Triathlon Swimming Q&A: Numbness While Swimming

March 4, 2009

Q: Sometimes my arms will go numb when I start to get up to 500 yards of continuous swimming. Is my technique that bad? A small break will return the circulation. Any thoughts?

A: I cannot think of anything related to technique that can cause numbness in the arms while swimming. If your shoulders are injury-free, the freestyle movement should not be pinching any nerves. But if you are injured, weird things can happen. I am not a physician, so I recommend you get checked out if you suspect injury.

Another possibility is that chlorine in the air is making it difficult for you to breathe. Sometimes, the air can get so bad in swimming pools that it does all kinds of weird things to your respiratory system. This is especially true if you try to swim fast. I have had personal experience with numbness in the pool and every time it was because of chlorine. Hope this helps!

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