My wife is a pediatrician and has a patient who is a teenage swimmer who says she gets “dizzy” while swimming backstroke. She’s fine with freestyle, dry land workout etc. My wife is not thinking this a cardiac problem and wondered if it had anything to do with water in the ears, neck position, or something like that? Does anyone out in SlowTwitch land have any similar experiences?
My wife is a pediatrician and has a patient who is a teenage swimmer who says she gets “dizzy” while swimming backstroke. She’s fine with freestyle, dry land workout etc. My wife is not thinking this a cardiac problem and wondered if it had anything to do with water in the ears, neck position, or something like that? Does anyone out in SlowTwitch land have any similar experiences?
Just off the cuff, I would suspect something to do with neck hyperextension. You could check this by having her stand in one spot and look up at a tall building or the sky, and see if the dizziness occurs.
John
Improper breathing timing, holding breath too long, more underwater kickicking… all possible causes
I don’t have answers as to why, but I get this too. It’s almost a sensation of vertigo. I can do 100 yards or so before I have to stop. It doesn’t happen to me during any other strokes.
I too suspected something to do with water in the ears or something along those lines.
I really don’t like backstroke anyways so I just tend to avoid it 
I used to have this problem when I swam in highschool, it was due to the fact that I would swing my head back and forth which would make me sick. Maybe try and tell him to isolate his head movement in relation to his body movement. i.e.- his head would be basically still while his body is rotating around it.
This happens to me often, and every time it does I put drops in my ears to dry the water and I am instantly cured of the dizziness. This also only happens to me during backstroke; no other time.
Dana
thanks for the input. Keep it coming slowtwitch. who needs google anyway
might be an inner ear imbalance thing. because your ears are constantly submerged during back stroke (if you’re head is in proper position), the pressure can create a disturbance to the inner ear fluid and cause the dizziness.
technique fix may help - a good drill to maintain head stability is to keep a small dixie cup balanced on forehead as the swimmer kicks. keep hands at side and when improved enough roll hips (hands still at side) to bring shoulder to chin. The focus needed to do this may help narrow down the cause of dizziness - vertigo, ear/eye issues, or just discomfort on one’s back.
Pretty common when switching to backstroke from another stroke. Say going to backstroke after freestyle for a long time.
Usually a longer steady backstroke set is OK.
I am sorry I have never found a way around it.
technique fix may help - a good drill to maintain head stability is to keep a small dixie cup balanced on forehead as the swimmer kicks. keep hands at side and when improved enough roll hips (hands still at side) to bring shoulder to chin. The focus needed to do this may help narrow down the cause of dizziness - vertigo, ear/eye issues, or just discomfort on one’s back.
+2 on the technique drills. Pain in the ass drill for sure but it helps to keep the head still. Also can try to do kick sets with head propped on the triceps of the arms in a stream line position. Helps to keep the body long and rotate well. Tell the swimmer what my coach told me when I was a kid, pretend there is a hook attached to your belly button keeping your hips up. Like a lot of this tri stuff proper technique and time will help.
I’m curious if the dizziness is effect is constant based on whether swimming indoors or out. I’ve experienced similar symptoms swimming backstroke outdoors, largely due to lack of a visual focal point.