Swimming hurts my hips why?

Question

I have been swimming for about a month and every time i swim my hips the next day. I do come a family of replaced hips....

Any reason why this would happen?

Should i stop swimming?

Should i just swim with my arms?

Answer 1

Like RWD said only a doctor can truly diagnose you.  Since you mention a family history of joint problems this may be an early sign of a larger problem and I encourage you to talk to your doctor about it.

That said I have a feeling that your pain is coming from an improper body line.  Overused/strained backs are prevalent and under diagnosed in swimming as the symptoms usually show themselves in other areas of the body, primarily the shoulders.  If you swim primarily freestyle (front crawl) you could be A) lifting the head causing the back to arch or B) rotating your shoulders out of sync with your hips.  If you are swimming Breaststroke you may have a large arch in your back and/or may be using your back to support your body line instead of your abs.  Any and all of these put a good deal of strain on the lower back.  Since the muscles in the body act much like rubber bands linked together - if one tightens it will impact others.  In this case I'm betting that the back muscles are pulling up on the hipflexors, glutes, or another muscle or tendon which is causing your hips to hurt.  Check out http:www.goswim.tv for some great technique tips and videos that may help you out.

The other possibility with breaststroke is that your kick is too wide thus forcing your joints to take more of the load as opposed to your muscles.  Think small kicks keeping your knees about 3 fist widths apart at the widest.

I'd also suggest talking to your local masters coach about a little stroke instruction. There are a lot of little things that a coach can see that will both minimize your likelihood of injury and make swimming more coefficient and enjoyable.

Good luck

Answer 2

Exercise shouldn't cause pain. Muscle soreness is ok, but you shouldn't be experiencing *joint* pain.

You need to visit a doctor or physical therapist to diagnose your problem. It could be something simple like a muscle imbalance that can be treated by simple, targeted exercises. Or it could be a serious problem. We here at Y!A can't tell you.

Don't put off addressing this issue -- problems like these can worsen if left untreated.