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Swimmers shoulder - technique advice
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 2016-10-11 8:00 PM |
 471  |  Subject: Swimmers shoulder - technique adviceI have swimmers shoulder (rotator cuff tendonitis) and it's not going away. I've cut right back on my swimming, done RICE and have some good exercises, it's not really getting much better, this has been going on since May. It's my left shoulder and I only really breathe to the right, which is part of the problem.I can breathe bilaterally which helps, but it also puts load on my right shoulder which had surgery years ago and I really need to look after that, so breathing bi-laterally is something I need to be careful with. If I breathe with a snorkel it's fine, so there is something with my technique that overloads the shoulder as I breathe. When I do go to breathe, it's the same time as I initiate the catch and pull and that's when I get the pain. I was after some technical tips on what I can do to try and avoid overloading the shoulder. I've experimented with introducing a slight glide to ensure I breathe and get my head back down , before I initiate the catch, this really helps, but I feel like I lose speed and efficiency. What can I do to reduce the load on my shoulder as I breathe? Should I rotate more or less, move my head to breathe and not my body or vice versa? TIA |
| 2016-10-11 9:42 PM in reply to: zedzded |
Coach 9167   Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by zedzded but I feel like I lose speed and efficiency. What can I do to reduce the load on my shoulder as I breathe? Should I rotate more or less, move my head to breathe and not my body or vice versa? TIA Have you measured this? have you timed yourself adding the "glide" moment? have you tried this using a tempo trainer to make sure you're timing is consistent? Do you to take more or fewer strokes with the different variations? DO you have video? My typical advice is to return the head to the water either before or as the catch is initiating. But without seeing you swim or watching how you move, what your flexibility is, what movements may have restrictions, etc, etc. it's pretty hard to say for certain. I would challenge you to make some sort of objective measurement though...you've reduced pain by changing yoru stroke timing...you "feel" it's less efficient but it's going to feel weird because it's different than what you currently do. How can you measure hte differences? |
| 2016-10-12 12:44 AM in reply to: AdventureBear |
| 471 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by AdventureBear Originally posted by zedzded but I feel like I lose speed and efficiency. What can I do to reduce the load on my shoulder as I breathe? Should I rotate more or less, move my head to breathe and not my body or vice versa? TIA Have you measured this? have you timed yourself adding the "glide" moment? have you tried this using a tempo trainer to make sure you're timing is consistent? Do you to take more or fewer strokes with the different variations? DO you have video? My typical advice is to return the head to the water either before or as the catch is initiating. But without seeing you swim or watching how you move, what your flexibility is, what movements may have restrictions, etc, etc. it's pretty hard to say for certain. I would challenge you to make some sort of objective measurement though...you've reduced pain by changing yoru stroke timing...you "feel" it's less efficient but it's going to feel weird because it's different than what you currently do. How can you measure hte differences? Thanks Suzanne. I'll get a video done shortly and upload it. I think you might be right, in that perhaps it's not as inefficient as I feel and that maybe I need to get used to it. When you sya "My typical advice is to return the head to the water either before or as the catch is initiating" is that typical advice for someone with my injury or is that good technique anyway? i.e should most people be doing that? |
| 2016-10-12 1:04 AM in reply to: zedzded |
| 471 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice This is an old video, my technique has improved significantly since it was taken, so ignore a lot of the flaws you can see in it. However I don't think my breathing has changed, so as I mentioned breathing too late or initiating my catch and pull too early. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjLps9C4H1o |
| 2016-10-12 6:38 AM in reply to: zedzded |
Extreme Veteran 1986  Cypress, TX | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice I get it every couple of years. When it happens I spend some time doing these exercises and I'm usually back to normal in a month. http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1645&mid=702&ItemId=700 |
| 2016-10-12 9:55 PM in reply to: zedzded |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by zedzded This is an old video, my technique has improved significantly since it was taken, so ignore a lot of the flaws you can see in it. However I don't think my breathing has changed, so as I mentioned breathing too late or initiating my catch and pull too early. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjLps9C4H1o Put your head down.  https://www.dropbox.com/s/dn6lggprfh4w2ho/Screenshot%202016-10-12%20... |
| 2016-10-12 10:00 PM in reply to: zedzded |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by zedzded Thanks Suzanne. I'll get a video done shortly and upload it. I think you might be right, in that perhaps it's not as inefficient as I feel and that maybe I need to get used to it. When you sya "My typical advice is to return the head to the water either before or as the catch is initiating" is that typical advice for someone with my injury or is that good technique anyway? i.e should most people be doing that? in generally it's good technique but of course everyone is different. If it's a swimmer with a slow rate, it's definitely better to return the head then catch, otherwise the head is just out of the water too long. As rate speeds up, it can become really jerky if the head tries to go in too quickly, so returnign the head as the recovering hand goes in is fine, but what's the other hand doing at that point? i like the catch to start as the other hand goes in, or at least not quite be finished. Phelps & Ledecky clearly start their catch well before they are done breathing but they are freaks of nature. I'd slow it all down first so you can explore what's going on during the breath and when you can swim pain free at a slower rate, gradually speed it up with a tempo trainer and see if you can hold form. |
| 2016-10-12 10:32 PM in reply to: 0 |
| 471 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by AdventureBear Originally posted by zedzded This is an old video, my technique has improved significantly since it was taken, so ignore a lot of the flaws you can see in it. However I don't think my breathing has changed, so as I mentioned breathing too late or initiating my catch and pull too early. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjLps9C4H1o Put your head down. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dn6lggprfh4w2ho/Screenshot%202016-10-12%20... I knew you'd pick up on that I don't do that any more, I would say the 20+ flaws in that video have all been addressed, more or less. Still not happy with my technique though. I'll try and get a new video. Edited by zedzded 2016-10-12 10:45 PM |
| 2016-10-14 6:54 AM in reply to: GMAN 19030 |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by GMAN 19030 I get it every couple of years. When it happens I spend some time doing these exercises and I'm usually back to normal in a month. http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1645&mid=702&ItemId=700 This looks like an excellent resource. Thank you for sharing! Amy |
| 2016-10-15 6:29 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Member 131 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice I know you are asking about technique, but I had sever rotator cuff issues last year as I ramped up to IMWI. I found it was my simple 10 minute arm exercises that cured me. What are you doing? |
| 2016-10-24 2:57 AM in reply to: scottficek |
| 471 | Subject: RE: Swimmers shoulder - technique advice Originally posted by scottficek I know you are asking about technique, but I had sever rotator cuff issues last year as I ramped up to IMWI. I found it was my simple 10 minute arm exercises that cured me. What are you doing? What exercises are they? I have a band and do external and internal rotator cuff exercises , but have stopped as I'm not sure they were helping, perhaps making it worse? Maybe the band is too strong? This is one of them: http://www.pitchersthrowcheese.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Arm-T... |
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