Many times we hear that someone suffers the swimmer's shoulder but we do not know exactly what it is or how it is produced, much less how it can be avoided.

This injury, also known as the subacromial syndrome, is the narrowing of the space between the head of the humerus and the acromion (a bony relief that belongs to the scapula) and, as a consequence, compresses the structures that pass through it such as the rotators’ cuff, the tendon of the biceps and the subacromial deltoid bursa.

In swimming there is a high risk of suffering from it, since the subacromial space narrows when the arm is raised above the head in a repetitive manner, as in the stroke of the crawl or freestyle. Other causes can also be scapular hypermobility, poor technique or poor training in which muscle recovery or muscle balance is not taken into account, especially if paddles or other materials are used to increase water resistance.

The pain is characterized by pain from the outside and from the front of the shoulder, in movements of abduction and external rotation of the shoulder, as it rests on the affected side and, even, nocturnal pain may come to wake up.

In the case of noticing such symptoms is important to go to the doctor and the physiotherapist to start treatment. It also helps to apply a cold patch, from 5 to 10 minutes, due to its anesthetic and anti-inflammatory effect.

After recovery, resuming training sessions must be progressive. In order to prevent the injury it should be taken into account the muscle balance, the dosage of training loads and perform well the stretching technique.

El Quito Meta, Official Partner of Neda el Món