How to Prevent Swimming-Related Shoulder Injuries

When it is hot outside many people are substituting exercise on dry land for the swimming pool, lake or ocean. Swimming is often touted as a no impact exercise with little to no risk of injury. However, swimming laps may cause repetitive use injuries, particularly in shoulders.

Swimmers can also develop injuries in their feet from kicking and spine from twisting, but those problems are far less common. Up to 91% of competitive swimmers suffer from “swimmer’s shoulder”, which may develop after thousands of stroke revolutions from swimming lap after lap in the pool. Also, consider that those thousands of stroke revolutions may be done after little or no warm up and using improper swimming technique. It is no wonder that swimming can contribute to shoulder pain from a rotator cuff injury.

In order to guard against “swimmer’s shoulder”, competitive and recreational swimmers should do the following:

1. Warm up before swimming
2. Learn and use proper swimming techniques
3. Build muscle strength, endurance and flexibility by supplementing swimming with weight training and dry land exercises
4. Skip swimming if sick, tired, cold, overheated, or injured.

If a shoulder injury does develop, it is a good idea to see a physician for evaluation and treatment. Use of ice and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication may be appropriate. A physician may prescribe specific home exercises or make a referral to a physical therapist. These simple, yet effective strategies may spare you the pain and recovery from a swimming-related shoulder injury.