"We love working with swimmers"

Diving into a swimming pool
​Our experience

We believe it is well worth seeing a physiotherapist who knows the sport you love. Physio4athletes staff know the sport of swimming. We have worked in this sport for over 20 years at state, national and international swim meets including Olympic & Commonwealth games, World University games & World Swimming Championships. ​Each week we work closely with swim coaches, swim biomechanists and strength and conditioning staff. ​Through this specialised experience we have developed a thorough knowledge of the sport and can assist any swimmer in their pursuit of pain-free swimming or improved performance.

"We know about swimmers' shoulders"

Shoulder pain is the most common injury affecting swimmers that we see at Physio4athletes. Up to 90% of swimmers experience shoulder pain at some point during their career. Most, but not all, shoulder pain in swimmers arises from injury to the structures in the subacromial space which include the rotator cuff and biceps tendon, and bursa. Sometimes swimmers will have AC joint pain, a labral injury or a shoulder instability problem.  ​Conservative management, which means non surgical physiotherapy rehabilitation, is the mainstay of treatment. It is not common at all for a swimmer to require shoulder surgery. Most swimming shoulder pain can be treated effectively with the right manual therapy, strengthening and pain modifying exercises, technique modification and return to swim plan. 
Why choose Physio4athletes for treatment of your swimming shoulder pain?

​We have demonstrated our passionate commitment to the sport and its athletes by conducting and publishing peer-reviewed research into shoulder injuries in swimming. ​We translate this research into management of your shoulder pain and we keep up to date with the knowledge base in this area. 

Our treatment approach


​Physio4athletes provides comprehensive rehabilitation for swimming injuries.
​Our rehabilitation approach includes:
  • Hands on treatment may include soft tissue release massage, joint mobilisation and manipulation, taping, dry needling if indicated
  • Education about your injury, ensuring you understand what the problem is and how to improve
  • Targeted exercise therapy that is swimming specific and based on years of experience maximising outcomes for injured swimmers
  • Return to swim plans: we will advise you and/or your coach regarding what you should and not do in the water at each stage of your rehabilitation. 
  • Swim technique: We will discuss common technique errors that may contribute to your injury and liase with your coach if required
  • Pre-training activation/warm up routines &  recovery plans:  Physio4athletes has developed swim specific activation exercises to switch on your core, enhance your swim catch, assist with hip/shoulder connection and get those shoulder stabilising muscles engaged. 

Professional activities in swimming:

Sports Coverage:
Australian senior swim team physiotherapists @ Commonwealth games & World Swimming Championships, Australian Open Water swim team physiotherapists @ World Cup series, Australian Junior swim team physiotherapists Pan Pacs, Workforce swimming physiotherapists @ Olympic games and World short Course Championships, Lead swimming physiotherapist @ World Short Course championships.

Research & Publications
  • PhD "A PROSPECTIVE INVESTIGATION OF SHOULDER PAIN IN AUSTRALIAN COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS", University of Melbourne 2010. 
  • Walker et al, Physical therapy in sport , 2012: " SHOULDER PAIN IN SWIMMERS: A 12-MONTH PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS" 
  •  Walker et al, Physical therapy in sport 2016: "THE RELIABILITY OF SHOULDER RANGE OF MOTION TESTS IN COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS"
  • Walker H & Holt K "SWIMMER'S SHOULDER", SPORT HEALTH 36 (3), 2018. 
  • Porter et al (Walker 2020) SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL MEDICINE SCIENCE SPORT, 2020:"THE EFFECT OF PREVIOUS SHOULDER PAIN ON SUPRASPINATUS TENDON THICKNESS CHANGES AFTER SWIMMING PRACTICE"
  • Porter et al (Walker) 2020 "THE EFFECT OF SWIMMING VOLUME AND INTENSITY ON CHANGES IN SUPRASPINATUS TENDON THICKNESS".
  • McLaine, Walker, Boettcher, Swimmers shoulder pain Chapter . The Shoulder- Theory and Practice, Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Jeremy Lewis ;Handspring Publishing, Edinburgh 2022