Swimming can be excellent exercise - I was a swimmer for my state champion high school team. But swimming requires rotation of the head, neck, and spine, making surgical options like fusion, which limits natural spinal rotation, difficult for swimmers. Artificial Disc Replacement can be excellent for swimmers, especially for degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine, as it allows for head-turning to breathe. It’s also helpful for the lumbar back as it allows you to twist the mid- and upper-back during swim strokes.
