Doctor

Dr Chris Stockdale is a Midlands GP and Channel Swimmer. He answers some of our readers' queries in Watermarks each month. Here is a selection of letters and published replies. I swim about a mile of breaststroke on three mornings a week and have been doing this for about three months. I am beginning to get shooting pains in my elbows. Is this caused by swimming and what can I do to avoid them?

Your letter suggests that your lengthy breaststroke session is a new venture, and obviously if your technique is at fault you may be doing too much too soon. Breaststroke can be very stressful on the shoulders, elbows, and knees, althoug chronic elbow injuries in swimming are relatively rare. The commonest conditions are tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), ulnar neuritis (the funny bone nerve), and on the front of the joint inflammation of the biceps tendon. Localising the pain will be the clue to its cause, and if discomfort persists you may need to see your doctor about treatment. The old saying 'if it hurts it must be doing good' certainly doesn't apply, and you must cut back on effort, pace, and distance. Ask your coach to look at your technique: there may be a simple fault that is easily corrected. Early recognition and appropriate action will pay great dividends.

I have been swimming regularly for three years, two or three times a week, in an attempt to lose weight, but I have not been successful. I am trying to lose a stone. Could you advise please?

This is an old chestnut, familiar to most athletes and non-athletes alike. Real growth stops in our mid-twenties and thereafter the 'battle of the bulge' begins. Exercise is usually a great assistance to weight loss, but conversely if muscle bulking is a feature of your exercise programme you may actually gain weight. Exercise in itself isn't usually the answer to weight reduction, and you will have to reduce your calorie intake. This can be difficult while you are balancing your energy levels so that you can still train without undue additional stress. I recommend a fat-free diet because it is relatively easy to achieve. You will feel better and have less heartburn and indegestion, and will probably sleep better too. Your diet should not be of the 'fad and crash' variety, and your weight loss should be gradual while the effort is maintained. If you go out for a meal, enjoy it. The hard dietary work can be done at home. A sensible programme of diet and exercise will probably result in the loss of your stone after about three months. Good luck!

Dr Stockdale now has a regular page in Watermarks to answer all your swimming-related medical questions.