Most people think of swimmer’s shoulder as the most common swimming injury, but have you ever thought about knee pain as a swimming-related injury? Swimmer’s knee mostly affects breaststroke swimmers and is caused by the strain that the breaststroke kick places on the medial collateral ligament (MCL).
While this knee pain, also called breaststroker’s knee, is common, it is also preventable. Whether you are new to breaststroke or are an experienced breaststroker with some knee pain, this article will help you avoid swimmer’s knee.
We’ll cover the causes of swimmer’s knee and what you can do to prevent it, like a proper warm-up, stretching, and dryland exercises, which can increase the flexibility and strength of your knees.
Why Is the Breaststroke Prone to Swimmer’s Knee?
The breaststroke is one of the most complicated swim strokes to learn and requires a completely different technique than the other three swim styles.
One of the differences between this style and the others lies in the distribution of forward propulsion. In breaststroke, 70% of your propulsion comes from your legs, with the rest of the power coming from your breaststroke arm pull, meaning there is more strain put on your legs and knees than in any of the other swim…
