Useful tips for your safety while swimming

Half of all child drowning happen in private swimming pools. If you have a swimming pool, you should make sure there is a fence around it, with a gate that can not be opened by a child. Make sure the gate is closed and locked when no one is around. This protects your own children and also other children in your neighborhood. You may be legally liable if a drowning takes place in your swimming pool and it is not properly fenced off or other safety precautions have not been taken. Ask about local government by-laws that may relate to swimming pool safety issues.

Signs carry important safety messages. When you are at a pool with signs, read them and obey them. Pool rules are there to protect you, by preventing accidents and by keeping pools clean and germ-free.

Pools by their nature are slippery places. Do not run around the edges of the pool. Be careful while getting in and out of the pool. Use handrails where they are provided.

If you have a pool or hot tub at home, make sure it is easy and safe to get in and out of it. Remember that things can get pretty slippery when the kids have been splashing around.

Diving into a pool or lake, or just climbing into a hot tub, can be dangerous. One of the most common causes of being paralysed for a life is a broken spine. This often results from diving head first into water that is too shallow.

Just because it was okay, when you jumped in yesterday, does not mean it is still okay today. Things can change like underwater swimmers, toys or objects can show up unexpectedly. Check the area out before you enter, then enter slowly and feet first.

When you go into the water. Only swim you feel comfortable. Never go farther or deeper than you can handle at breaches swim parallel to the shore, and stay inside of roped-off areas.

If you do get into trouble there is nothing like the ‘Buddy system’. ‘Never swim alone’. Make sure the person you are with is watching out for you and do the same for her or him. Even when there are lifeguards around, it is always better to have a ‘Buddy’. 

Wrestling and tumbling in a pool or lake can be really dangerous. Hitting your head against pool walls or floors, or rocks in lakes can knock you unconscious-if you do not get help in a hurry, you can drown very quickly.

Alcohol and water do not mix. Injuries involving alcohol are a common problem at private pools, beaches and local swimming holes.

If you are in or around the water, plan on being sober. Alcohol not only causes accidents in the first place- it makes themworse, because you cannot react as well when you actually get into trouble. Alcohol slows your reflexes and makes you clumsy. It can also put you to sleep- this is especially dangerous in a hot tub.

Dirty pools grow bacteria that can make you sick. A few good habits help keep the pool you use a clean and healthy environment.

• Always wash before you get into a pool.
• Never bring food or drinks into a pool. Not only can spills make pools dirty, but also broken glass from cups or dishes is almost impossible to clean up without draining the pool.
• Do not track dirt from outside into the pool.
• Ensure proper bathing suits are used. Do not allow street clothes (i.e. cut off jeans) or disposable diapers to be worn.If baby has an accident, clean it up right away and add extra disinfectant to that part of the pool.

Care for your ears

When you go swimming, you ears go along too. So make sure that you take care of your ears when you are finished to avoid infections like swimmer’s ear, which causes swelling and pain. First be sure to dry your ears carefully when you get out of the water. If you have been in a lake, or other body of water that may contain funky stuff like bacteria, rinse them out with regular water first.

Sometimes after you have finished swimming, your ear may feel stuffy and it is harder to hear out of the ear. This is because some water is still trapped in your ear canal. Get an adult to help you put a few drops of alcohol in your ear canal. This will help the trapped water drain out.

Look for hidden hazards

Shallow water, submerged logs or big rocks are all dangerous when you are diving into lakes or swimming holes. But there are many other hidden dangers as well, both at beaches and at pools.

Suction hazards

• Water in swimming pools and hot tubs is always being pumped through a filter system. This means the water is being pulled out of the pool – often through underwater pipes. These suction pipes can suck your hair inside, where it can get tangled up and can hold your head under water until you drown.
• You should never put your head underwater in a whirlpool or hot tub because the suction lines can catch tour hair and also because of the higher risk of eye or ear infections. If you have long hair, you should wear a bathing cap or at least braid your hair.
• Sometimes people’s arms or legs can get caught in suction lines too. Never play around suction lines, or pool drains. 

Other underwater “traps”

Many other pool fittings can trap a person under water. Some railings or ladders have small spaces that can trap children underwater. Sometimes, children drown because their arms, legs or head gets stuck in a railing or between a ladder and the pool wall. Make sure that all ‘holes’ in your pool or hot tub are so small that your child does not get stuck into it.

