What is the Best Swim Stroke for Shoulder Pain?
When swimming, your shoulders are heavily involved. Therefore, if you have a shoulder injury, you will definitely want to know the best swimming stroke for a shoulder injury.
Many sources say that you should use breaststroke or sidestroke techniques for swimming. However, what makes these two the best options?
Well, we shall look at that in more detail in the upcoming sections. Remember, you do not want to further aggravate a shoulder injury.
Can you swim with an injured shoulder?
This is a very common question. Of course, swimming involves the shoulders a great deal. Thus, it is a fair question to ask.
Swimming with the best stroke can help your shoulder heal faster. It can also affect it negatively. Thus, we recommend that you always work with a physical therapist to determine the swimming style to use.
Usually, when one is seeking information about swimming with a bad shoulder, they want to know how they can stabilize their shoulder blades and strengthen their rotator cuff.
When you seek the advice of a physical therapist, he or she is going to tell you how to do certain exercises, including swimming.
Sometimes, it might not even be okay to swim if you have a serious shoulder problem. If your physical therapist says you should hold off swimming for some time, please follow that advice.
Is breaststroke good for rotator cuff injury?
This is another common question people ask online, and there is a good reason for it. And the answer is yes, the breaststroke swimming technique is very good for rotator cuff injuries.
The rotator cuff is a combination of tendons and muscles that hold the shoulders in place. This part of the shoulder enables you to lift your hand upward.
It is the one part of the shoulder that is most susceptible to damage. In the USA, millions of people visit the doctor every year because of rotator cuff problems.
The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. It is feeble, so to make the joint stronger, muscles and tendons hold the shoulder in place.
When swimming with a rotator cuff injury, you need to understand how certain actions can aggravate your condition.
For example, since the rotator cuff helps when lifting the arm upwards, you want to use a swimming technique that will not require you to lift your arms too much.
So, why use breaststroke when you have a rotator cuff injury? While all the swimming strokes require you to use your arms extensively, the breaststroke style is friendlier to a shoulder injury.
It does not require you to lift your arms and rotate them overhead. Your arms stay underwater as you swim. Thus, it is the most recommended swimming stroke for someone with a rotator cuff injury.
Sidestroke swimming is good for shoulder injury
Is side-stroke good for swimming when you have a shoulder injury? Well, it is second best to the breaststroke technique if your shoulder is bugging you.
As its name seems to suggest, with the sidestroke swimming technique, you lie on one side and kick the legs in different directions.
Also, you will notice that your arms do not go over your head, which means there is less aggravation on the rotator cuff. At the same time, you have to use your arms alternately, that is, when one arm is working, the other is resting on your side.
Thus, when one arm is working, the second arm is resting. You have to extend the leading arm with the palm facing downward. This time, the trailing arm stays on your side.
Now that we have seen the benefits of using breaststroke and sidestroke swimming techniques, you need to know how you can use both of them.
You can alternate between the two swimming styles. The good thing about this is that the two strokes affect your rotator cuff differently. Thus, you can use one style for some time, and then change to the other.
Alternating between the two swimming styles helps you burn calories in a better way. When you use one swimming style consistently, your shoulder muscles can hit the plateau stage. Using different swimming styles will work out the muscles in different ways.
Other tips for swimming with a shoulder injury
Knowing the best swimming stroke for a shoulder injury is not enough. You also need to know how to get the best out of every swimming session.
In any case, even when using a swimming stroke that won’t aggravate your shoulder injury too much, you also need to know when to stop or how far to go. Here are a few tips to help:
1. Know your limits
You have to know your limits when you have a shoulder injury. Therefore, you need to start small on the first day and listen to your body. You also need a lot of rest.
Try doing ten minutes of breaststroke, and then alternate that with ten minutes of sidestroke swimming. Twenty minutes should be enough to work on your shoulder.
At first, the swimming exercise will aggravate your shoulder muscles. However, with time, they are going to start to respond. They will get used to the workout. Before they do, give them enough time.
Don’t swim too hard. You need to build your pace slowly over a week or so. Follow the instructions of your physiotherapist.
Also, when you have a shoulder injury, that is not really the time to swim in the ocean. Stay in the swimming pool until your rotator cuff feels strong enough.
2. Take the pressure off your shoulders
When you are resting at home, rest in such a way that you can take the pressure off your shoulders. For instance, you should lie down and place your arms on your chest.
This is going to help push the shoulder back into its socket. If you have to lie down with your arms beside you, you need to place some sort of support below your elbows.
3. Try other swim workouts for a shoulder injury
Try other swim workouts for shoulder injuries. In and out of the water, follow the recommended workouts that might help with your shoulder injury.
The most important thing is to do your physical therapy exercises. Such are designed to help with the root cause of shoulder injury problems.
Know how much your body can handle. For instance, if you find that swimming is causing too much shoulder pain, you should stop.
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Conclusion
The best swimming stroke for shoulder injuries is breaststroke and sidestroke. However, even as you swim, you also need to continue taking your physical therapy exercises.
If you start gradually, your body should start getting used to the exercise, and your rotator cuff will heal. However, make sure you swim as your physical therapist advised.