Athletic Shoulder - Robbie Smyth: From Pool to Performance: Inside the Swimmer’s Shoulder

Episode 202: In this episode of the Athletic Shoulder Podcast, host Ben Ashworth is joined by Robbie Smyth, a Sports Physiotherapist currently working with the Sport Ireland Institute, where he serves as Lead Physiotherapist for the national swimming program.

Robbie has extensive experience across elite sport, having previously worked with Athletics Ireland, the Ireland National Team at the Paris Olympics, and as a Senior Physiotherapist with Meath GAA. His work focuses on bridging the gap between performance and rehabilitation for athletes competing at the highest level.

In this conversation, Robbie shares insights from his experience supporting world-class swimmers and discusses the nuanced demands of managing shoulder health in aquatic athletes.

Topics Discussed:

• Challenges in Olympic-level swimming
• Screening and assessment techniques
• Injury prevention strategies for swimmers
• Integrating dry-land and water-based training
• Managing shoulder pain and hypermobility
• Kinetic chain and force transfer in swimmers
• Surgical vs conservative management
• Future directions in swimmer rehabilitation

Where you can find Robbie Smyth:

• X

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Website

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Sponsors

VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. 

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Where to Find Us

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Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Steve Barrett 
• Pete McKnight