Shoulder impingement during swimming is largely due to dynamic muscle imbalances and biomechanical faults. Dynamic muscle imbalances can be addressed by strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff and scapular stabilisers, together with stretches for the muscles at the back of the shoulder.

One good exercise is to stand facing a wall with your arm raised to shoulder height and elbow straight. Hold a tennis ball to the wall by leaning through your shoulder and pinch your shoulder blades together. Roll the ball in small circles for 15 seconds first clockwise then counter clockwise until you become fatigued or two minutes, whichever comes first.

Biomechanical faults can be addressed by correcting your swim technique. Achieving good symmetrical body rotation through the development of an efficient bilateral breathing pattern helps to avoid shoulder impingement during the catch and pull through phase of the freestyle stroke.

If you already have shoulder pain it may be helpful to shorten your stroke and avoid the use of hand paddles. Hand placement during entry to the water should also be monitored. Instead of entering thumb first change your technique to enter with a flat hand or fingertip first. This is made easier by avoiding reaching across your midline. A thumb first entry works the shoulder internal rotators excessively and when multiplied by approximately 3200 strokes per hour contributes heavily to the muscle imbalance of strong internal rotators and weak external rotators causing shoulder impingement.

Most swimmers pull through with a straight arm or dropped elbow. This loads the shoulder muscles excessively rather than utilising the larger and stronger muscles of the chest and upper back. Making these simple changes can help you achieve many hours of pain free swimming.

For the fitness of you

Linda Reilly

With the weather warming up swimming is an ideal way to get a full body workout.

Overuse injuries in the shoulder and neck are common though, due to the repetitive nature of swimming.

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint with a ring of cartilage around the socket to make the joint more stable. Around this is a loose joint capsule that is reinforced with ligaments and muscles. Because the shoulder is a very mobile joint it relies on the action of these muscles and ligaments to maintain stability. These muscles are called the rotator cuff and consist of four muscles that work together to keep your shoulder centred in its socket.

So, if swimming strengthens the shoulder muscles why do so many swimmers have shoulder problems?

The simple answer is due to the repetitive nature of swimming. The more complex answer lies in the fact that many swimmers don’t have good stroke technique and those that do can still have problems because the swim stroke (in particular freestyle), mainly strengthens the shoulder internal rotators and adductors. This causes muscle imbalance, leaving the scapular stabilisers and external rotators relatively weak and joint laxity increases. The rotator cuff then must work harder to keep the shoulder centred in the socket. When the already relatively weakened external rotators fatigue, the ball of the shoulder joint moves forward and the tendon of the rotator cuff muscles is pinched between the bones as the hand is raised above shoulder height.

Next column I will cover some practical ways to prevent this happening and what to do if you already have impingement problems.

For the fitness of you.

Linda Reilly

Did you know that 90 percent of ageing and wrinkles are caused by sun damage? Sun exposure causes most of the skin changes that we think of as a normal part of ageing.

Over time, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light damages the fibres in the skin called elastin. When these fibres break down, the skin begins to sag, stretch and lose its ability to go back into place after stretching.

Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world. More than 11,500 Australian men and women are diagnosed with a melanoma each year, and an estimated 434,000 people are treated for one or more non-melanomaskin cancers. Skin cancer accounts for over 80 percent of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia each year.

If you’d like to know about skin damage to your complexion (face), why not book an appointment at Flannery’s Pharmacy Sun Awareness Clinic. The clinic nurse will conduct a VISIA Complexion Analysis using specialised UV light technology to identify the effects of sun exposure on the face. You will also receive a personalised skin analysis print out.

Our clinic nurse will discuss your analysis and make specific recommendations to help you manage and protect your skin to achieve your best skin possible.

The Sun Awareness Clinic is being held on Wednesday, 5th December and appointments are available between 10am and 3pm.

Talk to our friendly staff today to book an appointment or call Flannery’s Pharmacy on 6852 1111.

The stress fracture is a common overuse injury seen in athletes who participate in endurance and high load bearing activities. Stress fractures in the lower limb account for between 80to 90% of all stress fractures and in runners contributes to almost 16% of all injuries.

During periods of relative inactivity or with osteoporosis or eating disorders, the density of bone decreases. If loads on the bone become repetitive or abnormally high and the bone is not given enough rest to allow for adaptation, the rate of stress-induced microfractures in the bone exceeds the rate at which the bone can repair and stress fractures develop.

The typical complaint with stress fractures is of a gradual onset of pain. Initially there is just pain with activity that subsides with rest but returns when the aggravating activity is resumed. Local tenderness and swelling are often found at the fracture site and pain is easily localised as opposed to shin splints which produce a more diffused pain.

Treatment initially involves rest from the aggravating activity for approximately four to six weeks. It may also require bracing or the use of a cam boot. In some cases, surgery may even be required.

Return to sport should be gradual to allow time for adaptation within the bone and it is important that all biomechanical and nutritional causes be addressed to prevent recurrence. Cross training and participating in a variety of different sporting activities can help minimise the risk of stress fractures.

It is important to remember that if you recognise the symptoms early and treat them appropriately, you can return to sports at your normal playing level.

For the fitness of you.

Linda Reilly