It makes sense when swimming freestyle to lift the recovery arm high out of the waterthe thought being "the arm is in the water and it needs to come out". But this lifting out leads to a contraction of the scapula as the shoulder draws back to get that lifting which adds some unnecessary tension to the back, neck and shoulders. This shoulder action could also cause twisting in the lower back if the hips are flat.
Instead, use a side lateral raise motion to recovery the arm forward. Keep the recovery arm elbow pointed toward the ceiling as the fingertips skim the water creating a "triangle shape". If the hand is not clearing the water, take the hand wider to make a wider based triangle. Wider not higher.

Another in water view of the triangle recovery arm:
   • Recovery arm freestyleTriangles!