Despite the many challenges of the 2020 pandemic, it turned out to be a great year for open-water swim training. While there were no official events, as a teacher with the summer off, and nothing else going on (no travel, no weddings, etc.), I was free to swim more than ever before. Inasmuch, I trained for and swam a solo 10k open-water ‘event’ in July. Logging weekly totals over 20,000 yards, combined with plenty of dryland work had me feeling invincible by the time school started. Unfortunately, that feeling came to an abrupt end in mid-September when I suffered an acute injury to my left shoulder while swimming butterfly in the pool, and couldn’t raise my arm past 20˚ the following day.
Upon visiting an orthopaedic doctor, X-ray and MRI revealed significant calcification of the rotator cuff tendons, and a tear couldn’t be ruled out. The doctor advised me to stop swimming and focus on other athletic endeavors. While I enjoy trail running and various forms of cycling, swimming is by far my favorite-alas, his advice was not well received.
Faced with a long wait for an appointment with my local physical therapist, and feeling very concerned about not working with someone who specialized in athlete rehabilitation, I was experiencing a fair amount of frustration, not to mention constant pain.
Fortunately, a friend of mine had heard of Dr. Greg through her rowing club, and forwarded his information to me. Thanks to the ease of online self-scheduling, I was able to get an appointment with Greg within a matter of days. During my initial evaluation/visit in October, I asked if I would be able to swim again before the new year, and without hesitation, Greg replied, “Yes, as long as you do your part.”
I attended therapy sessions regularly with Dr. Greg, and he slowly, but surely, created for me a vast repertoire of exercises to strengthen the entire rotator cuff, and regain range of motion. Each visit he would also incorporate manual adjustments, Graston scraping, and dry-needling.
Admittedly, I was hesitant to receive dry-needling, but Greg assured me that soon I would be asking for it all the time! He couldn’t have been more right. The immediate relief I experienced following my first dry-needling session with Dr. Greg was unlike anything I could have imagined.
It’s now mid-December, and I continue to work with Greg, and have been slowly building up yardage in the pool over the past month. I’m thrilled to say that I’m back to swimming over 12,000 yards/week again! It is an understatement to say that I’m beyond grateful to Dr. Greg and his mastery in rehabilitating athletes, and I look forward to regular tune-ups with him going forward. Knowing I have Dr. Greg’s expertise and support, I’m confident in having set my sights on the 2021 USMS 10-mile Open Water National Championship!!!
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