Home > Sports Injuries > Swimming

Swimming Injuries

Swimming is a great recreational sport enjoyed by the young and old, alike. It is an especially useful form of exercise for those suffering from arthrirtis of the knee and hip. At an elite level, like any other sport, it lead to some problems which are detailed below.

Shoulder

Shoulder pain may be as high as 70% in elite athletes. Free style, backstroke and butterfly are some of the strokes associated with shoulder pain. Athletes can have a whole host of problems due to overlad and overuse. Tendinitis, tendinosis, rotator cuff problems, impingement problems and instability are some of the problems that are likely to occur.

Impingement in younger swimmers is usually secondary to instability, unlike the older population, where it is due to true bony impingement. The instability leads to anterior and superior migration of the humeral head, leading to narrowing of the sub-acromial space, causing impingement of the supraspinatus tendon. Usually it catches the swimmer during the catch phase of the swimming stroke, causing pain.

Multi-direction instability is common in swimmers. They are usually lax in more than one direction, especially antero-inferiorly due to laxity of the inferior gleno-humeral ligament. In swimmers, the internal rotators are relatively stronger than the external rotators and the scapular stabilizers (levator scapula, trapezius, rhomboids and serratus anterior). A good rehabilation program should include strengthening of these muscles along with that of the supraspinatus.

Back

The repeated movements of flexion, extension and rotation some times lead to problems like low back pain, spondylosis and scoliosis.

Foot

Extensor tendonitis due repeated dorsiflexion from plantar flexion during kicking, whilst swimming.

Repeated slamming of the foot at the edge of the pool can lead to heel pain in some beginners.

Knee

Knee pain can be due to a variety of problems like MCL stress, patellar dysfunction etc. It can be related to a poor breast stroke technique in the beginner or due to repetitive stress in an elite athlete.

Other problems

Otitis externa, also known as swimmer's ear is due to infection of the ear canal due to the ear being wet. Pseudomonas and Aspergillus (fungus) are some of the organisms that cause the infection.