Shoulder pain is a very common complaint among swimmers.The term “swimmer’s shoulder” is a general term encompassing a spectrum of shoulder dysfunction.
The pain associated with swimmer’s shoulder is usually due the pinching of the rotator cuff tendons (tendons around the shoulder) or the bursa (fluid filled sac) underneath the arch of the shoulder.
The four rotator cuff muscles are the dynamic stabilizers of the shoulder joints.They act to control the movement of the shoulder joint.When these muscles start to function abnormally, they allow the humerus (long arm bone) to rise up and pinch structures within the shoulder joint.
Any imbalance of these muscles can contribute to the development of swimmer’s shoulder.Other factors are:
- Poor posture
- Muscle tightness
- Increased mobility of the shoulder joint
- Stiffness of the neck or back
- Long duration training sessions
- Excessive paddle work
- Breathing on one side only
- Poor swimming techniques
- Continued pinching of the tendons underneath the shoulder arch results in swelling and pain and will eventually result in damage to the tendons and cause them to degenerate.
Management by a physiotherapist includes:
- Stretching of muscles contributing to the imbalance
- Massage
- Re-education of the weaker muscles
- Strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff muscles and/ or the specific muscles causing the imbalance
- A graduated and progressive rehabilitation program
- And, very importantly, technique correction.
“Swimmer’s shoulder” can be a real problem to the keen swimmer and merely reducing the amount of laps or “resting” is not the answer. Physiotherapists can assist with all the above management strategies and the problem should be addressed before it gets worse.
