HOW TO AVOID PAIN IN SHOULDERS DURING SWIMMING
Pain in shoulders is a rather common
injury in swimming. It could probably be equated to
knee injuries in running. While there are many explanations available to justify the pain, there is really only one true problem - incorrect technique. So whatever you're doing with your
swimming technique, if there is pain present - you need to adjust your technique. Pain should never be a part of your
training. There are just a few things not to do to avoid pain in shoulders.
- DO NOT ACTIVELY PULL WITH YOUR ARMS. A much promoted so-called "pulling" action is one of the main precursors of injured shoulders. Pain is the price you pay for trying to delegate the bulk of the labor to the part of the body not intended to carry that load. A shoulder is a joint that connects your arm to your body, so it's only a connector that can only act as a "transmitter" of energy that translates into movement. By attempting to "pull" your entire body through water with your arms (which is an incorrect perception of what's actually happening anyway), you place a ridiculous load on your shoulders alone. In Pose Method®, you move the body forward by simply changing support under the body to keep moving.
- DO NOT CREATE A HAND TRAJECTORY, it will happen on it's own. You should not try to control which path your hand will travel because it will be automatically following the correct and needed trajectory when you focus on support and change of support. When controlled, the hand does not follow the natural trajectory and ends up misaligned in relation to the elbow, consequently the shoulder, consequently the body. That normally resolves into an injury.
- DO NOT CLASP, CUP OR STRAIN YOUR HANDS. Simply open your hands and keep them straight, in a relaxed but straight position, fingers at a comfortable distance from one another. Doing anything extra with your hands will put strain on your hands and here we go with a chain of events again - strain in your hands will lead to discomfort or pain in forearms, followed by shoulders, etc ...
As you see, less is more. Trying to do too much will not give you the right outcome, but doing only the correct
actions will lessen your workload and make you a
better swimmer.
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
