Swimming is a low impact sport that requires significant repetitive activity with high forces generated around the shoulder. This often leads to overuse injuries of the shoulder. These may include rotator cuff syndromes, biceps tendonitis, and labral tears sometimes referred to as swimmer’s shoulder.
The lower extremity may be involved, especially the knee with patella tendonitis, pes anserine bursitis, and iliotibial band tendonitis — often seen in swimmers. Injuries to the lower back including low back strains, disk problems or stress fractures called spondylolysis, can occur especially in competitive swimmers.
Common Swimming Injuries
Back: Strain | Herniated disc | Stress fracture
Knee: Patella tendonitis | Patella femoral pain syndrome |Pes anserine bursitis
Shoulder: Bicep tendonitis | Rotator cuff tear | Rotator cuff tendonitis | Labral tears