Strained Neck

During a warmup start at the meet I strained some muscles in my neck. This remains my most consistent injury. I frequently forget to do some brief "head roll" stretches before my races to warm up these muscles.

I really recommend any swimmer add these stretches before racing (or even practicing). I've pulled muscles in my neck and upper back to the point its difficult and painful to move my head at all for a solid week. I used to injure myself monthly in college before I knew how to stretch using this method.

My version of the "head roll" stretch is to simply drop your head forward and slowly move your head to one side and then the other, pausing on each side. I do this for 60 seconds and then repeat with light pressure from my hands to increase the intensity of the stretch. These 2 minutes can save you quite a bit of pain!