Broken fittings and sharps edges

Broken fittings and sharps edges can cause cuts, bruises and other injuries. If you see any broken play equipment, fittings or pipes, get them fixed.

Parents…
 
A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Young children need constant supervision by an experienced adult, when they are in or near the water. Even grown-up children should always have someone nearby and they should use the ‘buddy system’.

Beaches pose special problems because there are so many hidden dangers, such as submerged logs, sudden drop offs or tidal currents. Stay with your children. Obey any posted warnings about currents or dangerous areas and ask other people if they know of any trouble spots in the area. Never let children play in hot tubs – a quick soak is okay, but the hot water can quickly affect a child’s small body. Sun smart your child – buy ‘waterproof’ sunscreen for the pool or beach. Remember to re-apply again after swimming. If your children are playing at the beach, a long sleeved T-shirt and a hat can protect them better than sunscreen from the sun’s dangerous rays.

Take a first aid course – that teaches you how to do artificial respiration (sometimes called the “Breath of Life”), child C.P.R.(Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation), self-rescue and skills for rescuing others. Many agencies offer these courses for parents at reasonable costs and convenient times. 

Swimming Hazards And Precautions

You may think that swimmers never get hurt.

Swimming is regarded as the ideal form of exercise because it is so injury-free. Physical problems really emerge only as a result of competitive training, combined with heavy land training. The result? Over- use or repetitive micro trauma injuries such as swimmer’s shoulder and breaststroke knee. These two terms are just generalized names for a variety of injuries that can occur at the shoulder or knee joint because of the heavily repetitive nature of competitive swimming. This stress can be appreciated if you imagine a swimmer training 200-300 lengths per session, x 8+ sessions per week for eight months of the year – those arms certainly circle a lot of times! This is why efficient technique (with regular assessment) and even diet are vital to ensure a swimmer’s competitive career is as injury-free as possible.

Swimmer’s shoulder is more properly known as painful arc/ rotator cuff tendonitis or shoulder impingement. In swimmers, painful arc/rotator cuff pain in the shoulder can occur in any of the following movements:

1. Adduction of the arm at the shoulder (when the extended arm is lifted side ways to vertical, away from the mid-line ofthe body).
2. When this movement is blocked.
3. Flexion of the arm at the shoulder (when the extended arm is lifted out in front).
4. When this movement to left or right is blocked.

Pain occurs in the arc between 80-110 degrees. If little strength can be put against blocked movement, there could be a tear in the rotator cuff. It is caused due to over-use of any of the four shoulder muscles, poor blood supply or poor swimming efficiency and technique. This form of trauma often accompanies shoulder impingement.

Treatment involves rest and assessment of the swimmer’s biomechanics in order to identify any faults that may contribute to the injury. It is also important to look at the land conditioning or weight training the swimmer is undertaking, again to identify possible injury factors.

The acromioclavicular joint (where the clavicle and scapula meet) may develop degenerative arthritic changes, particularly from damage in resistance weight training. The repetitive motions of swimming may also stress this joint. The problem is usually treated conservatively with rest. However, if there is no satisfactory response, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local heat and ice contrast and occasionally a cortisone injection may be needed.

Arthritis of the glen humeral joint (where the head of the humerus meets the glenoid cavity) may be seen in the masters age group, though it is rare in the young. Inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid) may, however, affect the young athlete. It destroys the surface of the joints. Massive arthritic destruction of the glen humeral joint fusion. Obviously neither would allow an athlete to effectively take part in competitive swimming.

Where the force comes from

The propulsive force of a swimmer comes from the upper body, with the legs acting as stabilizers and providing little propulsion. The shoulder joint must withstand repetitive micro trauma and is subject to overuse syndromes.

However, not all swimmers who train under similar conditions develop significant interfering shoulder problems-most will escape any ill effects. The most powerful   swimming muscles are the adductors and internal rotators (subscaplaris, supraspinatus and teres major). In an unstable shoulder, the external rotators will be required to do extra work to restrain the humeral head from anterior translation during the press and in-sweep phases of the freestyle stroke. This can lead to overload, fatigue and secondary inflammation and may account for the common complaint of posterior in an individual with anterior shoulder subluxation or dislocation. 

Strengthening of the rotator-cuff muscles provides the best stability to the joint and decreases the chance of hyper mobility. Military press (shoulder press), side raise with dumbbells (with external rotation), medicine ball exercises, lateral pull-downs and seated rows are few examples.

