Okay, here is my question. BTW, this isn't a woe is me type post, just looking for some thoughts from the more experienced swimmers and possibly coaches. Here goes.
First the background...first year of medical school I herniated a thoracic disc...very rare injury, but resulted in cord compression on the right. The immediate result was that I couldn't sit in a chair for about 6 months for for more than 2-3 minutes (unless it was a recliner). Spent the last 3/4 of my second year either standing or lying in the back of class. Spent the next 4-5 years learning what did and didn't cause me to become temporarily incapacitated when I would have a "flare-up" . Bottom line, reached a very tolerable level of mildly annoying discomfort after about 6 years that only acts up now when I quit working out...however the pain seemed to migrate north and began to affect my shoulders after several years..
Jump ahead . I started doing triathlon in 1999....bike okay, run okay,,....swim like crap.....have had people look at my position and my body position is not that bad (according to at least two coaches)....but I am still reaaaalllly reallly slow....pain in shoulders annoying, plus I seem to be prone to shoulder injury swimming....particularly if I pull hard...
Jump ahead further to now....finally went to see a sports MD where I work....I think the first words out were "Good Grief!"....apparently (and I can only surmise the cause, but it must somehow be related to my comensating for the back injury), my rhomboids, levator and serratus have atrophied or weakened to the point where I have winged scapulas and profound muscle weakness. The left side barely has any function. when doing a rear lift (like the last half of a freestyle stroke) I could only lift about 5 pounds max and only about 2 pounds when trying to do repititions).
So my question is this...once I get this rehabbed (I have been advised against swimming until it is fixed due to danger of messing my shoulders up, particularly the rtc) and get normal strength, would/should/could this affect my swim times assuming I have decent body position? Or will it at least intheory have little effect?
Sorry for such a long post
Lance
_________________________________________________
That is just one more group of people that should be thrown screaming from a helicopter- George Carlin
First the background...first year of medical school I herniated a thoracic disc...very rare injury, but resulted in cord compression on the right. The immediate result was that I couldn't sit in a chair for about 6 months for for more than 2-3 minutes (unless it was a recliner). Spent the last 3/4 of my second year either standing or lying in the back of class. Spent the next 4-5 years learning what did and didn't cause me to become temporarily incapacitated when I would have a "flare-up" . Bottom line, reached a very tolerable level of mildly annoying discomfort after about 6 years that only acts up now when I quit working out...however the pain seemed to migrate north and began to affect my shoulders after several years..
Jump ahead . I started doing triathlon in 1999....bike okay, run okay,,....swim like crap.....have had people look at my position and my body position is not that bad (according to at least two coaches)....but I am still reaaaalllly reallly slow....pain in shoulders annoying, plus I seem to be prone to shoulder injury swimming....particularly if I pull hard...
Jump ahead further to now....finally went to see a sports MD where I work....I think the first words out were "Good Grief!"....apparently (and I can only surmise the cause, but it must somehow be related to my comensating for the back injury), my rhomboids, levator and serratus have atrophied or weakened to the point where I have winged scapulas and profound muscle weakness. The left side barely has any function. when doing a rear lift (like the last half of a freestyle stroke) I could only lift about 5 pounds max and only about 2 pounds when trying to do repititions).
So my question is this...once I get this rehabbed (I have been advised against swimming until it is fixed due to danger of messing my shoulders up, particularly the rtc) and get normal strength, would/should/could this affect my swim times assuming I have decent body position? Or will it at least intheory have little effect?
Sorry for such a long post
Lance
_________________________________________________
That is just one more group of people that should be thrown screaming from a helicopter- George Carlin