Should I ice or heat following an injury?
Following acute (new) injury or an exacerbation of an old injury, ice should be used for the
initial 24-72 hours and up to one week post injury.
Many athletes choose to ice a recurring problematic joint or muscle after a game or event.
Ice helps reduce inflammation and swelling associated with soft tissue injuries. It is also
analgesic which helps with pain control.
Heat (preferably moist heat) can be used for stiff, tight, or sore muscles or joints.
For more information on ice and heat, click here.
When should I stretch?
Always warm up prior to a stretching routine. 5 minutes of brisk walking, jumping jacks,
lunges, stationary bike, etc. are sufficient. This increases blood flow and warms the
muscles.
Prior to your sport or activity, perform dynamic stretching. This is stretching which mimics
the activity you are about to perform. It prepares the soft tissues and joints for stresses of
the specific sport or activity.
For swimming, this would include arm circles, trunk twists, side bends, and neck circles.
Static stretching, where one holds the position of the stretch for 20-30 seconds should be
performed after your activity or sport. This is great time to troubleshoot, find what's tight
and stretch it.
Should I push through the pain of an injury?
The short answer: NO.
Pain is the body's way of telling us something is wrong.
In the case of shoulder pain in a swimmer, a rotator cuff tendon rubbing on an adjacent
structure provokes the inflammatory response. Inflammation irritates nerves which send
messages to the brain regarding the location of trauma.
Pain which is strong enough to alter your swim stroke is a good indicator to stop.
Many athletes work through aches and pains. In fact, a sore back or shoulder may feel
better during activity. If this is your scenario, you must differentiate hurt vs. harm. A little
hurt (soreness, ache) may be ok. Harm (sharp pain, shooting pain, pain that alters your
stroke) is NOT ok. Consult a sports medicine expert to determine if you are doing further
harm.
Should I rest completely when injured?
Absolute rest, or resting completely is rarely warranted. A person resting a shoulder injury
can certainly perform cardiovascular exercise that does not irritate the shoulder.
Relative rest includes staying active and adhering to exercises and stretches that do not
irritate the injured area.
Maintaining fitness levels while healing from an injury is important in maintaining
psychological and physical fitness.
Are there any stroke technique tips which minimize repetitive
strain injuries?
A swimming coach can analyze your stroke and tell you if there is a form issue which is
adding stress to your body or making your overall stroke less efficient.
For more information, here are two articles from the journal, Physician and Sports
Medicine, which discuss technique modifications for shoulder injury prevention.
Swimming Biomechanics and Injury Prevention
Swimming Injuries and Illnesses
Should I exercise an area that is not in pain?
Pre-habilitation is a sports medicine concept of exercising a joint, muscle, or body region
with the goal of preventing injury. In cumulative trauma sports such as tennis, running, and
swimming, why not address vulnerable areas with a specific exercise routine designed to
minimize the risk of injury.
Be it yoga, pilates, tennis, basketball or swimming, one should prepare their body for at
least 2 weeks with stretching, strengthening, and sports specific activities. This is the best
way to prevent injury.
My feet cramp when I'm swimming. What can I do about this?
1) Hydration is important as is electrolyte balance. Muscle cramps may be secondary to
electrolyte deficiency, especially during prolonged training sessions.
Start drinking a sports drink or cut your water with gatorade.
For severe cramping, you may want to keep a salty snack with you such as pretzels.
Many competitive athletes with cramping problems will even keep salt packets handy.
If cramping continues and/or worsens, consult your physician.
2) Start stretching your hamstrings, gastrocs and soleus muscles after you swim or exercise.
3) When indoors, don't push off the wall, just turn around. It will slow down your times but
may help cramping.
4) Relax your feet during your stroke. Make sure you are not overly flexing your foot or
curling your toes. This can trigger cramps.
5) Improve/increase your pre-swim, dry land warmup.
6) Start strengthening exercises for the calf muscles like standing calf raises.
