Overwork In the Water
Shoulder injuries are most common among swimmers, due to two factors. First, swimming requires that you use the same repetitive overhand motions hundreds of times in a single workout. (For example, you can use the same rotation in your shoulder 400 times in a single 1000 meter workout.) So your shoulder can easily be overworked. The second reason is the natural instability of our shoulders, due to the fact that the shoulder joint has the most range and flexibility of any joint in the human body.
Balanced Shoulders
Shoulder injuries can occur due to overuse, improper training and incorrect form. Shoulder function depends on muscles in the rotator cuff around the shoulder, muscles that control the shoulder blade, lower back and abdominal muscles and ligaments in the shoulder. Imbalance of the muscles around the shoulder is a major source of injury. Often swimmers will focus on developing their chest, abdominal and arm muscles while ignoring their back muscles. This kind of training causes an imbalance in the shoulder joint that can lead to impingement, rotator cuff tendonitis, and ligament tears.
Don't Just Jump In
The best ways to prevent shoulder injuries is to strengthen the shoulders and use proper stretching techniques before any workout. For weight training, you need to be aware of the muscles that you train and learn to incorporate back and shoulder muscles into your training regimen. The training that you do also needs to be monitored. Chart how much you increase your training and progress incrementally. Never overextend your shoulder joint, which can cause tendon damage. Stretching is a simple way to ensure that your shoulders are ready for a workout. You can either use stretches alone or with a resistance band to create resistance. Use simple stretches that are similar to the motions you use while swimming.
Stress Free Swimming
Swimming isn't a high impact sport but the shoulder is under a lot of stress. There are also several things you can do while swimming to prevent shoulder injuries. Doing a complete warm up and cool down swim with any workout is important. This gives you time to slowly warm up the muscles and ligaments in your shoulder for the workout and allow you to stretch during the slow swim. Using proper swimming technique is another way to avoid injuries. One of the most common mistakes is not bending the elbow when doing underwater pulls. This may seem like a minor mistake but it puts all the stress of the pull on the shoulders and can lead to problems. Varying your workouts also helps avoid problems. Change how much you use all four strokes during a work out. Using the same stroke uses the same motion again and again which leads to injuries.
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