Posts Tagged ‘Swimmer’

Shoulder pain injury rotator cuff self treatment

medicalmassage-ceu.com In the DVD Volume 2 Boris provides a detailed verbal explanation followed by on screen caption commentaries at the time of hands-on performance. He teaches how to provide region specific self massage therapy for shoulder pain and shoulder injuries, including Pitcher’s Shoulder, Swimmer’s Shoulder, Tennis Shoulder, Frozen Shoulder, rotator cuff syndromes and more. The proposed techniques target pain reduction and include trigger point therapy, application of hot stones …

What Could I Do For My Shoulder Pain?

I have a lot of pain in my shoulder, and I think its because I never rest it. I am a competitive swimmer, a flute player, and I carry around a lot of books all day, mainly because i have no choice.
So what could I do for it. Ice? Heat? Rest? What do you recommend?
Thanks so much! Its much appreciated!

Rotator Cuff Problem?? Help!?

I am a swimmer, and for about a year and a half now, I’ve had a rotator cuff problem. I was out of the pool for about 6 months, and went to a sports doctor. He suggested physical therapy, which I did for 3 months. It did not do anything, really. After trying PT, I went to an acupuncturist. This helped more than PT, but after a while, it stopped doing anything. I also tried many homeopathic remedies for my shoulder, but none of them seemed to help. Maybe I was not using them correctly? I don’t know. Anyways, after all that, I went to a Chiropractor, who is certified in Active Release Techniques. This probably helped the most out of everything, but my shoulder still hurts a lot. I am back in the pool, with the doctor’s ok, but other sports just hurt too much. Is there anything else I can do, or do I just have to deal with this??

How Do I Know If I Have Torn My Rotator Cuff?

Rotator cuff tendinitis is an inflammation (irritation and swelling) of the tendons of the shoulder.
Alternative Names:
Swimmer’s shoulder; Pitcher’s shoulder; Shoulder impingement syndrome; Tennis shoulder
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint where the top part of the arm bone (humerus) forms a joint with the shoulder blade (scapula). The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus into the scapula.
you will probably experience inability to move or raise your shoulders in all planes and will feel pains as you try to move your arm
special test: includes
(+) empty can test and drop arm test

Watch Out for Swim Shoulder Injuries

Help for shoulder pain

Before we talk about our main subject, shoulder injuries, here’s a quick energy tip for women swimmers; for an easy way to keep your energy levels high during your swim workout, try eating peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers before.

Stay hydrated during a workout by drinking two 8-ounce (250ml) glasses of water 1 hour before. If you wait until you’re thirsty – it’s already too late!

Swimming and Shoulder Injuries in Women

Ladies, the biggest source of swimming injuries is the shoulder. Butterfly swimming is considered the stroke most likely to cause injury, with Freestyle (otherwise known as Front Crawl) coming second.

The shoulder is a very complex piece of anatomy. So if you have hurt your shoulder, it can be quite difficult for professionals to diagnose exactly which muscle has been injured. If your shoulder is hurting while you swim, it’s best to decrease or temporarily stop the exercise that’s hurting. You should consider staying away from the pool for at least a week or two.

Ask yourself what you might have been doing to cause pain; have you had a sudden increase in training distance or intensity? Keep increases in workload to less than 10% per week.

Are you using only one stroke during your workout?
You will gain more from cross training with other strokes.

We are often taught to ‘reach and roll’ when we put our hands in the water to start our pull. Might you be reaching too far and over-rotating, crossing over in freestyle when pulling? Don’t over-stretch your shoulders in an attempt to increase the range of your stroke. Instead, back off a little and start your pull before your arm is fully extended. You might feel you are short-stroking a little bit, but the difference is slight.

Do you use hand paddles? Stop. Paddles put a great deal
of unnatural pressure on your shoulders and you likely don’t really need them. Any use of hand paddle training devices while injured can add to a swimmer’s problems. Most paddles will cause shoulder problems, given time. Instead, use leg fins so you can start going through the motions of your armstroke without much effort.

Concentrate on improving your leg action. Emphasize a steady, even kick to take pressure off your shoulders. As mentioned above, try fins for a while.

One of the most important things in stroke technique, when it comes to freestyle and avoiding shoulder injuries is to bend your elbows underwater during the pull. This is proper form and will keep you from putting your shoulder in an awkward position that leads to problems. You still want to roll your body, but instead of initiating the roll with your shoulders, snap your hips.

If you breathe to only one side, you will develop the muscles more on one side than the other. This could cause a shoulder problem. To avoid lop-sided strength, ensure you use bilateral (on both sides) breathing in your workouts.

You’re Now In Rehab.
If you have a shoulder injury, according to the Mayo Clinic; initially consider use of an ice-pack (cryotherapy). Later, change to contrasting treatments of moist heat and an ice-pack, twice per day. Ensure you see your doctor if pain continues.

Special Exercises.
Employ pain-free isometric and elastic cord exercises with low resistance and a high number of repetitions two to three times daily. Using a ‘theraband’ or surgical tubing for some light resistance exercises can help in your rehabilitation. Exercises with these help strengthen your muscles without aggravating the injury.

Knee push-ups, regular push ups and wall leans (standing push ups against the wall), can help your conditioning program.

Summary.
A shoulder injury forces you to slow down. When you’ve had some time away from swimming and are resuming training, always ease back into it. Start with something very light, like 800m the first day, 900m the next. Consider this as an opportunity to gently improve your stroke technique and drills, while you get back to full health.

Use ice to decrease pain