Following acute (new) injury or an exacerbation of an old injury, ice should be used for the
initial 24-72 hours and up to one week post injury.
Many athletes choose to ice a recurring problematic joint or muscle after a game or event.
Ice helps reduce inflammation and swelling associated with soft tissue injuries. It is also
analgesic which helps with pain control.
Heat (preferably moist heat) can be used for stiff, tight, or sore muscles or joints.
For more information on ice and heat, click here.
When should I stretch?
Always warm up prior to a stretching routine. 5 minutes of brisk walking, jumping jacks,
lunges, stationary bike, etc. are sufficient. This increases blood flow and warms the
muscles.
Prior to your sport or activity, perform dynamic stretching. This is stretching which mimics
the activity you are about to perform. It prepares the soft tissues and joints for stresses of
the specific sport or activity.
For swimming, this would include arm circles, trunk twists, side bends, and neck circles.
Static stretching, where one holds the position of the stretch for 20-30 seconds should be
performed after your activity or sport. This is great time to troubleshoot, find what's tight
and stretch it.
Should I push through the pain of an injury?
The short answer: NO.
Pain is the body's way of telling us something is wrong.
In the case of shoulder pain in a swimmer, a rotator cuff tendon rubbing on an adjacent
structure provokes the inflammatory response. Inflammation irritates nerves which send
messages to the brain regarding the location of trauma.
Pain which is strong enough to alter your swim stroke is a good indicator to stop.
Many athletes work through aches and pains. In fact, a sore back or shoulder may feel
better during activity. If this is your scenario, you must differentiate hurt vs. harm. A little
hurt (soreness, ache) may be ok. Harm (sharp pain, shooting pain, pain that alters your
stroke) is NOT ok. Consult a sports medicine expert to determine if you are doing further
harm.
Should I rest completely when injured?
Absolute rest, or resting completely is rarely warranted. A person resting a shoulder injury
can certainly perform cardiovascular exercise that does not irritate the shoulder.
Relative rest includes staying active and adhering to exercises and stretches that do not
irritate the injured area.
Maintaining fitness levels while healing from an injury is important in maintaining
psychological and physical fitness.
Are there any stroke technique tips which minimize repetitive
strain injuries?
A swimming coach can analyze your stroke and tell you if there is a form issue which is
adding stress to your body or making your overall stroke less efficient.
For more information, here are two articles from the journal, Physician and Sports
Medicine, which discuss technique modifications for shoulder injury prevention.
Swimming Biomechanics and Injury Prevention
Swimming Injuries and Illnesses
Should I exercise an area that is not in pain?
Pre-habilitation is a sports medicine concept of exercising a joint, muscle, or body region
with the goal of preventing injury. In cumulative trauma sports such as tennis, running, and
swimming, why not address vulnerable areas with a specific exercise routine designed to
minimize the risk of injury.
Be it yoga, pilates, tennis, basketball or swimming, one should prepare their body for at
least 2 weeks with stretching, strengthening, and sports specific activities. This is the best
way to prevent injury.
My feet cramp when I'm swimming. What can I do about this?
1) Hydration is important as is electrolyte balance. Muscle cramps may be secondary to
electrolyte deficiency, especially during prolonged training sessions.
Start drinking a sports drink or cut your water with gatorade.
For severe cramping, you may want to keep a salty snack with you such as pretzels.
Many competitive athletes with cramping problems will even keep salt packets handy.
If cramping continues and/or worsens, consult your physician.
2) Start stretching your hamstrings, gastrocs and soleus muscles after you swim or exercise.
3) When indoors, don't push off the wall, just turn around. It will slow down your times but
may help cramping.
4) Relax your feet during your stroke. Make sure you are not overly flexing your foot or
curling your toes. This can trigger cramps.
5) Improve/increase your pre-swim, dry land warmup.
6) Start strengthening exercises for the calf muscles like standing calf raises.
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