Physical Therapy Corner

Repetition: Friend or Foe?

All swimmers are familiar with the concept of repetition, although they probably think of it more in terms of yardage than they do repetitive motion. A question to consider: Is repetitive motion a good or bad thing? Well, it depends!

In physical therapy, we often treat patients who have sustained repetitive motion injuries. A typical example would be a person who types a lot at a computer keyboard and ends up with wrist and hand pain symptomatic of carpal tunnel syndrome. A swimming example would be the shoulder pain that can result from a sudden increase in freestyle or butterfly yardage.

But, repetition (repetitive motion), is necessary in swimming training. We have to perform the same movement over and over to improve cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance. Also, our muscles, which are controlled by the nervous system, must be trained to perform efficient movements in the water so that we can swim faster. This, too, requires repetition.

So, the answer to our question is, repetitive motion is usually good when we use proper stroke technique throughout training and when yardage is gradually increased so that our bodies can adapt to the stress. But, repetitive motion can be bad and result in injury when stroke technique is less than ideal or when yardage is increased too quickly for our bodies to accommodate.

J.B. Barr, PT, DPT, OCS grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and swam competitively for Nebraska Aquatics and Lincoln Southeast High School. He competed for Stanford University, graduating in 1991. He is currently a physical therapist in Omaha, employed by Creighton University as an assistant professor in the physical therapy department. He continues to compete as a Masters swimmer. WEBMASTER UPDATE, 23 Mar 2005: J.B. Barr is the reigning Masters National Champion in the 100 Free and 100 Back, competition held 18-22 Mar 05 in Ft. Lauderdale FL, age group 35-39. See more results