Dawny Swim Tip 1 - Swimmer's Shoulder

TIM DEVLIN – Physiotherapist at Balmain Sports Medicine

With less than four weeks until The Dawn Swim and the weather (slowly) warming up, people are flocking to notch down their laps staring at the black line. It is about this time of year we will start to see a few patients complaining of niggly shoulders from all those laps.“Swimmer’s shoulder” is an umbrella term referencing a variety of biomechanical and pathological conditions that cause discomfort when swimming. It is common and expected given the amount of shoulder elevation occurring every stroke. In competitive swimmers the incidence is measured as at least 40%, some reports as high as 90%. The shear repetitive nature alone drives this pain – in a typical swimmer’s training load you may expect approximately 15-20,000 individual arm elevations per week

The key for swimming is that the training volume and intensity are unlikely to change, so it is important to look at technical and biomechanical aspects of the movement that can affect this pain. Predisposing factor + mileage = injury!

Restrictions in range of movement are a significant factor that can drive shoulder pain. A certain amount of movement is required in the shoulder girdle alone, but joint stiffness elsewhere, particularly in the trunk and hip will also impact shoulder load.

Core control also forms a key role in minimising shoulder pain, but not just in the sense of abdominal load. When referencing the “core” in swimming, we are including scapular control as a major focus. A strong scapula and associated shoulder muscles provides a solid foundation on which the shoulder can then produce work. Hip strength also comes into play; technically proficient swimmers will typically propel themselves primarily from the hip, with the shoulder only acting as a way of applying this force through the water.

Rotator cuff injuries are associated with this poor “core” control, but may also be as a result of direct imbalances within different parts of the rotator cuff itself. Individual variations in joint laxity and ligaments also will affect the stability of the joint- Sometimes this laxity can develop secondary to technical errors in their own right.

A variety of technical errors may also drive shoulder pain.

These include (but are not limited to):

• Crossing midline on hand entry
• Crossing midline/wide during pull phase
• Late breath
• Insufficient thoracic rotation
• Degree elbow flexion during pull related to event
• Poor timing of hip rotation
• Timing in all strokes

THe Balmain Sports Medicine Physio Tent – on the day

It is also important to note that everyone is different in the pool; no swimmer has perfect technique. If you feel the onset of pain with swimming, it is important to get onto this quickly to not limit your ability to continue training long term. Come and have a chat to our Physiotherapy team and we can clarify any joint restrictions and/or muscle imbalances that may be associated with your current pain and injury.

The team from Balmain Sports Medicine will again be on deck on the day of the swim, but if you are feeling a bit sore make sure you get in touch with them office@balmainsportsmed.com.au 

 < Back to Dawny Swim Home Page 

Thank you to our Dawny Swim sponsors