Swimming Neck Pain

Last Updated on February 15, 2023 by admin

In this article, we’ll provide advice, exercises, hacks and tips on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimming neck pain.

• With water supporting the swimmer’s body, together with the lack of physical contact, competitive swimming is a relatively injury-free sport.

• However, some competitive swimmers experience varying levels of neck pain whilst swimming.

The causes of swimming neck pain

Neck pain is often caused by repetitive swimming actions, such as the rotation and the undulation of the swimmer’s neck.

• This is often exacerbated by poor stroke technique.
• Examples can include swimming freestyle with their head raised when breathing.
• Another example is continually breathing to one side when swimming freestyle or raising their head during breaststroke or butterfly.
• Poor stroke technique can often result in a weakness in the affected muscle group, which can be accompanied by varying degrees of neck pain.

Swimming neck pain prevention

Swimming with the correct technique

To help prevent swimming neck pain, a swimmer should always swim with the correct technique.

• They should avoid performing any unnatural movements.
• Swimmers should seek technical guidance from a qualified coach or a more experienced swimmer.

Adapt the training if necessary

Sometimes adapting their training can help alleviate the causes of a swimmer’s neck pain.

• For example, the use of a snorkel can remove the need for a swimmer to lift or turn their head to breathe, thus helping them to reduce the strain on their neck and back.

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Related article on training with a swim snorkel

We have produced a related article on training with a swim snorkel. Which you can view by clicking this link: training with a swim snorkel.

Warm-up properly

Swimmers should ensure that they warm up correctly, not forgetting to include neck stretches in their routine.

Related article on a competitive swimming warm-up

We have produced a related article on a competitive swimming warm-up: an introduction. Which you can view by clicking this link: a competitive swimming warm-up.

Neck stretching exercises

Regularly performing neck stretching exercises can help prevent neck pain by strengthening the neck muscles and also helping to increase their flexibility and mobility.

• Listed below are some of our favourite neck stretching exercises.

Chin tilts

How to perform this exercise: The swimmer should start this exercise either seated or standing in an upright position with their feet shoulder-width apart.

• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly lower their chin downwards towards their chest.
• They should then hold the fully tilted position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• The swimmer should then slowly and smoothly raise their chin upwards toward the ceiling.
• They should hold the fully tilted position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• Repeat this exercise 5 times

Side tilts

How to perform this exercise: The swimmer should start this exercise either seated or standing in an upright position with their feet shoulder-width apart.

• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly tilt their head to the right while attempting to touch their right shoulder with their right ear.
• They should hold the fully tilted position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• The swimmer should then slowly and smoothly tilt their head to the left while attempting to touch their left shoulder with their left ear.
• They should hold the fully tilted position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• Repeat this exercise 10 times, 5 times on each side.

Side rotations

How to perform this exercise: The swimmer should start this exercise either seated or standing in an upright position with their feet shoulder-width apart.

• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly turn their head to the right until they feel a slight stretch in the side of their neck.
• They should hold the fully rotated position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• The swimmer should then slowly and smoothly turn their head to the left until they feel a slight stretch in the side of their neck.
• They should hold the fully rotated position for between 10 to 20 seconds.
• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly return to the start position.
• Repeat this exercise 10 times, 5 times on each side.

Shoulder rolls

How to perform this exercise: The swimmer should start this exercise either seated or standing in an upright position with their feet shoulder-width apart.

• The swimmer should slowly and smoothly start to move their shoulders with a forward circular motion.
• They should repeat this for 5 complete rotations
• The swimmer should repeat this exercise for another 5 complete rotations, but now moving their shoulders with a backward circular motion.
• Repeat this exercise 5 times

Swimming neck pain treatment

Inform your coach

As soon as the swimmer experiences any neck pain, they should inform their coach.

• The coach should be able to re-assess the swimmer’s technique and make suggestions for any technical adjustments.

First aid

• If the neck pain symptoms are mild, the swimmer may wish to apply ice, then heat to the affected area.
• Swimmers should first apply ice for 20-minute periods during the first 48 to 72 hours for between four to eight times a day.
• Then they should apply heat for the same time.
• Some swimmers find taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen can also be effective for relieving the pain.
• If the swimmer requires further information regarding the effects of ibuprofen for treating neck pain, they should consult their local chemist or healthcare professional.

Professional medical help

• If the symptoms are more severe or continue to persist, which may affect the quality of the swimmer’s sleep, then it may be advisable to seek some professional medical help.
• A common course of action could be the prescription of some anti-inflammatory medication.
• Some swimmers may be referred to a sports physiotherapist for treatment, which can help to reduce the pain, strengthen the surrounding muscles and help speed recovery.

Rest

• If these mild symptoms persist, the swimmer may be advised to rest for a day or two, until the symptoms subside.

Gentle exercise

• Most medical professionals tend not to recommend prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
• They tend to encourage gentle movement and very gentle stretching, which can help a swimmer’s neck muscles recover faster.

Returning from injury

The swimmer should ensure that they plan any return to swimming from illness or injury with their coach.

• This will help ensure that there is a planned and gradual return to training, which can help to prevent the injury reoccurring.

Related article on returning to swimming training

We have produced a related article on returning to swimming training. Which you can view by clicking this link: returning to swimming training.

Takeaways

In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimming neck pain.

With water supporting the swimmer’s body, together with the lack of physical contact, competitive swimming is a relatively injury-free sport.

• However, some competitive swimmers experience varying levels of neck pain whilst swimming.

The causes of swimming neck pain

Swimming neck pain is often caused by repetitive swimming actions, such as the rotation and the undulation of the swimmer’s neck.

• This is often exacerbated by a poor stroke technique.
• Examples can include swimming freestyle with their head raised when breathing, continually breathing to one side or raising their head during breaststroke or butterfly.
• Poor stroke technique can often result in weaknesses in the affected muscle groups, which can be accompanied by varying degrees of neck pain.

Related swimmer’s health articles

We have produced a series of swimmer’s health articles on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimmer’s shoulder | breaststroker’s knee | muscle cramps | swimming back pain and swimmer’s ear

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• This contains links to all of our blog posts.
• These are subdivided by swimming category

Categories include: Swimmer Development | Swimmers Health | Swimming Coaching | Swimming Competition | Swimming Drills | Swimming Dryland/Land Training | Swimming Equipment | Swimming Psychology | Swimming Training

• To access any article simply click on the attached page link: swimming resource library

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We produce a growing range of publications on a wide range of swimming subjects.

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• Which are now available in both Amazon Kindle and paperback formats.
• For information regarding our portfolio please follow our link: Swimming publications

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The Competitive Swimming Exchange is a Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.

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For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange

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