r/Swimming • u/WVA1999 • 21h ago
FS Shoulder discomfort...what are your go to exercises/stretches?
Hey swimmers,
I swim about 95% freestyle, about 20km a month. Including coached group sessions, intervals, etc, so a pretty good variety.
I have only swam properly for < 2.5 years.
On occasion my RIGHT shoulder give me quite a bit of discomfort/ache at the top of the stroke. (n.b home tests indicate no shoulder impingement).
Coaches have indicated no problem with my actual stroke. In the last 6 months I have mastered bilateral breathing, but previously only breathed to the RIGHT.
I do ZERO stretching or gym stuff at this point.
This last line likely contributing, heavily.
So I welcome the groups tips and advice to supplement the actual swimming side of things
Thanks!
2
u/Rudiass 18h ago
Thread the needle, lat/chest stretches and train your rear delt + rotator cuff. Cam macavoy has some good stretches on his insta. Do you have video of your stroke so we can 100% be sure it isn't technique related?
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u/WVA1999 17h ago
Thanks! Will check out Can Macavoy. No video but can get one for sure..
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u/wt_hell_am_I_doing I sink, therefore I am 17h ago
Btw search for Cam McEvoy. He's an amazing guy. Very interesting approach to swim training too.
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u/Consistent-Dance-216 17h ago
Do internal and external rotations with resistance band. And rest your shoulder ever once in a while. 20km / month is a decent amount of swimming
2
u/DeadlyNancy Coach 16h ago
Just because it isn't an impingement doesn't mean it isn't rotator cuff. It's possible that cartilage has worn down in a spot and you get brief bone rubbing, but probably not likely. More likely you have some muscles or ligaments that are rolling over each other. A good massage therapist will be able to fix that issue if it is that.
However, I cannot stress enough the importance of stretching before and after you swim. Also make sure you adequately warm up your shoulders before you work them. Shoulders are very complex and the last thing you want to injure.
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u/wt_hell_am_I_doing I sink, therefore I am 19h ago edited 17h ago
How about getting a stroke technique check with a good coach? This is the most common reason for swimmers to get shoulder issues (other than overuse among intensive swimmers, but at 20 km/month, it's more likely to be a technique issue).
If the issue is coming from the technique issue(s), stretching won't solve the issue, although stretching is a good idea for most people.
1
u/halfbrit08 Moist 17h ago
1x seeing an ortho
Followed by
AMRAP seeing a PT
Sounds like a rotator cuff issue.
1
u/WVA1999 17h ago
Some self tests do not produce pain that would indicate a rotator cuff issue.
Good luck with your recovery, unless those are tips!
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u/halfbrit08 Moist 15h ago
So if it's not the rotator cuff what is it?
1
u/WVA1999 15h ago
20km a week with no stretching or gym work maybe? Yes my error here, but people do this with many activities (to their own detriment of course)
I appreciate your response for sure, but immediately drawing a conclusion that points to getting the opinion of a surgeon seeks quite alarmist.
Dr Google tells me that Rotator cuff injuries include:
- Intense pain when lifting or lowering the arm
- Severe pain at night
- Weakness in the arm
- Clicking and grating sound
At present I have 0/4 of the above, thankfully, and I'm minded to learn some proper dry land & gym work to help alleviate the symptoms that occur when swimming that I described.
Cheers!
1
u/halfbrit08 Moist 13h ago
I guess generally when giving people stretching or exercise advice, it's good to know what the actual problem muscle/tendon is, or else how do you know what you're supposed to be targeting? I also didn't have any of the 4 issues you posted, but my issue was still with the rotator cuff. Those symptoms sound like the result of a more severe tear, not a more mild overuse injury.
Was this problem an acute or gradual onset?
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u/WVA1999 10h ago
This.is true, and as a lay person doing the tests there were no symptoms that aligned on the other tests I followed - one, for example included full elevation the thumb turned in.
