By Courtney Hilmanowski, DPT, OCS
Getting injured happens! It is one of the unfortunate risks of sport, and swimming is no exception. A five-year survey of NCAA swimmers found injury rates between 3.8 to 4 times per 1,000 hours of training with shoulder injuries being the highest. How we handle our time during injury can greatly influence our return to the sport and future performances.
COME UP WITH A DIAGNOSIS
The first step to recovery is getting properly diagnosed. Seek out a provider that understands swimming, passion for competition, and is able to determine the root cause of your injury rather than just treating the symptoms. Injuries hurt, but not understanding why you suffered your injury creates unnecessary anxiety. A proper diagnosis and identifying the root cause will allow you to create goals, come up with a plan, and rehabilitate your injury in a more structured, goal-oriented manner.
OPPORTUNITY THROUGH INJURY
If your swim stroke causes you to get injured, you have to find out the real cause. Was your injury caused by imperfections in your stroke mechanics, poor sleep, poor nutrition, or poor strength, flexibility, or poor coordination? This is the perfect opportunity to dive into what’s causing your injury.
Shoulder pain? It could be caused by improper stroke mechanics causing unnecessary demand on the shoulder. Use this time to change technique and hone in flaws in your form. If you are doing more kick work, setting goals to improve your base for kicking. If prior to your injury, you were able to consistently hold a 1:30 per 100 yard kick, can you work on getting that down to a 1:20 per 100. Redirect your mindset and use this time to be the best kicker on the team.
This is also the perfect time to clean up some bad habits. Make sure you are getting 4 kicks off every wall, streamlines are tight, and finishes to the wall are aggressive and purposeful. How can you take advantage of the injury to make yourself a better athlete? Even though you are limited in the elements you can improve, there ARE things you can do to improve. Focus on what you CAN control.. Control is confidence!
Is injury the new normal?
Every swimmer worries that their injury is going to become their new normal. Ideally you have worked with a specialist and have developed a plan. This plan not only rehabilitates your injury, but “injury proofs” you for the future. We see it all the time, the athlete will complete their rehabilitation and return back to the pool, but promptly throws the plan away the minute they feel “like they are 100%”. “Pre-hab”, or rehab protocols, are not always exciting, but are a critical element to keeping our body at peak performance. Scheduling your pre-hab as part of your warm up routine and keeping it at the top of your priority list, is not glamorous. Think of it like plugging in your smartphone overnight, it’s not glamorous it’s but necessary to keep things running smoothly!
Every swimmer has experienced the adversity and frustration of injury. It’s not your injury that will define you, but the way you react to it that will set the foundation of what kind of swimmer you become. Make this injury the best thing to happen to your swimming career.
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Courtney Hilmanowski DPT, OCS is a swimming and shoulder specialist at ActivePT in Rochester, MN. She is an elite swimmer who understands chasing big goals in the clinic and the pool. Her years as a Division 1 swimmer for the University of Minnesota and Wisconsin HS State Record holder in the 500 free, give her an advantage in understanding your mindset, goals and training schedules. As a Doctor in Physical Therapy, her understanding of strengthening principles and biomechanics allow her to improve a swimmer’s stroke efficiencies and make you faster. She’ll design specific programs to increase strength, speed and reduce your risk of injuries.
