Medical Care for Swimmers

Abstract

Swimming is one of the most popular sports worldwide. Competitive swimming is one of the most watched sports during the Olympic Games. Swimming has unique medical challenges as a result of a variety of environmental and chemical exposures. Musculoskeletal overuse injuries, overtraining, respiratory problems, and dermatologic conditions are among the most common problems swimmers encounter. Although not unique to swimming, overtraining is a serious condition which can have significant negative impact on swimmers’ health and performance. This review article is an attempt to discuss various issues that a medical team should consider when caring for swimmers.

Nutritional habits of 11–12-year-old swimmers against non-athlete peers – a pilot study

“…Dziecko, przechodzące okres dojrzewania i obciążone regularnym, dużym wysiłkiem fizycznym, powinno szczególnie dbać o swoją dietę. Wśród wskazań zdrowotnych, opracowanych dla pływaków przez zespół Khodaee [24], żywienie jest wymienione jako jeden z czołowych komponentów wieloletniego procesu treningowego. Zaniedbania na tym polu mogą doprowadzić do zwiększonego ryzyka kontuzji, osłabienia systemu odpornościowego i obniżenia efektów treningowych.…”

Evaluation of the Heart Function of Swimmers Subjected to Exhaustive Repetitive Endurance Efforts During a 500-km Relay

“…However, in many countries, including Great Britain and the United States (Nikolaidis et al, 2018), Switzerland, Italy (Rüst et al, 2014b), Canada (Rüst et al, 2014a), Australia, and Poland, long-distance races and swimming marathons, such as the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (Knechtle et al, 2014a), the Catalina Channel Swim (Knechtle et al, 2015), and the Zurich Lake Marathon Swim (Eichenberger et al, 2013), are becoming increasingly popular (Knechtle et al, 2014b). Every year, many swimmers undertake extremely difficult challenges such as attempting to cross extremely long distances in seas, lakes, and rivers (Khodaee et al, 2016; Valenzano et al, 2016). More than 1800 swimmers, including 571 females from more than 40 countries, successfully completed swimming the English Channel (approximately 32.2 km) prior to 2013 (Knechtle et al, 2014b).…”

Anterior Shoulder Dislocation during Breaststroke Swimming Technique: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

“…A careful reintegration back into swimming training is essential. Khodaee et al [11] indicate a gradual increase in training load. In this study, the authors encouraged a return to the pool, and swimming 1000 – 2000 meters slowly and comfortably, only when the swimmer is able to reach above shoulder height without pain.…”

“…An addition of 500 meters every 3 workouts is encouraged when the swimmer experiences no pain during resisted motions in all planes. All four competitive swimming strokes and short sprint sets can be integrated once swimming 4000 – 5000 meters is pain free [11].…”