What Causes Swimming Injuries?

Christopher C. Dodson, MD October 17th, 2017

The causes of injuries, and the ways to prevent them that every swimmer should know.

Whether you’re a competitive swimmer, or a hobbyist trying to get some low impact exercise, swimming is an excellent source of respiratory, cardiac, and strength training. As you dive in this summer, it’s important to take care of your body. To help you prepare for your time in the water, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute doctors want you to know what causes swimming injuries, and how to protect yourself from them.

General Causes of Swimming Injuries

Swimming, just like any sport, can take a toll on your body if you’re not careful to take good care of yourself. The most common swimming injuries come from overuse and uneven training. What causes swimming injuries, particularly in professional and competitive swimmers, is the constant overhead reach and pull associated with most swimming strokes.

Any time you start to experience pain while training, your body is signaling you that it’s time to stop what you’re doing, rest, and potentially reevaluate your technique. Swimmer’s shoulder, or inflammation of the rotator cuff, is incredibly common. In fact, you have almost a three in four chance of experiencing this problem in the course of your competitive swimming career. If you start experiencing shoulder pain with swimming strokes, or when performing everyday tasks like brushing your hair or pulling a shirt on over your head, then you should avoid the pool until you’ve had a chance to consult a doctor.

More Specific Swimming Concerns

What if what causes swimming injuries, is not what’s causing your swimming injury? While pain and tendonitis from overuse is the most common cause of swimming injury, it is far from the lone culprit.

Concerns for Triathletes

While triathletes who start as swimmers often experience running and bicycling injuries, those who start as runners tend to struggle with shoulder injuries during swimming training. What causes swimming injuries most frequently in these athletes is a lack of experience with proper swimming technique and uneven muscle training. The best way to prevent these injuries is to consult a swimming coach or trainer to learn proper technique. Consulting a personal trainer for a weight training program to evenly strengthen the muscles you use in the pool can also help prevent tendonitis and shoulder impingement.

Another major concern for triathletes is concussions. Unlike competitive swimming in a pool with clear lines of sight and delineated lanes, triathlons often conduct their aquatic portion in lakes and other natural water formations. This means that water will likely be murky, reducing your ability to see. While speed is key in these competitions, it’s also important to be extra aware of your surroundings in order to avoid collisions under water.

Concerns for Divers

While divers and swimmers both compete in the pool, the mechanics of diving and swimming are quite different. Poor diving technique can result in concussions, sprains, strains, and other injuries seen less frequently in competitive speed swimmers.

Divers should focus on strength training and proper technique in order to prevent injury, especially when diving from high platforms. Diving when fatigued, sick, or injured should be a non-option for any athlete, as it makes you more vulnerable to technique mistakes that can lead to serious injury.

Concerns for Synchronized Swimmers

Athletes participating in synchronized swimming face a number of risks, including injury from muscles strain,but what causes swimming injuries most frequently in these athletes is collision. Practice, strength training, and making sure that your entire team is healthy is crucial to preventing injuries in the pool. Remember, synchronized swimming is a team sport. If even one member of your team is not healthy and well rested, everyone is at risk for injury.