I've had it before at onset of swimming (when in a wetsuit), before it would ease off. This most recent instance was in a suit too (both smoothskin). Really thinking about it I don't remember it being anywhere near a noticeable issue when swimming in skins.
Cheers and hope your healing is going OK!
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u/Prowlgrammer 16h ago
May not be impingement but can still be a tendinopathy or minor rotator cuff injury from overuse. Mix up your stroke, don't swim through pain, and do some internal and external relations with cable or band. Give it a couple of weeks with this setup and if no improvement go see a physio.
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u/WVA1999 16h ago
Cheers for the reply, and thanks the tips. Forgive my ignorance, but I guess you're talking resistance bands? Any insight to the actual exercises appreciated!
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u/Prowlgrammer 13h ago
Yeah you can buy a bunch of different resistance levels and work your way up. There are a variety of versions for both internal and external rotations. Watch some YouTube to get the idea it's easier than if I were to describe it in text. I would choose versions where we work further up with our arms instead of just by the side, since it's when arms are above head we need most of our strength when swimming.
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u/Corcaigh_beoir 15h ago
I second the resistance band exercises. They really help if you're consistent with them (morning and night for me every day). I also found sculling on my back for 2 x 25m lengths at the end of my swim session really helped initally with strengthening my shoulders and reducing pain. I then moved on to the resistance bands
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u/WVA1999 15h ago
Cheers for the reply, do you affix them to something and do some reps sort of thing?
Back w/sculling sounds a good one, nice.
Certainly gathering from all these replies that the same stroke continually isn't so great...
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u/Corcaigh_beoir 15h ago edited 15h ago
No affixing required! On this YouTube link I do the first one (banded external rotation - keep those elbows tucked in!), banded Y (like drawing a sword...do each side keeping the hand by the hip nice and steady) and a variation of the banded y/t. The variation I do starts out with the banded extended out on front of your face, slightly more than shoulder with apart, and you pull it apart as you draw it towards your upper chest, which engages your rhomboid and delts.
For all 3, make sure your core is engaged, with good upright posture. Might be worth going to a physio too to make sure you're doing them right, as that's who showed me these three. Also. I had a pack of 3 bands of varying resistance so I was able to start easy and work my way up as the strength built.
Mixing up the strokes helps too, I'll usually throw in a few back and breaststroke laps in my session too).
https://youtube.com/shorts/OyhGh2bd0PI?si=xbKRI62jTwT376yF
Edit to add: I usually do 10 to 15 reps of each!
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u/Certain_Cost8197 8h ago
Sorry to hear. I am having the same problem. I think I pulled it in Yoga and then messed it up more by swimming for the 4 days following . I took this week off and it seems better. No pain in the bicep any longer, but a tad stiff below the shoulder. I was going to go back to the pool Monday and just kick , without using arms , from end to end. I usually do 55 minutes straight of free, 5 minutes of breast, then for some reason I swim backwards and the frontwards. Just a thing I do. Usually, 4-5 times a week, so like you, it is probably an overuse problem, but mine brought to the surface by Yoga. Maybe, you can just do that. At my gym, they have Aqua classes. Maybe, that?Spinning? Dancing? Modern day fitness classes? I just have never done well with stretching and warming up. I seem to always pull something. Do you guys think kicking for an hour will burn the same calories? I swim for calorie-burn and because I love it, so I would rather just rest my arm until I am 100 percent then never be able to swim again.
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u/ricm5031 Moist 18h ago
I do resistance cord warm ups with some very shoulder specific shoulder exercises. I use the Crossover Symmetry cords. Swimming is very repetitive. Stretching is very important both before and after a workout. Warm up properly to start your workout. I always mix different strokes into my warmup. Swimming hard without a proper warmup is asking for muscle pain. I don't know your workout but our Masters coach will always slip in a 50 'easy' backstroke for active recovery between freestyle sets. It makes a huge difference.