Swimming and Shoulders

Steven Ford

I just went back to the pool after a nice long break, eased in with 1000 yards. I have Tendonosis (sp?) in my right shoulder and a minor tear which does not need an operation at this time.

So what exercises should I be doing to help keep my shoulder going strong for the season?

Thanks

 

 

HayesSanborn

Its been my experience that shoulder pain (especially in the front of the shoulder) is the result of tight pecs. I use my pointer finger/middle finger and message deeply my pec to release the spasm. Similiar to Hip and knee pain being caused by the shortening of quad.

I've gotten some strange looks massaging my pec at work so maybe not the best place to fill yourself up

 

Coach Patrick

Lots of stretching, including a nice "hang" from any bar/surface is good. Interested to hear what pro's have to say...

Leigh Boyle

99.9% probability that the tear was there before the shoulder got aggravated by swimming.

That being said, Hayes and P are both on the right track. Shoulder pain from swimming can be eliminated by keeping the pecs and lats/back of your shoulder nice and loose. Break out your foam roller and work that mid to upper back area first and then roll over and work on the pecs (position the roller lengthwise under your pec.,  stretch that arm out to the side in a T-position, and roll towards it; careful, might be pretty tender).

Shoot for 3-5 minutes on each side and then try these stretches:

Start by sitting back on your heels with your arms stetched out straight overhead. You should feel a good pull in the back of your shoulders, lats and mid-back. hold for 30 seconds and repeat 4 times. Then in that same position, rotate to one side and repeat. Finish off with the same count to the other side.

Use a wall or doorjam for this next one. Keep the elbow at or around shoulder height and rotate your body away from it (note: you want the stretch to be passive so don't pull away from the wall. start by rotating your feet away and let the rest of the body follow). Same counts: 30 seconds x 4 reps.

The good thing about small rotator cuff tears is that they tend to go back into their normal grooves. It's when the tear is big enough that it gets stuck out of position that you need to start thinking about the surgery option.

In the meantime, here's a link with some pictures to help get you started (sorry, have to go the easy route on this one...in between patients).

familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/ho...s/265.html

There is also a whole slew of resistance tubing exercises that you can do as well. Will hunt around and find a good link later.

stevehiatt

Steven: Where's the tear and I'm curious to know how you know it doesn't need surgery?

Steven Ford

Posted By Stephen Hiatt on 26 Apr 2010 03:59 PM

Steven: Where's the tear and I'm curious to know how you know it doesn't need surgery?

I do not know exactly where the tear is, but I had an MRI and the doctor said very minor, more concerned with the tendonois. Not swimming really helps and the pain I have now is nothing compared to before. Just trying to be proactive.

 

Michele Cellai

Steve- I always get shoulder pain with return to swimming. I do the Leonardo stretching (that's what the therapist calls it). I lay on my foam roller with it the long way down my midspine. I use a large pillow to support my head so I don't over extend my neck. Then like the man in Leonardo Da Vinci drawings, I move my arms straight out to the side at 90 degrees hold 1 minute. I make slow progressions through the shoulder motion at 1 minute intervals until I am reaching directly overhead. This hits a lot of the areas. Just last night I got on the tennis ball. Basically on the floor, on my side, tennis ball in the groove at the back of my armpit and rolling around, holding and deep breathing when I am over a tender spot. Amazing how much less pain, more mobility I had this morning. Ice is your friend when it really hurts.

Cary Blanco

Steve, be sure you do any stretch or exercise "thumbs up" only, so as to not impinge the shoulder joint. I see a lot of shoulder stretching written up with photos of thumbs up (good) and thumbs down (internal rotation of joint - bad) which can cause further problems.

