Treating and Preventing Swimming Injuries

Treating and Preventing Swimming Injuries

Swimming is one of the most popular sports in the world. We swim in the sea, pools, lakes, streams, rivers and even ponds. And given 70% of the Earth’s surface is water, we’re not short of opportunities.

And while swimming is considered a ‘low-impact’ sport due to the fact that the water supports a large percentage of weight, more than 84% of regular swimmers suffer from some type of overuse type injury. These injuries are caused by swimming.

Why? The main reason is the high repetition number and forceful nature of the shoulder revolutions. This movement takes our shoulder joint through its full range of motion (which is one of the greatest of all our joints). And it happens against resistance, over and over again.

And as 50-90% of the power generated to propel you forward comes from the shoulders, you can see why they are the most frequently injured joint.

However, swimming also puts stress on your back, to hold you level in the water. It affects the neck when raising your head out of the water to breathe. Furthermore, if you favor breaststroke as a stroke, there’s added pressure from the unnatural twisting motion on the knees. To alleviate these issues, it’s essential to incorporate freestyle swimming kick techniques explained in your training regimen. Focus on mastering the flutter kick, which helps maintain a streamlined position and reduces strain on the back. Additionally, practicing the dolphin kick can enhance your propulsion and overall efficiency in the water without compromising your joints.

So, despite it seeming to be a low-impact sport, swimming actually carries a surprisingly high risk of injury.

Let’s take a look at those injuries, why they happen and what you can do about them.

Swimming injuries generally stem from two sources, and often these sources will combine:

1. Muscle imbalances
2. Stroke technique issues

Muscle Imbalances

Our everyday posture, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or in a car, creates all sorts of muscle imbalances. This ranges from short hamstrings, tight muscles around the neck, back, and shoulders. We unconsciously adopt a curved forward upper back, round shoulders, and chin poke. This posture not only adds to shoulder problems in swimmers but also causes neck pain.

Poor posture is the biggest culprit of short tight trapezius and pectoral muscles and weak anterior (front) neck and upper back muscles. These muscles can be painful and develop trigger points, which are hyperactive spots in the muscle. They commonly refer pain and cause headaches. Additionally, tight muscles may also limit your neck movements. Good posture ensures good alignment of the joints and ligaments. It allows for optimal contraction of your muscles and off-loads underlying structures.

Swim Stroke Technique

This a big topic to cover because it depends on what stroke you’re swimming with mostly and what kind of injury you may have. But issues include a wide, swinging arm recovery, which requires excessive internal rotation, causing impingement on the joint. Moreover, "thumb in first" with hand entry again causes excessive internal rotation in the shoulder. A dropped elbow or straight arm pull through creates a long lever and overloads the shoulder.

In our set of resources which you can view below
we’ve put together a Stroke Technique Cheat Sheet. For each injury area, it identifies key stroke issues with suggested solutions.

What does all of this mean to you? You shouldn’t swim? You should reduce your training or change your sport?

The bottom line is that the benefits of swimming—whether for general fitness, competition, or stress relief—far outweigh the risk of injury. However, swimmers often underestimate the impact of poor swimming technique on their overall performance and enjoyment of the sport. Inefficient strokes can lead to unnecessary energy expenditure and increase the risk of injury, ultimately detracting from the positive aspects of swimming. By focusing on proper technique, individuals can enhance their abilities and maximize the physical and mental benefits of this activity. Cross training benefits for runners can similarly enhance overall performance and reduce injury risk. Engaging in activities like cycling or strength training helps to build complementary muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, and prevent overuse injuries common in running. By incorporating these diverse workouts, runners can enjoy a more balanced approach to their training and maintain long-term health.

And with this in mind, we’ve put together a set of resources to help you manage, or better yet prevent, swimming injuries altogether.

**These resources include:**

– Stroke Technique and Injury Cheat Sheet
– Common Swimming Injuries Cheat Sheet
– Swimmer’s Shoulder – Advice Leaflet

– Shoulder Strengthening for Swimmers [Exercise Sheet]
– Knee Pain in Swimmers [Advice Leaflet]

– Breaststrokers Knee [Exercise Sheet]
– Muscle Cramp in Swimmers – Advice Leaflet
– Back Pain in Swimmers [Advice Leaflet]

– Swimmers Back Pain – Phase 1 [Exercise Sheet]
– Neck Pain and Swimming [Advice Leaflet]

The resources are packed with practical tips and advice, along with exercise leaflets that combine to help you swimming happily, healthily and injury free into the future.

Schedule a Swim Stroke Analysis To Dial in Your Technique