General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Tricep/elbow pain from swimming Rss Feed  
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2015-03-25 8:49 AM

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Subject: Tricep/elbow pain from swimming
Hi all,

I'm having a rather unique health issue. Not sure if it's connected or not, but I recently started upping my yardage in the pool, going from 1500-2200 meter workouts to ~3000 m once a week. After the second 3k workout my left tricep started to hurt just above the elbow. Not bad, just kind of sore. I stretched it, kept up business as usual, and it went away. The next week I did a similar workout, and the same thing happened. But it hasn't really gotten better, more than a week later. I find it hurts much more on days in the office, which leads me to believe it is at least somewhat (if not entirely) due to poor ergonomics at my desk.

I haven't gone to a doc yet, but I did go on a ride with my GP last weekend (best way to avoid a copay!) and he said don’t worry about it, but have someone look at my stroke. It typically feels fine in the morning and hurts the most at the end of the work day. I haven’t swum at all since last Tuesday, but I have an oly on Saturday that I’m planning on doing unless things get much worse.

Anyone have similar problems? I’ll see a doc soon, but not before this weekend. Thanks for any advice!


2015-03-26 9:20 PM
in reply to: Danielfberlin

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Subject: RE: Tricep/elbow pain from swimming
I've had stuff like that happen to me on a few soft tissue areas in my arms/shoulders. I just treat it per the usual R.I.C.E protocol and it tends to go away after a day or two. I'd follow your GP advice and not worry about it.
2015-03-27 7:17 AM
in reply to: Danielfberlin

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Subject: RE: Tricep/elbow pain from swimming
It could very well be something in your stroke that's aggravating an issue that may have started with your activities at work. I think it's pretty common for people to have sore elbows, shoulders, and triceps if they're not sufficiently engaging core and lats on their stroke. If the problem persists, you might want to get a coach, if possible, to take a look at your stroke, or post a video here for the resident swim experts to give you advice. I've rarely gotten sore elbows or triceps from swimming (except when I was recovering from a non-swimming-related elbow injury) but I remember they used to be sore sometimes when I was swimming really high yardage (8 to 10K a day) and sometimes lots of butterfly in high school. I find that in general, I'm less sore from swimming if I mix some other stroke work into the big freestyle sets that tend to characterize tri swim workouts.
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