5 Spine Health Concerns for Swimmers

There are a number of issues that cause swimmers to experience pain in the pool. Listed below are the most common causes of swimming back pain.

1. Improper form

This is probably the most common cause for back pain among swimmers. Poor form affects performance, endurance, body mechanics, and it can affect your breathing. If the body is not in the proper position in the pool, the legs, arms, and shoulders overcompensate for the anomaly.

2. Lumbar dysfunctions

Many back problems are not caused by swimming, but they manifest themselves in the pool. When a swimmer arrives with pre-existing back conditions in the lumbar spine, they must be addressed. Lumbar conditions can include the following:

• Lower cross-posture

• Left-to-right imbalance

• Limited range of motion in pelvis

• Quad-driven kicking technique

• Scheuermanns Kyphosis

3. Hyper-extension

Hyper-extension is common when swimmers do front strokes. Hyper-extension is associated with the breaststroke and butterfly and a weak core.

4. Improper breathing techniques

Poor breathing techniques can cause more problems than ineffective or inefficient breathing. Poor breathing is often the cause of poor technique. A couple things can happen when breathing mechanics are lacking.

• If a swimmer breathes with the chest, the back extends. When the back extends, the swimmer can experience an arched back or sway back. It is slight, but the stress can on the spine is exacerbated at higher levels of intensity.

• Poor breathing can be the result of a compromised neck position. Swimmers who do not practice proper body mechanics in fronts strokes can experience pain in their neck and at the top of their back when they rise to breathe. If the body mechanics are wrong, the neck will jerk back repeatedly and cause pain in the upper spine. Breathing should not be a head lift.

5. Previous injury

There are some things you can control and some you cannot. We have talked about form and technique, but previous injuries can cause back pain in the pool as well. Common back injuries from which swimmers suffer include:

• Disc problems, such as herniated disc, bulging disc, and disc prolapses

• Nerve damage

• Fractures

• Spondylosis

Disc Degeneration

Swimmers are more likely to suffer from lower back degeneration at higher rates than low-load swimmers and other athletes.  Degeneration does not always translate into higher injury rates. If swimmers do not present symptoms with degeneration, it does not appear to be an immediate cause for concern.

7.  Low Bone Mineral Density

Swimmers tend to have lower bone mineral density levels. This is concerning because low bone mineral density results in osteoporosis and osteopenia. Normal bone density T-score is between 2.0 to -1 SD. Osteopenia T-score is -1 to -2.5. Anything below -2.5 means Osteoporosis. A 2007 study revealed female swimmers and runners had deficient levels of bone mineral density. I have included a link where you can learn more about bone mineral density and bone health methods.

Tips for a Healthy Spine

Spine health for swimmers is critical. Swimmers cannot tackle back pain on their own, and they should not be developing their own treatment methods to tackle pain. Swimmers need a team to back them up and support them to prevent and treat back injuries. Swimmers must be in contact with their coach, their physician, and a physical therapist to tackle all angles of the back pain. Coaches cannot treat, but they can make informed performance and training choices to prevent or address back pain.

• Swimmers must be honest and open about medical history, pain, and discomfort.

• Get a body mechanics screening to see where any potential issues lurk.

• Adopt good stroke, breathing, and form techniques. Reducing the amount of moving body parts by using a Snorkel and pull buoy can help learn proper spine motion. Just remember to not arch your back with the axis buoy.

• Avoid overuse and overtraining.

• Maximize dryland training to improve performance and technique in the pool. Dryland exercises must be coordinated and monitored by a skilled professional.

• Avoid shear forces.

What if you do have low back pain?

If you do have low back pain, you can make small adjustments to reduce low back pain when swimming.

• Do not force your chest up; press your chest down.

• Avoid excess head and body movement when breathing. Breathe on a horizontal plane. Or try using a FINIS Snorkel.

• When performing the dolphin kick, reduce body motion and kick from the knee.

• When breathing during the butterfly, avoid lifting the chest and jutting the head back. Keep your head as low as possible.

• Instead of arching your back when you breathe in the breaststroke, move the hips forward when you take a breath.

• Round your spine, press your hips back, and keep the chest and neck in a neutral position during the start.

As you can see, one of the biggest factors in spine health is technique. It is important that you work with the right coach to improve stroke, body mechanics, form, and training.

This article provided by: Dr. G. John Mullen of Swimming Science