What to do if your shoulder hurts while swimming

Swimming is a very popular sport that not only relaxes the mind but also exercises the body. However, swimming is not all beneficial. We also need to prevent injuries caused by swimming. Many people experience shoulder pain after swimming. This is what people often call "swimmer's shoulder". So what should you do if your shoulder hurts after swimming? The following will introduce the causes and solutions of shoulder pain when swimming.

According to a survey, 80% of adult swimmers have experienced varying degrees of shoulder pain in their swimming career, which has forced them to stop swimming or disrupt their training rhythm.

What is "Swim's Shoulder"?

"Swim's shoulder" is naturally caused by swimming, and refers to "shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis."

The doctor explained that the stability and movement of our shoulder joints depend on the "shoulder rotator cuff". It is composed of muscles and tendons, and its shape is like a shirt sleeve, so it is called shoulder rotator cuff. Under normal conditions, this joint moves very smoothly. However, since the space between these tendons is very narrow, if the tendons are overworked or inflamed, they will swell. When the shoulder moves, these swollen tendons will press against nearby bones and rub against each other, causing pain. Sometimes, the friction may even cause the tendons to tear.

What to do if your shoulder hurts while swimming

Some people who experience shoulder pain after swimming like to use massage with blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing drugs such as Wanhua Oil, Huoluo Oil, and Safflower Oil, believing that this can relieve the pain. In fact, this is no less than "adding fuel to the fire."

Because within 72 hours after an acute injury, tiny blood vessels in the human body may bleed, and the use of blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing drugs and massage will aggravate the bleeding, leading to worsening of the condition, more obvious swelling, and more severe pain. The correct treatment is to immediately stop swimming and other sports, apply ice to the painful area, and use acupuncture, external application of Chinese medicine and other methods and local physical therapy to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Generally, the pain will be significantly relieved within 7 to 10 days.

Some people think that when they feel shoulder pain, it might be due to excessive use of air conditioning and resulting in periarthritis of the shoulder. The treatment of frozen shoulder requires moderate exercise, but "swimmer's shoulder" is different, it requires rest. If you make a rash judgment, it will only make the condition worse.

Here, we will teach you how to distinguish the two: Generally speaking, "swimming shoulder" is located behind the shoulder joint, and there is a tender spot above the humerus, which will hurt when pressed; while frozen shoulder will first experience paroxysmal soreness, with a wider range of pain and a large range of restricted motion, especially when doing back extension movements.

How to prevent "swimmer's shoulder"

1. Warm up before swimming

When swimming, the upper arm rotates and abducts but is affected by the resistance of the water, which puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder. No matter which swimming style is used, swimming for too long or with incorrect posture and method will put the rotator cuff in a state of over-exercise. Some swimming experts will also develop "swimmer's shoulder" if they do not pay attention to warm-up exercises before swimming and properly control the swimming frequency.

2. Standard swimming style for beginners

In order to avoid shoulder injuries caused by swimming, beginners should maintain the norms and standards of various swimming postures, and avoid getting abnormally excited, jumping and swimming violently once entering the water, and should slowly increase the intensity and strength of exercise.

Whether you are a novice or an expert in swimming, it is best to do at least 10 minutes of warm-up exercises and some stretching exercises before swimming to fully stretch the joints.

During swimming, if you feel discomfort in your shoulder joint, you should reduce the amount of exercise. It is recommended that ordinary swimming enthusiasts swim for 1 hour. If the discomfort worsens or pain occurs, stop exercising and seek medical attention in time.

3. Don’t hide your rotator cuff tear

If you experience shoulder pain after swimming, and the pain worsens when you raise your arm to a certain height, and is more obvious when you sleep at night, and even makes it difficult to comb your hair or wash your face, it is most likely that you have a rotator cuff tear or even a rupture. Sometimes patients also experience symptoms such as snapping and stiffness, and it is often difficult to point out the exact location of the pain.

Doctors recommend that if the above conditions occur, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

If you feel tired after swimming, it is mostly muscle fatigue, which will naturally disappear after a few days of rest. But if you have pain, you must be careful, as it may be a sign of inflammation. If it persists after a few days of rest, you need to go to the hospital for diagnosis.

Some middle-aged people are especially reminded not to be too stubborn. When they are young, their tendons are more elastic and minor injuries are not likely to cause inflammation. However, as they age, their functions deteriorate, their tendons become relatively less elastic and less resilient, so these people are more likely to develop tendonitis.

My butt hurts like a cramp

Leg cramps are quite common in daily life. Medically, cramps are called muscle spasms. In fact, cramps may occur in various parts of the human body. Some people find that their buttocks hurt like cramps. There are many reasons for this. Some people suffer from blood circulation problems due to sitting for a long time, and some may be caused by fatigue and lack of sleep. The following will introduce the detailed reasons to you.

The reason why the buttocks hurt like cramps

1. A bad sleeping posture may cause cramps in the buttocks muscles. For example, if there is foreign object stimulation on the buttocks while sleeping, or the buttocks muscles are compressed by external force, the muscles will be in a state of passive contracture for a long time. If this state continues, it can develop into cramps. I hope you recover soon.

2. As some middle-aged and elderly women age, their estrogen secretion continues to decrease, their blood calcium levels slowly drop, they are prone to osteoporosis, their muscle irritability continues to increase, and they often experience symptoms of muscle contractures. Cold stimulation is an important cause of muscle cramps. For example, you may forget to cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep, and your buttocks get cold. The cold stimulation to the muscles can cause them to suddenly contract and cramp.

3. The accumulation of acidic substances can cause muscle contracture. For example, some people are usually too tired, which is common among athletes or people who engage in physical labor. Their muscles are overworked during the day. When they sleep at night, a large amount of acidic substances accumulate in the muscles, slowing down the blood circulation in the muscles. Metabolic waste cannot be discharged quickly, and the accumulation is easy to stimulate, leading to muscle contracture.

Buttocks cramps solution

Patients must pay attention to the fact that when cramps occur in the hip muscles in daily life, they can straighten the hip muscles in the opposite direction with force. This can quickly relieve the symptoms of cramps, especially the pain caused by cramps. You can also do local massage and pat the buttocks muscles to relieve cramp symptoms. After these symptoms disappear, you can apply hot compress to the buttocks muscles.

To prevent cramps, you should pay attention to the following points

① Pay attention to supplementing calcium and vitamin D. You can take calcium tablets or eat calcium-rich foods such as dried shrimps, milk, and soy products.

② Strengthen physical exercise and do sufficient warm-up exercises during exercise to make the body move. This will help the blood circulation in the lower limbs to be smooth, and you can avoid leg cramps when participating in various intense sports or competitions.

③ Keep warm and prevent local muscles from getting cold

②Pay attention to your sleeping posture.

⑧Do not walk or exercise for too long.

What to do when cramps occur