Athletes in northeast Florida are full on in swimming mode right now! Swimming state championships and summer tournaments are going on or will be soon in the St. Johns area. Recreational adults are also enjoy the time out of the heat and in the pool or ocean right now. This will last a few more months until the water will cool off and our citizens will start enjoying running and biking a little bit more again!
With swimming being a highly repetitive sport, unfortunately in the likelihood for injury is very present among the recreational and competitive populations. It does not matter if it is a high school swimmer or adult recreational athlete, not one is immune to swimming injuries. Even Michael Phelps had soreness and pain in his neck at times during his career!
Here at our practice in Saint Johns, Florida, we treat a good amount of swimming injuries and we have had the pleasure of working with some great people who enjoy this great sport! Through our time and experience assessing and treating these injuries, we have seen some common themes with these athletes bodies. So today we wanted to share the two most common reasons that swimming athletes getting neck and shoulder pain!
Treating Swimming Injuries in Saint Johns, Florida
At St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance, we love treating people who enjoy being active! Dr. Grant Speer has studied exercise and various sports to learn proper biomechanics and the common injuries that occur during these movements. As a former collegiate athlete, he knows what it is like to not be able to compete because of injury.
We start our process by getting to know you and what your health goals are, then taking you through a thorough evaluation process before giving you a comprehensive treatment session consisting of manipulation (adjustments), soft-tissue therapy, stretching, and rehab exercises! We have found this multi-modal approach to be the most effective in treating sports injuries! (pro tip: sports cupping is great for swimming injuries!)
Pain While Swimming in St. Johns County, FL
One of the most common reasons that swimmers have neck pain while swimming is because a lack of mobility in the mid back or the area between the shoulder blades. Even though this is not the painful area, a lack of movement in the area during the swim stroke will cause other areas of the body including the neck and shoulder to have to compensate for the immobility in the mid back. This compensation by the neck and shoulder can lead to overloading and overusing the joints and muscles in those regions and eventually pain and injury.
The other common reason is because of improper movement patterns in the shoulder blade or scapula during the swim strokes. When your shoulder blade does not move correctly, certain muscles get underused and other ones end up doing all of the work! This can create a pinching pain in between the neck and the shoulder. Though the butterfly may be the most demanding stroke for the shoulder blade, even the freestyle and backstroke can be heavily affected if the shoulder blade is not moving correctly.
Though not all swimmers have pain, many struggle with aches and tightness in the neck, mid back, and shoulders during and after their workouts. This may be the beginning signs of an injury coming on. If you want to swim pain-free and increase your mobility, then you need to find a sports injury specialist near you who knows how to properly assess and rehabilitate swimming injuries!
Though shoulder and neck injuries are the most common injuries to swimmers, other injuries to the knees and low back can also happen. If you develop dull aches, tightness, or an injury while swimming and want to get back to exercising and competing pain-free, then schedule an appointment at our office to get properly evaluated!
