When swimmers have pain, it is most often in the shoulder. This is usually the result of the thousands of overhead repetitions that occur with the hours of practice often required for age group athletes. With overuse comes fatigue and this can lead to lapses in a swimmer’s ability to maintain good swimming technique. Additionally, swimmers will have excessive flexibility …

I have been a swim coach for nearly 20 years. Before I started coaching swimming, I was a pretty high level competitive swimmer. I have been a physical therapist for just about 10 years. I work predominately with high school aged athletes (as a coach and PT), though I also see adults of all ages and younger kids. I work …

Shin splints. You know, that dull, achy soreness over the inside part of your shin that is worse when you pull your toes toward your nose, but generally goes away if you’re not exercising (though you may notice it a bit when you’re just walking around). The bane of many a new runner. People often experience shin soreness when they …

I was recently (just last week, in fact) talking with my swimmers after practice. One of the girls was giving another a hard time because she will often try to get out of a full warm up or cool down swim by asking the coaches questions or picking up a conversation with another swimmer or by creating some other kind …

With IronMan Wisconsin on the horizon (September 14, 2021), you, like I have probably noticed the influx of runners and cyclists on the bike paths all over Madison. An article on active.com reports an average requirement of 13 hours of training PER WEEK to prepare for a full length IronMan. That’s 2.4 miles of swimming in Lake Monona, a 112 …

This might be you, be it your low back, hamstrings, upper traps… You name it, you stretch all the time, but you’re still feeling tight. So what gives? And is stretching really all it’s cracked up to be? First of all, a true lack of range of motion that causes dysfunction is a good reason to stretch. Maybe your lats …

Stretching is a complicated topic. And like many things, what we know about stretching has changed (and will continue to do so) with time. There is a ton of research that’s been done, and often the result will leave readers with more questions than answers. Should I stretch? When should I stretch? Does stretching make me prone to injury or …

Spring is in the air. I’ve mowed my yard a few times already, planted (and maybe accidentally killed off) some seedlings, and enjoyed watching the trees get greener by the minute. With all this, I want to share with you a little more about my own personal growth as a physical therapist. I always knew I wanted to help other …

The sun is shining, it’s getting warmer outside and people are starting to emerge from hibernation. While it’s still a little too cold in the midwest, we’re starting to think about opening up our pools and returning to lakes and beaches for the spring and summer months. Now is the perfect time to focus on perfecting your swimming technique as …

Here in the Midwest (Wisconsin), the temperatures are finally creeping above zero. And as the sun comes out and consecutive days above freezing get strung together, people emerge, blinking, from their hibernation caves, breathing the fresh air. After months of (at worst) lying dormant under layers of blankets, or (at best) logging stuffy miles on the treadmill inside.* *Side note: …