It is not uncommon for people to experience chest pain after swimming. In fact, it may be more common than you think. There are a number of reasons that this could happen, and we will explore some of them in detail below. If you notice chest pain after exercise or swimming, it is important to speak with your doctor right away so they can make sure nothing serious is happening.
Spasm or tightening of the chest muscles
This is called a costochondral spasm. It can be caused by the sudden downward pressure of water on your chest as you are swimming, or just from extended periods in cold temperatures without warming up first.
A person may also experience this type injury if they have never exercised before and do not warm-up properly for their workout routine! Costosternal muscles work together when ascending stairs; so it makes sense that these same muscle groups would tighten during activity like deep pool running underwater laps where there’s constant resistance against movement forward due both descending gravity down but then going back upwards towards surface.
Too much exercise
Another cause of this type injury is from over-exercise – those who swim competitively or do other types on regular exercise routines may be more at risk for experiencing chest pain after swimming because they are putting their body through routine abuse that can create muscle tears and soreness due to the muscles being constantly stressed in repetitive motion while doing strenuous workouts, like long distance running with resistance training included as well— all without giving these costosternal groups a break!
Cardiovascular health problems
People who have underlying cardiovascular health problems may also experience chest pain after swimming and should consult their doctors to determine if they need medication or other treatments for relief, such as a medical device called an intercostal nerve block that can provide targeted treatment when needed – you might not be able do anything about tough workouts but at least there’s help available!
The good news is it’s possible find ways around these issues by taking proper precautions: take breaks during strenuous exercise routines; limit duration with shorter distances per interval training session (or work on different muscle groups); stretch regularly before-and’after activity sessions so muscles are less prone injury from overuse/overload due high intensity workouts.
Stress
A panic attack while swimming can also induce feelings of shortness of breath and increased heart rate which may be misread as pain in the chest region. Stress can also be a culprit for chest pain, so if these exercise-related issues are accompanied by high levels of anxiety or stress then it’s likely that the root cause is an emotional one.
The good news is that this can also be a benign sign as well.: consult with your physician to discuss medications and/or therapy options which may not only improve symptoms but provide relief from underlying mental health conditions like depression (which often coexists) that could make exercising even harder due physical limitations associated secondary mood disorders such “depression fatigue” etc.). It will take time — even weeks! But once you start feeling better again don’t stop taking care of yourself.
Congenital defects
Finally, some people are born with congenital defects such as pectus excavatum (a sunken breastbone) or pectus carinatum (a protruding breastbone) which can cause discomfort when swimming.
Final thoughts
There are a variety of causes for chest pain after swimming. The good news is that most often the cause will be due to some type anxiety or depression, so consulting with your physician may provide relief from symptoms as well and/or lead you down an appropriate treatment path like medications (even if they’re not typically prescribed) therapy etc). Some other less common reasons include congenital defects such pectus excavatum which can make it difficult when breathing in water but otherwise ordinary activities don’t affect them much – this might rule out anything life-threatening going on!