How to Prevent Swimming Injuries With Chiropractic Care
As the temperature begins to increase all across the country, the pools will soon open, and many people will begin exercising in the water. Swimming is a great form of exercise for everyone, but it is by no means a risk-free activity.
There are tons of different injuries which can affect swimmers. From shoulder injuries, to back pain, to knee issues, no joints are necessarily “safe” during aquatic exercise. But if you’re having pain while swimming, never fear! There are many ways to prevent and treat painful conditions associated with swimming.
In this article, we will review the issue of swimming injuries and demonstrate how chiropractic care can be a part of both your “prehab” and rehab process as a swimmer.
What are Some Common Swimming Injuries?
As was mentioned in the introduction, swimming can cause damage to nearly every joint in the body. While it is not an impact sport, such as running, it still causes strain through muscles and tendons in the body. Below, we’ll highlight some of the most common swimming injuries.
Shoulder Pain
Painful injuries of the shoulder are likely the most common type of swimming injury. Rotator cuff strains, tendinitis, and many other issues will often plague the shoulders of swimmers.
This is because all swimming strokes heavily rely on the shoulders. Freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke are particularly challenging for the shoulder joints. Even just treading water can place high levels of stress on the shoulders and arms.
Back Pain
When swimming laps, the back needs to remain strong and stable, while also allowing for trunk rotation. Rotating the trunk allows for efficient swimming. However, if you don’t have sufficient mobility and strength in your spine, this rotation can lead to overuse of the spine, which can eventually lead to back pain in turn.
Knee Pain
Many swimming strokes require hard kicking of the legs. If you don’t effectively control your knee range of motion while you kick, you may begin to develop pain in this joint. Strong kicking is one of the best ways to improve your split times in the pool. But kicking harder should not come at the cost of your knee health.
Preventing and Treating Swimming Injuries
Unfortunately, some injuries can’t be prevented. There is no way to fully bulletproof our bodies against every type of injury. In these cases, we need to be able to treat the issue. However, we can often take some important steps that will help to avoid injuries in the first place.
Swimming Injury Prevention
Truly, preventing swimming injuries is a fairly straightforward process. The best ways to avoid pain from swimming are as follows:
- Warm up before getting in the pool.
- Cool down after getting out of the pool.
- Don’t overdo it.
- Keep your body strong.
- Maintain a high level of flexibility.
By ensuring that you do all of the above, you’ll put yourself in a great position to avoid swimming injuries.
Swimming Injury Treatment
After you have experienced a swimming injury, your main goal is usually to get back in the pool as quickly as you can, without interruption to your swimming exercise program. In order to treat a swimming injury, you need to receive a detailed diagnosis of your injury and a comprehensive treatment plan.
Once you do so, it may take a while to fully heal, but you’ll be back in the pool before you know it, swimming laps as if nothing happened!
Chiropractic Care and Swimming Injuries
Chiropractors can work to both prevent and treat swimming injuries. By performing spinal manipulations on specific areas of the vertebral column, your chiropractor can help you reach new heights with regard to your swimming ability. At the same time, he can assist you in your recovery from swimming injuries while also helping you avoid the same ailment in the future.
Your Noblesville chiropractor at Anchor Health Chiropractic can help you with any swimming-related health concerns you may have. Book your appointment now!
