Swimming is a great form of exercise. It requires plenty of focus on breathing techniques, requires plenty of muscular endurance, and is a great way to mix up your exercise routines.
One of the issues with swimming is the wear and tear on your shoulder. The butterfly stroke may lead to injury due to the abnormal motion you must go through for each stroke. Prior to any swim exercise, proper stretching should take place. Be sure to stretch out areas such as your rotator cuff to help prevent injury. If you feel any fatigue or pain in your shoulders then it would be best to cease that form of swim and consult your physician.
The butterfly stroke can be bad for your shoulder if your shoulder joint does not have the available range of motion necessary for the movement or if the muscles responsible for stabilizing and moving the shoulder and arms during the stroke are incapable of stabilizing and performing the movement properly. It’s important to maintain shoulder flexibility and stability if you want to do this stroke. You can do this by foam rolling and stretching your latissimus dorsi muscle, or “lat”, and your chest muscles. You should also perform shoulder stabilization exercises to improve shoulder stability. To foam roll your latissiums dorsi, lie on one side with the arm closest to the floor extended overhead, thumb pointing up toward the ceiling. Place a foam roll under your armpit. Slowly move back and forth, and rotate slightly forward and backward, applying prolonged pressure on tender spots in the resion for roughly 30 seconds. After foam rolling, stretch the lat and chest muscles for 30 seconds each. To do this, kneel in front of a stability ball with one arm placed on top of the ball, pointing your thumb up toward the ceiling and the other hand on the ground. Reach your arm forward to feel a stretch along the side of your torso into the lower back. Next, stretch your chest. To do this, stand in a doorway or wall with your forearm placed in a vertical position on the doorframe or wall so your elbow and shoulder are bent to 90-degrees. Place your feet in a staggered stance position with your back leg on the same side as the chest muscle being stretched. Slowly shift your weight forward until a stretch is felt in the front of your shoulder and chest. Lastly, perform a shoulder stabilization exercise such as a floor cobra. To perform this exercise, lie on your stomach with your arms extended alongside your body, palms facing the floor. Draw-in your navel away from the floor, contract your gluteals, and pinch your shoulder blades together. Next, lift your chest and hands off the floor at the same time while keeping your shoulder blades pinched together and your arms straight. Hold the top position for two seconds. Slowly lower yourself down to the starting position. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions of this exercise. Do this routine prior to swimming as your warm-up to gain proper range of motion and muscular control during your workout.
I delivered a presentation titled Corrective Exercise for Shoulder Impairments with expert physical therapist Skippy Mattson out of the Children's Hospital in Atlanta in the spring of 2008. She works primarily with competitive swimmers and we found many similarities in the patients that we see.
If you have rounded shoulders, then swimming the butterfly might not be the stroke for you. Spend some time working on flexibility, core stability and getting "taller". When I say taller, I mean improve posture. Work on strengthening the muscles in between your shoulder blades. Stretch the pectorals and lats.
Try and reach your arms overhead without arching your low back. If you can't do that then your lats are pretty tight and you need to improve your flexibility there to maintain the health of your shoulders. You will need to mimic this movement during the butterfly. If you can't do this with good posture then you will be increasing stress on the shoulder and low back trying to perform a butterfly stroke.
There are many benefits to swimming, but it is a sport/activity that you should really prepare for by regularly completing stretching and strengthening exercises for your shoulder and the core area of your body.
Massage therapy, corrective exercise, physical therapy, some swimming coaching and a visit to your physician may all be helpful steps to keeping your body healthy and enjoying the benefits of swimming the butterfly.
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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.