What is Swimmer's Elbow?

Many swimmers will know the pain of swimmer's elbow; a common injury related to technique flaws and overuse. 

Swimmer’s elbow, also commonly named and shared as tennis elbow, is a common injury for many athletes. For swimmers, this is caused by repetitive strain on the tendons inside your elbow which can lead to inflammation and pain. This issue tends to be less prevalent among swimmers because of the way most swimming strokes put pressure on the inside of the elbow joint.

Most commonly, the breast stroke and butterfly strokes will cause swimmer’s elbow because of the “elbow-up” pull that is done for those strokes. Other swimmer’s elbow causes may include repeatedly lifting weights from dryland training.

If you have swimmer's elbow, be sure to talk to your doctor! They will likely recommend taking a break from swimming to give your tendons time to heal and seeing a physiotherapist.