If you are having shoulder pain, here is an snippet on a quick shoulder fix by Clay Evans. My comments are at the bottom. If your shoulder is sore after a workout, try lots of ice - every two hours for 20 minutes. This is what most trainers have told me. The problem is in the pool. Shoulder issues are because of bad technique (unless of course you banged it snowboarding). When you first come back after having a sore shoulder: start slow, warm up long and do easy stretching before and during workout. It is simple; when you are at the wall between swims: stretch, slow and easy.
Now about technique: First of all breathe to the bad shoulder. Most bad shoulders are the shoulder you breathe away from. This is because swimmers use that arm to support the turn of the head to breathe on the opposite side. They tend to do this with a straight-arm catch instead of a correct reaching over the barrel catch.
If the shoulder problem is worse than "bad" and you have tried technically to fix it you can just not swim with that arm. You do NOT have to quit swimming. Three extremities only can be done. Skip one arm and you will still get a great workout. I did it many times with a shoulder that dislocated often in my college water polo career. That is much better than nothing.
Another option is you can also try to cut the stroke short at the front end. This takes quite a bit of pressure off and you can still get 75% of the arm exercise. You can cut short your stroke at the point of hand entering the water as dramatically as coming in at the shoulder level and not extending any farther forward in front of your head. You get a great push from the shoulder level down and follow through like normal. That is 75% of your pull anyway. It is only at the front first 6-12 inches that shoulders are really hurt by swimming.
All these options will get you burning calories off as much as regular swimming. You might look a little strange and be swimming in slower lanes but who cares about appearances?
The secret is technique, it is not that hard, you just have to be vigilant every single stroke, every single swim, every single workout. Please come to any of my workouts if you have any shoulder issue.
[Note: A sore shoulder is a different animal than an injured shoulder. A sore shoulder could be as benign as strained muscles or fatigue or more a more serious condition that needs attention. If it is the former, a strained muscles or fatigue, I completely endorse the above article. However, a persistent or worsening pain in one's shoulder is certainly a red flag so use common sense. If the pain persists or gets worse; obviously you may be injured so get it checked out by a doctor.
I do believe that in most cases swimming incorrectly, such as crossing over to the front of your head compounded with a bad pull, WILL cause a shoulder injury so technique is vital. VITAL!]
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