By Morgan Pestorius, Swimming World College Intern
Just because swimming isn’t a contact sport doesn’t mean that swimmers have fewer injuries than other athletes. Here are some common swimming injuries we know all too well.
1. The Jammed Finger
Jamming your finger against a lane line doesn’t sound like much, but man, does it hurt! It gets swollen and hard to bend, making swimming extremely uncomfortable. Unfortunately, coaches claim that a finger injury doesn’t impair your swimming abilities, so sitting out is not allowed.
2. The Paddle Collision
When swimmers wear paddles, they are usually focusing on rotating and finishing their stroke. Either way, they are putting a lot of force behind moving the water and that is not something you want to get in the way of. Hitting someone’s hand while wearing paddles sends a shock all the way up your arm and leaves you tingling with numbing pain.
3. The Constant Shin Bruises
Climbing out of the pool practice after practice ends up hurting those strong swimmer legs. The bruises that develop on your shins are always really gross-looking and never end up healing because your shins never get a break from climbing out of the water. Even during off season, when the bruises have faded, shins are still sore to the touch from a season’s worth of exits.
4. The Heel Slam
Swimmers are taught to swing their legs over as fast as they can when they are doing a flip turn. This motion usually works out fine, except for the times when your heels directly connect with the siding of a pool. If you’re lucky, your feet will just hurt for a few days, but this injury can keep a swimmer out of the water for weeks.
5. The Leg Cramp
Getting a leg cramp during a kick set is extremely painful. Personally, I think the worst kind is when your toes crossover during breaststroke kick. The cramps only last for a few minutes, but it feels like an eternity.