Preventing Swim Injuries with Chiropractic Care
Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise for people of all ages.
In fact, newborn infants actually have a “swimming reflex”. When they are placed in water, they can mimic a motion similar to what we know as the quintessential swimming stroke.*
*We do not recommend that you try this experiment! This is simply to demonstrate that we are able to swim throughout the entire lifecycle.
Additionally, older adults frequently participate in aquatic exercise in order to address painful conditions, strengthen muscles, and improve many other areas of fitness.
However, swimming, like any form of exercise, comes with its fair share of injury risks. In this article, we will investigate some swim injuries and demonstrate how chiropractic care can treat and even prevent many of these issues.
Common Swim Injuries
Because swimming doesn’t involve any impact, the characteristic injuries of the sport are usually related to muscles and tendons. This is in contrast to other forms of exercise, such as running, which often results in joint and bone injuries.
The most frequent swimming injuries seen in emergency rooms and other healthcare facilities are as follows.
Rotator Cuff Tears
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons within the shoulder. These structures serve to stabilize the shoulder, keeping it from dislocating or being too mobile in general.
Swimmers, especially competitive swimmers, often experience high levels of strain on their rotator cuffs. This is because the shoulders are heavily used during all of the different swimming strokes.
Keeping this region strong and stable is critical for swimmers and those who use their shoulders frequently in order to participate in their sport.
Hip Pain
Much like the shoulders, the hips are a critical joint for swimmers. This area of the body experiences high levels of tension as the muscles surrounding it propel us through the water.
Many swimmers will develop clicking and pain in the hips, indicating a problem with the joint itself or the surrounding tissue. In order to address this issue, swimmers should increase mobility and strength in the hip region.
Back Pain
The muscles of the back and core need to be extremely stable during all swimming strokes. Frequently, swimmers will “tweak” their backs due to instability.
This is often due to weak muscles within the core. Strengthening these muscles will lead to greater stability and decreased injury risk.
How to Prevent Swim Injuries
As we saw in the last section, most swimming injuries are a result of decreased stability and strength throughout the body. Lax, unstable joints are a recipe for disaster when it comes to swimming. Therefore, one of the most intuitive actions that can prevent swimming injuries is strengthening exercise.
By regularly performing stability and mobility exercises, many swimmers enjoy decreased injury risk, longer swimming careers, and better performance.
However, there is a major piece of the puzzle that is missing for many swimmers: chiropractic care.
Chiropractors perform treatments, known as manipulations, which can significantly improve mobility throughout the body. These adjustments take very little time, pose almost no risk to the patient, and they have demonstrated excellent results for time immemorial. Plus, chiropractors can help to rehab patients after they have suffered an injury.
Best of all, expert chiropractors can be found all across the country, from small towns to major cities. You never have to travel far to find a great chiropractor!
If you’re looking for ways to prevent and treat injuries related to swimming, come see your Noblesville chiropractor at Anchor Health Chiropractic. We have vast experience in the treatment of swimmers and we would love to assist you today. Book your session now!
