Well, it’s not what you are thinking!
Overuse? maybe, but not likely with today’s training philosophies…quality vs. quantity.
How many swimmers do you know that go away on vacation, typically mid-season, and come back injured?! Skiing in the Winter?! Safe?! Snowboarding?! They are tough for any athlete!
For years, studies have been trying to isolate swimmers’ shoulder injuries…the findings? Some people are per-disposed…In other words, why the swimmer with the worst stroke never developed any stroke related injury as compared to the swimmer with the perfect stroke that spends half the time out of the water icing?! Life isn’t fair…or rational!
There are, or course, swimmers who quite frequently get injured, “outside the pool!” “Klutzes,” you may think, and may be right…) There are reasons athletes do gravitate to specific sports, after all…Many of the shoulder injuries my older swimmers have developed, over the years, were from catching themselves when falling down stairs!
The Spring is when many of the injuries of 11-13 year old occur…Why? In theory, only, it is when they are growing, and when they grow, they are at their least coordinated…and most susceptible…growth plate injuries, outside the water, are more common during these growth spurts. So what do you do, wrap them in bubble wrap? You could…but seriously, stress the importance of warming up, before any activity, using common sense, (I know, it is in short supply,) and exercising/playing safely…
Accidents do happen, as do injuries. We stress strengthening areas, specifically the core, and balance, in our dryland program, to help protect our athletes, and those parts of the body potentially susceptible to overuse injuries…balance and core-strength are life necessities…
As with life, roll with it…we typically heal…if you are sore, from training, rest. If you strained something? training through it rarely expedites the healing process…allow your body to heal…who knows, you might have just fostered the stroke correction your coaches have been working toward!
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