Rehab
Swimmer's shoulder treatment in Sydney
One of the most common injuries in swimming and triathlon, and one of the most commonly mismanaged, because it is usually a load and technique problem being treated as a shoulder problem.
What is actually happening
Swimmer's shoulder is a description rather than a diagnosis. Underneath it is usually irritation of the rotator cuff and the surrounding structures, driven by the volume of overhead repetitions a swimmer accumulates. Working out which tissue is irritated matters less than working out what is driving it.
Why it develops
Two families of cause, usually together. Technique: a crossover entry, a dropped elbow, breathing to one side only, or a pull pattern that loads the front of the shoulder. And load: a jump in volume, a block of paddle work, or a return to the pool after time away, without the strength behind the shoulder to support it.
Swim-specific rehabilitation
Cuff and scapular strength built to the demands of the stroke rather than to a generic band routine, load managed rather than stopped where that is possible, and technique addressed alongside your coach where it is a factor. Most swimmers keep swimming through this, at modified volume.
Common questions
Do I have to stop swimming?
Usually not. Complete rest tends to make the return harder. What generally changes is volume, the amount of paddle and pull work, and sometimes the stroke you spend most of your session on, while the strength work runs alongside.
Is it an impingement or a rotator cuff tear?
In swimmers it is far more often an irritation driven by load than a structural tear, particularly under 40. Assessment is what separates them, and scans are used where the answer would change the plan.
Shoulder stopping you swimming?
Get the load and the technique looked at together, rather than one at a time.
Book an injury assessment