Swimming and Chiropractic

As you know, the three-dimensional freedom of swimming allows you to use muscles in ways you simply can’t on dry land. This can sometimes lead to painful overextensions, particularly in the lower back and neck, as many popular strokes require rapid and repetitive spinal movements.

Most often, it is simple overuse of a muscle or joint that plagues swimmers. This why they often struggle to maintain peak conditioning while managing injuries. Chiropractic care works especially well for swimmers because it reduces their recovery time and allows them to get back in the water more quickly following an injury.

Chiropractic care for swimmers usually involves acute care to reduce inflammation and discomfort and hands-on alignment work to identify and correct the underlying cause of the problem. These programs often involve independent exercise, as well.

Shoulder injuries are particularly common in swimmers. The two main steps to help prevent this are adopting proper swim technique and addressing any shoulder-muscle imbalances. Preventative (shoulder-focused) resistance training and stretching are very helpful for this purpose.

“Swimmer's shoulder” is quite preventable. But it’s always possible, and when it does occur, it generally responds well to chiropractic treatments. Generally speaking, the earlier the symptoms are addressed, the shorter the recovery phase and better the response.
In the majority of cases, targeted chiropractic treatment can help patients recover from swimmer’s shoulder in a surprisingly short amount of time.

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Patient reviews:

"It was a relief to find someone willing to go the extra mile to help me. It was good to know I didn’t just have to ‘put up with it’ for the rest of my life. Having the procedures explained – in words I could understand – and having someone take an interest in what I was doing was a nice change.

When I first decided to do something about my problem, I did the normal thing and went to see a doctor / physician. Chest x-rays and Ultrasound were done but nothing out of the ordinary showed up. I was told it was probably just a sprained muscle and there was nothing much I could do about it. I just had to live with it.

I accepted this, but didn’t feel real good about it.

It was a relief to find someone willing to go the extra mile to help me. It was good to know I didn’t just have to ‘put up with it’ for the rest of my life. Having the procedures explained – in words I could understand – and having someone take an interest in what I was doing was a nice change."

Andrea Sweeney – Graduate student and triathlete



"If you’re an athlete – and you want the best performance – find a chiropractor who puts the effort in to make sure you’re better in the long run. Staying injury-free isn’t just about applying a band-aid solution to your problems."

Paul Kwatyra – University student and Varsity team swimmer



"My first visit was over an hour long. I was basically interviewed – about my lifestyle, my diet, my running and training.

Magda Badura – Marathon runner



"I’m just grateful I found a chiropractor who’s gentle – who knows how to find the pain – who helps you deal with it and knows how to make it go away. What more can you ask for?"

Rebekkah Voege – Stay at home mother with 2 children