How Chiropractic Care Can Help Your Bounce Back After a Swimming Injury

Swimming injuries are more common in serious swimmers who train for hours in and out of season. Between 40-90% of those injuries occur in the shoulders and affect both men and women. 

Without a doubt, the best way to avoid swimming injuries is to perfect your swimming technique. This minimizes stress on your body and increases your efficiency in the water. A little time with a professional coach saves you a lot of pain in the long run—-it’ll make you faster too! Another way to prevent strain is to change up your routine by practicing different strokes as you train. And don’t forget to include some core-strengthening activities out of the pool—your lower back will thank you! 

Even the best swimmers get hurt sometimes—especially during seasons of intense training. Overuse and fatigue allow incorrect technique to creep in and your body takes a hit. Let’s learn about common swimming injuries and the best way to treat them so you can get back to making a splash—without any pain.

4 Common Swimming Injuries

Because swimming is a full-body activity, you can experience a wide range of injuries. These are the most common complaints.

Neck Injuries

As you raise your head to breathe during breaststroke or rotate it during freestyle, your neck muscles work hard. This leads to strain and pain over time. To avoid this, keep a neutral (straight) spine while snatching those all-important breaths and turn or raise your whole body, not just your neck.

Swimmer’s Shoulder

The most common injury that swimmers sustain is swimmer’s shoulder. The repetitive rotation that your shoulders undertake in the water can lead to tears in the soft tissue around your shoulder joint (rotator cuff), and inflammation due to friction. Rest and the correct stroke technique are essential to avoid this painful condition.

Swimmer’s Knee

Swimmer’s knee is a common condition in competitive breaststroke swimmers. The sideways kicking motion strains the muscles and knee joints. It’s easy to overlook your hips but they also strain to produce the power that propels you forward in the water.

Lower Back Strain

Lower back pain is a common complaint in competitive swimmers. The extended position of your body as you train for hours can cause inflammation around the discs between your vertebrae. 

3 Ways to Alleviate Pain from Swimming Injuries

Whether you’ve only just started experiencing pain or it’s been wearing you down for years, there are ways to treat it so you can reach your full potential!

1. Rest

Rest is your body’s natural defense against wear and tear from excessive training. Notice the warning signs your body sends you and respond appropriately. There are ways to rest that still increase your strength and stamina—different exercises, strength training, and stretching are some ideas.

2. Medication

Painkillers like Tylenol, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide temporary relief that can help you rest and engage in therapy without pain. These don’t treat the cause of the pain so it’s important to have a plan in place for a long-term solution—like chiropractic care.

3. Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care is a gentle and holistic approach that aims to restore the balance in your body so that you can reach your full potential in the pool—and out of it!

Your Chiropractor will examine and manually realign the joints of your body. This includes spinal manipulation to align your vertebrae. This treatment restores balance and mobility in and around your joints to encourage healing and reduce friction when you swim.

Chiropractic care considers your posture. Through targeted strengthening exercises, your chiropractor will identify weak points (like your hips or core!) and help you perfect your posture to increase your efficiency when you swim, reduce strain on your joints, and prevent further injury. 

Manual therapy (targeted massage) encourages circulation, reduces inflammation, and promotes healing in areas that are strained or damaged. It also reduces tension and pain in the soft tissue around your joints.

Your chiropractor will help you understand the cause of your injury so you can take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. To speed up recovery, identify weaknesses, and grow stronger,  contact Evolve Chiropractic, your local chiropractor in Woodstock, GA, and leave swimming injuries in your wake.