breast stroke.

Is Swimmer’s Shoulder preventable?

Yes. In most cases you can easily prevent it. Read on to understand the problem and then look at the exercises suggested to reduce your risk of getting this nuisance condition. These exercises are the minimum you can do to reduce your risk factors. There are many other exercises you can use and if you have specific problems, you will need specific assessment and advice. A physiotherapist with knowledge of swimming can do this for you.

Symptoms you may experience

If you start getting shoulder symptoms, do something about it immediately. Once it starts, pain tends to worsen unless you do something specific to help. Most likely early discomfort will occur during or immediately following your training session. The pain tends to be in the shoulder joint itself or in the upper arm. Occasionally it will spread down the arm. If it is accompanied by pins and needles or tingling in the hand or arm, your neck may be involved. If the problem worsens you will get pain on a range of minor arm movements, particularly behind the line of the body or overhead. Aching can increase and you may be disturbed by pain in bed. Swimming is not the only cause of this problem. Inappropriate gym programs can also trigger swimmer’s shoulder.

Avoiding the problem

The best thing to do is to prevent the onset of any symptons. Implementation of the following points will significantly reduce your risk of Swimmer's Shoulder:

• Pre-training muscle/posture assessment and advice from a physio
• Use the exercises on this web site
• Stroke correction
• Warm-up and stretch program
• Correctly implemented gymnasium program. Remember, your gym program should be directed towards avoiding injuries as well as making you swim faster.
• If you start getting symptoms, early management is imperative. Don’t let the problem worsen before getting advice.

What to do

You will need to identify the causes of your problem. This may require advice from a physiotherapist, doctor and swimming coach.

If you become symptomatic and there is inadequate reponse to conservative management such as stroke modification and specific exercises, further investigation and treatment may be necessary. This may include the use of anti-inflammatory medication, X-Ray, Ultrasound scan and injection. Be advised by your physio or doctor.

Some advice from Jeremy Nyman, Physiotherapist at Woodlands Physiotherapy. To view some exercises to reduce the risk of Swimmer's Shoulder, select the attachemnt at the bottom of the page..