Michael Johnson

Prob. a "partial tear"....which is more from chronic inflamm. or impingement. Impingement (where the rotator cuff rubs up next to the acromion bone).....USUALLY does not need a repair like the classic "tear" does.......the keys are stretching, stretching,,,,,go to PT for a rotator cuff program.....antiinflammatories.....sometimes a cortisone inj....

docjeter

I's, Y's, T's, W's & L's.

ri133ck

I could have used some of those stretches before the St Anthony's triathlon last Sunday. I came out of the water and felt like I had a elephant on my shoulders the rest of the race. Of course swimming in 2-3 ft swells and a washing machine for the last 500m didnt help either. Other than that, good race.

daisymack

familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/ho...s/265.html



I've always struggled with left shoulder rotator cuff pain. If I start to feel twinges, I strengthen all the muscles with the above exercises. I also use a Theraband attached to the wall to work the muscles.

marianne

"swimmers shoulder" yes this is what I have says doc on the right side and got steroid shot two days ago... still hurts! and it woke me up and I sit here.... also had prednizone and now on diclofenac (sp?) a NSAID. okay so ?? dumb question here> I have not swam since February, reinjured it in March (after carrying backpack down in Guatemala or riding in back of pickup truck) and since my return,, duh didn't do any of these stretches! well okay tired from thyroid issues .... so I do the above stretches and do I wait until no pain before I return to pool? or should I go back and do diff stroke? week one of 20 weeks to IM. I know I used up my insurance visits for piriformis for 2010 and will quiz my PT to see if different problem can get me more visits with United??

Leigh Boyle

@ Marianne- if PT is a no go...do you know any good sports massage people? a few visits there to dig out the shoulder from all sides would certainly help. from there, uses the stretches to maintain and strengthening to build the muscles back up.

Give the shot a few more days to settle in (usually takes 5-7 to absorb all the way) and then give the other strokes a try. You'll know in a few laps if it's going to be okay or if it just aggravates the area.

marianne

Thanks everybody.! well... I have a massage schedule for WED and if you know me then you know this is about my 3rd in my life. she is an Ironman herself.. and she says is is "gonna take a few visits to work it out!" sounds painful as she will hit IT/piriformis areas as well.  will help out hubby and tell him it is my mother's day gift!

and then also.. lo and behold my policy changed in March and I have 20 visits!! yippee and I go in today! I do so much better with somebody showing me what to do and (making me do it!). if you remember I went to this PT Dec - Feb for piriformis!! so I will be right at home. so things are looking up. smile. and thanks. m

David Flint

@Leigh

Hey Leigh - hoping you may be able to shed light on a shoulder imbalance (i think) and suggest a probable cause / course of action just in case it leads to injury, especially now I've started bumping up the swim volume.

Just finished a lunchtime swim, endurance session of 3400m - doing a few stretches and noticed that with arms overhead, fingers pointing towards ceiling I'm approx 1.5" shorter on my left side - IOW, I can touch the ceiling with my right finger-tips but a good 1-2 inches short on the left.
Any likely causes?
I do know that my ACJ on left didn't knit back correctly after tearing it during bike crash 2 years ago - no pain or niggles since however.

Thanks again!

Dave

Leigh Boyle

Sounds like a loss of range of motion in one arm versus arm length difference. A tight joint won't move as far, y'know?. That being said, really tough to say remotely what specifically is going on in there. What's your range of motion like? reaching across your chest to the other shoulder, up behind you back to your shoulder blade, behind your head?? how is it compared to the other arm?

David Flint

Hi Leigh, the motion seems fine/identical - do notice when doing backstroke that I have difficulty swinging the left arm in the same tight arc as the right - just doing the action on dry-land at my desk & with arms vertical, I can push the right shoulder back further than my left - the restriction seems to happen when arm has passed the head.
Tell you what.......if I was a horse they would've shot me by now! :-)

I'll just stretch some more and self-massage - my 4th discipline.........

Leigh Boyle

@ Dave...hard to tell if the restriction is related to the AC fx or if it's muscular adhesions from after the injury.

Is it painful or just something you noticed?? if it's painful, could be worth letting someone really dig it out and see what happens with the mobility. I'm talking front, back, top and side to release the full joint and eliminate any neck restrictions. If after that it's still not moving as much, could be the way the fracture healed or even some ligaments getting in the way from where they got torn.

If it's not painful. Just stay after it and work on loosening up the muscles and stretching. You should be able to even the arms out over time. Ideally, you need to keep the front/pec area and behind the shoulder loose. they have the most potential to pull the bones out of whack.

David Flint

Thanks again Leigh, I have no pain but it is restricted & that side is significantly weaker as highlighted when doing single-arm front-crawl drill - during the usual long endurance swim sets i often find myself dragging my recovery hand in the water - gives me a cue to focus on that side a little more.
Appreciate your input & good advice which allows me to stay on top of this just in case - prevention & all that...........