Samantha had been an avid swimmer for as long as she could remember. It was her passion, her escape from the world, and her way of staying fit. However, lately, she had been feeling frustrated and defeated. She had developed an unbearable pain in her shoulder that made it impossible for her to swim without discomfort. Samantha had no idea what was causing the pain, but she knew it was something serious. She had tried stretching, rest, and ibuprofen, but nothing seemed to work. Samantha has had teammates with swimmer’s shoulder. But she was scared that her injury would prevent her from pursuing her passion, and she didn’t know what to do to fix her swimmer’s shoulder.
She needed to find a solution that would relieve her pain and allow her to get back into the water. This is where the article comes in, which can provide you with the necessary information to help fix your swimmer’s shoulder.
What is Swimmer’s Shoulder?
Swimmer’s Shoulder is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of shoulder injuries. Some of those injuries include (but not limited too) rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder instability, labral tear, and biceps tendonitis. With how many different injuries can be called Swimmer’s Shoulder, it becomes critical to get to the root cause of the injury. Once you get to the root cause of the injury, you then can make a plan that will help you get back to swimming without limits. You won’t do the same things for a rotator cuff tear as you would for shoulder instability.
How Do You Fix Swimmer’s Shoulder?
Even though there are many different injuries that can be called swimmer’s shoulder. There are some commonalities in the treatment that will help. The first thing you want to do to Fix Swimmer’s Shoulder is regain full range of motion. Typically in swimmers with shoulder pain, there will be pain when reaching overhead and decreased internal rotation of your shoulder. Being able to reach overhead is key for swimmers due to the fact you need to reach overhead during each stroke. You also need shoulder internal rotation during the pull phase of each stroke. If you are missing shoulder internal rotation, you will increase the stress to the front of the shoulder.
The second thing you want to do is increase the strength of the muscles around the scapula. Typically in swimmers, weakness around the scapula results in the rotator cuff and biceps being overworked. Leading to injury.
After regaining full range of motion and strengthening the muscles around the scapula, you want to strengthen the primary movers of the shoulder. The deltoids, lats, and pecs. If you prime movers of the shoulder aren’t strong, the smaller muscles around the shoulder will be continuously stressed. Which can place them at risk for becoming irritated and inflamed. Resulting in injury.
If you want to learn more about what causes swimmer’s shoulder, check out specific blog on that topic here.
How Can You Improve Your Range of Motion?
For shoulder internal range of motion, the best thing you can do is a self posterior shoulder release.
To perform the exercise, you will need a lacrosse ball or a similar firm ball. Place the lacrosse ball under the back of your shoulder, just below the spine of your scapula (shoulder blade). Use your body weight to apply pressure to the ball against the wall and gently roll it around to find areas of tension and discomfort. You can also raise and lower your arm to help loosen up the muscle.
Doing the posterior shoulder release may also allow you to reach overhead with less pain. But you may need to do another 1-2 exercises to be able to reach overhead without pain.
Two of my favorite exercises to reach overhead without pain are the wall slide and plank protraction. Both exercises focus on activation of the serratus anterior, which will help increase upward rotation of the scapula. Typically in swimmers with shoulder pain, the serratus anterior is inhibited. Without scapular upward rotation, the rotator cuff muscles and the biceps will try to help raise your arm overhead. Which can eventually lead to pain and discomfort around the shoulder.
Wall Slide
To perform the wall slide exercise, stand facing a wall and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Place your arms against the wall with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and your palms facing forward. Your elbows and wrists should be in line with your shoulders.
Slowly slide your arms up the wall as high as you can, while keeping your elbows and wrists in line with your shoulders. You should feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders as you slide your arms up.
Plank Protraction
To perform the plank protraction exercise, start in a plank position with your forearms and toes on the ground. Make sure your shoulders are directly above your elbows and your body is in a straight line from your head to your toes.Next, protract your shoulder blades by pushing your shoulder blades away from each other, rounding your upper back slightly.
How to Increase Strength of the Muscles Around the Scapula
Three of my favorite exercises to increase the strength of the muscles around the scapula are the push up plus, three way banded pull apart, and face pulls.
Push Up Plus
To perform the push-up plus, start in a plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your toes.
Next, lower your body towards the ground as you would in a normal push-up. However, as you push back up, push your shoulder blades forward, away from each other. This protraction movement will create an extra contraction in the serratus anterior muscle, which is involved in stabilizing the shoulder blade.
Three Way Banded Pull Apart Video
To perform the three-way banded pull apart, you will need a resistance band. Start by holding the band in front of you with your arms extended at shoulder height, and your palms facing down. Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart.
Next, pull the band apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together. This is the first part of the exercise. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Next perform the same movement, but with your arms at a 45 degree angle. Where you right arm finishes above your shoulder. Repeat again, with you arms at a 45 degree angle, but your left arm above your shoulder.
Face Pulls
To perform face pulls, you will need a resistance band or a cable machine. Start by attaching the band or cable at shoulder height and standing facing the band or cable machine.Next, grab the band or cable with both hands and take a few steps back, so there is tension on the band or cable. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Next, pull the band or cable towards your face, bringing your hands to either side of your head. Make sure to keep your elbows high and your upper arms parallel to the ground.
How to Strengthen The Primary Movers:
Some of the best exercises to strengthen the lats, pecs, and deltoids are some of exercises you have done in the weight room and dryland.
For the lats, exercises like pull ups and TRX rows are awesome. For Deltoids, exercises like dumbbell raises and military/shoulder press work well. And for the pecs, landmine press and push up plus are two good ones. Check out the video links for each to see how each are done.
Summary:
Fixing swimmers shoulder can be broken down into three steps.
- Regain full range of motion
- Strengthen the muscles around the scapula
- Strengthen the primary movers of the shoulder
It is important to not skip steps and to spend at the minimum a couple of weeks of each step. If you try to strengthen the primary movers, but can’t reach you arms overhead without pain, then you are setting yourself up to not fix your swimmer’s shoulder.
By following these steps, you will be able to get out of pain and back to swimming without limits. If you are struggling with injury and don’t know what to do. Schedule a free consult today and let’s get you back to swimming.
Happy Swimming,
Alex Ewart