A competitive swimmer might find problems with the sternoclavicular joints (where the sternum and the clavicle meet). The ligaments there to support and strengthen the joint may lose all form of rigidity and stability as the head of the clavicle slips out of its socket (and then back in on protraction, shoulders forward). The problem only becomes painful after 1-2 hours in the pool, after continuous repetitive movements. The pain is more of a dull ache. The best remedy at that time is stretching because it seems to ease the pressure and discomfort around the sternoclavicular joint.

Dealing with breast-stroke knee

The alignment of the knee centre relative to the hip centre during the start of the breast-stroke kick affects the development in the medical collateral ligament (which stabilizes the knee on the inside of the leg) and capsule. The optimum initiating position from the breast-stroke kick is with the hip and knee centers aligned. When the knee centre is narrow or wide of the hip centre,it causes increased stress on the medial collateral joint structures. Exceeding the elastic limits of the ligament will cause damage and injury. In young swimmers, this form of tress could open growth plates of the femur and tibia and cause micro injury that will result in inflammation and thus seriously impair training.

There is also a high risk of the patella (knee-cap) riding laterally during the breast-stroke kick. This is magnified when the patella tendon attachment site at the tibial tubercle is placed in an extremely rotated position. This is measured clinically as the Q angle.

Weakness of the vast us medial is (the inner thigh muscle which is part of the quadriceps) can decrease effectiveness in ensuring central tracking of the patella. If dislocation occurs, surgery is almost certain. Other minor causes include weak abductors and decreased flexibility of the hamstrings, adductor muscles and the iliotibial band. The patella in particular will be tender if palpated. Treatment can be confirmed by X-rays (to determine the lining of the patella and tendons) and focus on reducing the inflammation. Especially for breast-stroke swimmers, a range of quadriceps exercises such as squats, leg press, cycling, lunges and leg extensions and also leg raises for the abductor and adductor muscles, followed by quality stretches are highly recommended.

The fibrocartilagenous meniscus (pad-like structures protecting bone ends) of the knee may be injured
during combined bending and twisting movements. As the knee flexes under a load, the meniscus can become trapped between the joint surfaces, causing a shearing force that produces a tear. The signs of
such an injury include a popping and sapping noise and buckling and possible locking of the knee. Unfortunately, meniscus tears do not heal at all well and may need arthroscopic surgery. In masters swimmers, generative arthritis or wearing of the knee surface may also result in tearing of the meniscus
and is not uncommon.

Tips To Prevent Swimming Injuries    

• Always take time to warm up and stretch. Research studies have shown that cold muscles are more prone to injury. Warm up with jumping jacks, stationary cycling or running or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes. Then slowly and gently stretch, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.
• Learn how to swim and do not swim alone. Swim in supervised areas, where lifeguards are present. Inexperienced swimmers should wear lifejackets in the water.
• Do not attempt to swim if you are too tired, too cold or overheated.
• Avoid diving into shallow water. Each year approximately 1,000 disabling neck and back injuries occur after people go head first into water that is shallow or too murky to see objects.
• Swim in a pool only if you can see the bottom at the deepest point. Check the shape of the full diving area to make sure it is deep enough.
• Dive only off the end of a diving board. Do not run on the board, try to dive far out, or bounce more than once. Swim away from the board immediately after the dive, to allow room for the next diver. Make sure there is only one person on the board at a time.
• When swimming in open water, never run and enter waves headfirst. Make sure the water is free of undercurrents and other hazards.
• Do not swim in a lake or river after a storm if the water seems to be rising or if there is flooding because currents may become strong. The clarity and depth of the water may have changed and new hazards may be present.
• Check weather reports before going for swimming to avoid being in the water during storms, fog or high winds. Because water conducts electricity, being in the water during an electrical storm is dangerous.
• Do not swim after consuming alcohol. Alcohol affects not only judgment, but it slows movement and impairs vision. It can reduce swimming skills and make it harder to stay warm.
• Be knowledgeable about first aid and be able to administer it for minor injuries, such as facial cuts, bruises or minor tendonitis, strains or sprains.
• Be prepared for emergency situations and have a plan to reach medical personnel to treat injuries such as concussions, dislocations, elbow contusions, wrist or finger sprains and fractures.