Great Lengths - Masters Swimming Association of British Columbia

24 Masters Swimming Association of BC
Mar-Apr 2004
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Two Fractured Elbows
With Linda MacPherson
GL: Could you briefly explain
your cycling injury which put
you out of swimming for some
time?
LM; For the past few years I
have had to make a hard choice
on the long May weekend
between attending the Masters
Nationals or joining the other
members of the Vernon
Outdoors Club for their annual
cycling weekend. In 2001 I opted
to attend the Masters Nationals
in Calgary but on Victoria Day as
soon as my last event was over I
got on a plane to Victoria and
joined the cycling group at their
campsite in the Cowichan Bay
Area for the final ride on
Tuesday. Approximately half an
hour into the ride, a sudden stop
put me over the handlebars of
my bike and into a three-point
landing on the pavement
fracturing both my elbows and a
bone in my left hand. We had
lived in the
local area
a r o u n d
Duncan for
several years
so husband
Don was able
to get back to
the car
quickly and
had me at the
Cowichan
Valley Hospital within minutes.
When I explained my plight to
the Emergency Physician he
casted my hand, but opted to put
my arms in slings so that I could
retain some articulation in my
elbows and my recovery and
rehab would be faster with the
overall effect on my swimming
minimized.
GL: How long were you out of
swimming and how did you
rehab your injury? (Include
types of exercises done and
what & when you were able to
do in the pool)
LM: I was out of the pool for
approximately 6 weeks following
the accident. I started
physiotherapy and massage
therapy as soon as I was able to
return to the pool. I found that,
even in the relatively short space
of 6 weeks, my triceps and
shoulder muscles had atrophied.
Although the bones had healed
well and quickly, the damage to
the soft tissue was the problem.
A year after the accident there
was still serious swelling in both
my elbows and it was painfully
impossible to straighten either of
my arms. Butterfly training was
out of the question and this was
a real heartbreak for me.
GL: How did you cope
mentally with your injuries
especially coming after some
great swims at Nationals? In
regard to this, do you have
any advice for others trying to
get back to swimming after an
injury?
LM: Quite frankly, the pain from
my injuries detracted from any
mental anguish and my desire to
get back to normal as quickly as
possible may have prolonged
the painful part of the recovery
process.
I found any type of crosstraining
to maintain general
conditioning was very difficult.
Cycling was very painful on my
arms and caused them to swell
and stay swollen for a prolonged
period. Working out at the gym
was not as easy as it had been
because any type of jarring and
impact would cause great pain
and the simple task of adjusting
the machines required the help
of someone else. The advice I
have for others who have
suffered an injury is to get into
physiotherapy and/or massage
therapy and get back into the
pool as quickly as possible.
GL: Are there any lingering
flexibility or strength
problems with your arms and
if so how do you compensate
for them or do you have
exercises that you continue to
do?
LM: Arthritis is a long-term result
of these injuries. This is more
apparent in my age group than
in younger injured athletes.
While they will probably
experience this down the road
as they age, I am experiencing it
now.
GL: What does your training
consist of now and what goals
are you setting?
LM: I am now back to a full
program of training. I swim 4
days a week with a group of
local triathletes under the
(Continued on page 25)