Shoulder and Swimming

I've had a bit of a problem with my right rotator cuff on and off for a long time, but never so bad as to cause me any real problems; a lifetime of poor hunching my shoulders and slouching at the computer when typing have left a lot of muscles on my back weak and out of position I think. I mean, seriously, check this out where I probably thought I was standing up quite straight:



I've been mixing things up at my computer recently, changing the mouse to left handed to stop that grab and stretch reflex with my right that pops the shoulder nicely out of position and I have a cracking new chair with actual proper back support, so forcing myself to sit better. Because I'm doing this though, I'm pushing weaker muscles and in the short term may be making it feel worse, but in the longterm, that might be OK.

Today, I felt quite cack getting into the pool. My shoulder felt dull and around the rotator cuff & rhomboid muscles felt tight & tender (probably not helped by the rubbish day at work winding me up), and it showed in my swimming. I talked over some problems in my stroke with Coach Vicky, as I've been kinda flailing the right arm roundback into the water so its going out to the side and increasing my flip flopping through the water. When I go to breath (currently to the left every second stroke) I'm dipping that right shoulder so that its coming out of position, forcing my hand down right hand down early so that I can't get the same kind of glide I'm getting on my left and then when I am pulling my elbow is low in the water and I'm just kinda dragging it behind me.
Vicky got me bringing that hand up along the body so that I was bringing the arm out straight in front rather flailing out to the side. Now when I caught the water with the right arm, I found the shoulder was in a better position (improved further when Vicky suggested thinking about pulling my shoulders back further) and I was rotating the arm straighter, so I was putting less pressure on the rotator cuff and it hurt less and I was able to access more power from my back muscles, so it felt way more powerful. Trying it breathing every 4 strokes was a revelation in that I was actually swimming straighter with even less of the flip flopping going on. Unfortunately as I'm still so inefficient and uptight in the water plus still gasping for my breath too much, so I wasn't pulling in as much oxygen as I needed to feel comfortable. More tweaks required.

Getting there.

So, what do I need to do?
1) Improve my stroke
2) Relearn bilateral breathing
3) Do the frikkin stretches & exercises I've been given as often as I'm meant to.
4) Get the ergonomic keyboard ordered through work to open up those shoulders further still.

Tune for the day:
Magnetic Man: I Need Air