Swimmers Shoulder
Do you have:
- Pain on the front, side or posterior aspect of your shoulder?
- Noticed a decrease in your swim time and endurance?
What is causing this?
- Joint restrictions in the cervical, thoracic, low back or shoulder joints
- Muscular imbalances (pecs vs mid-back muscles)
- Over training
- Improper swim mechanics
Swimmers shoulder is a repetitive injury, which is usually caused by poor technique, muscle imbalance, mechanical restrictions, and scar tissue between muscles or increasing your workout or intensity too quickly.
Shoudler injuries are the the 3rd most common musculoskeletal complaint in the U.S. The shoulder has the greatest range of motion in the human body and is anchored only by muslces, tendons and ligaments. The shoulder joint is surrounded by four muscles and their tendons, which are collectively referred to as the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is surrounded by an empty sac or bursa, which helps the tendons slide. The rotator cuff is susceptible to many problems which can cause weakness, tenderness and pain. As you get older the rotator cuff tendons degenerate and weaken. Therefor it is extremely important that you have appropriate levels of strength, flexibility and stability in the rotator cuff muscles and supporting structures. An imbalance of any of these can lead to improper range of motion, pain or injury. Many times there is an imbalance of the anterior muscles such as the pecs and subscapularis that pull the shoulder forward. When this occurs the rotator cuff and mid-back muscles begin to fatigue and weaken, due to trying to pull the shoulder back into the normal position.
When an injury is due to muscle or mechanical restrictions, the result is decreased range of motion, stroke and time. When there is scar tissue or adhesions between muscles, there is a decrease in blood flow, oxygen and nutrients to the muscles. The muscles then begin to shut down. This usually causes a dull achy pain or a feeling of weakness in the muscle.
We conduct a full body evaluation from the ankle up to the neck to determine where the problem is coming from. So call the clinic today to get you back in the water pain free and swimming the best times you ever have.
Call 720-974-0392 today to schedule your appointment