Injuries in swimming are certainly much less frequent than in other high-impact sports.
other high-impact sports, all the same they occur in this discipline to a non-negligible extent.
negligible.
The most frequent accidents are to the shoulder, the so-called 'swimmer's shoulder', to the
knee, especially for breaststroke swimmers where the medial collateral ligament is involved, and to the spinal column.
medial collateral ligament is involved, and to the spine with lumbago, discopathy and lumbosciatica.
Injuries are often caused by altered muscular loads and coordination
necessary to ensure the stabilisation of the body in water and propulsion.
for this reason, correct movement execution and technique are very important.
important.
Another fundamental point is breathing during the activity as the same muscles, such as the diaphragm, are involved.
muscles, such as the diaphragm, are involved in stabilising the swimmer in the water and managing the propulsion phase.
of propulsion.
The movement of the arms above the head can overload the shoulders,
lead to overwork of the rotator cuff, i.e. the muscle-tendon complex covering the head.
tendon complex that covers the head of the humerus, and overstress the muscles to the point of
cause tendinitis, bursitis and, in more serious cases, dislocations or tears.
In all these cases, it is advisable to contact a rehabilitation and functional recovery centre - specialised in physiotherapy - as soon as possible.
and functional recovery centre - specialised in sports physiotherapy and equipped with a therapeutic
a therapeutic pool - that can take care of the swimmer in his or her entirety, activating a personalised
treatment and recovery pathway customised according to needs. In the case of an athlete, it is
fundamental that there is constant dialogue with the technical team that follows him/her, in order to
agree on programmes and minimise recovery time, also coordinating the
progression of return to training and the related workload.