Most frequent injuries in a triathlon

The triathlon is considered one of the more demanding sports that exist today since the body is exposed to very rigorous workouts and high intensities. The implementation of a good diet and physical care such as physiotherapy, are essential to minimize the impact of said sports practice on our body and thus prevent and reduce the appearance of injuries.

There are many people who in recent years have been encouraged to practice this individual sport of great resistance that brings together three disciplines; swimming, cycling and running.

What are the most common triathlon injuries?

Secondary injuries from triathlon sports are usually acute. These can occur suddenly and are related to a definite cause such as a abrupt gesture or direct trauma. They can also develop gradually due to the accumulation of repetitive loads over time, called microtrauma. However, the most abundant damaging mechanisms recorded in the world of triathlon are direct trauma from falls on a bicycle and tendinopathy due to overuse. Next, we will detail all the triathlon injuries that can occur:

• Rotator cuff tendonitis: inflammation of the tendons of the shoulder joint and rotator muscles. Frequent in swimmers.
• Iliotibial band syndrome: inflammation of the iliotibial band due to overuse. Frequent in runners or cyclists.
• Patellar tendinopathy: inflammation of the tendons due to overuse. The most susceptible are usually the patellar tendon of the knee, hip flexors, adductors, Achilles tendon….
• Tibial periostitis: inflammation of the most superficial part of the tibial bone due to a prolonged traction of the muscles that are attached to it (calves, soleus and tibialis anterior). It is a typical running back injury.
• Plantar fasciitis: inflammation of the membrane of the sole of the foot that joins the Achilles tendon and forms part of the plantar arch.
• muscle strains and fibrillar tears: an overstretching of the fibers can lead to a partial tear or rupture of the muscle fibers.
• muscle contracture: muscle overload due to prolonged exertion and lack of stretching and release of the muscles after training.
• Low back / cervical pain: pain in the lower back or neck due to overload during training. The static position of the bicycle or the impact of the ground during the run can be the triggers.
• Direct trauma: fractures or dislocation of the clavicle, elbow and wrist caused by direct impacts due to falls on a bicycle.

What risk factors should I take into account if I practice triathlon?

The chance of an injury appearing increases when training load exceeds the adaptability of tissues. Most triathlon injuries occur during intense training as more time is spent training than competing. In one way or another, amateurs and amateurs alike must take into account risk factors for injuries and apply prevention strategies. There are two types of risk factors: intrinsic and extrinsic.

• The facts intrinsic are directly related to athlete's physical condition such as, for example, strength, flexibility, age, body constitution, morphology, etc.
  • Previous injuries.
  • Age.
  • Sex.
  • Body constitution.
  • Health condition.
  • Anatomical aspects (joint alignments, ligamentous laxity, muscle shortening).
  • Physical condition (strength, flexibility, coordination, endurance, balance ...)
  • Psychological state
• The facts extrinsic are the ones you are exposed to own body such as, for example, the shoes that are used or the terrain where the activity is carried out.
  • Repetition gestures.
  • Risk actions: jumps, sprints ...
  • Applied loads.
  • Duration of exercise.
  • Load / recovery ratio.
  • Training material and surface.
  • Heating.
  • Environmental (cold, heat, humidity ...)

Once the injuries and their risk factors are known, what can we do to prevent or treat them if they have already occurred?

Measures to prevent triathlon injuries

• Proper heating: It must be prior to the activity, it provides an increase in muscle, joint and heart rate temperature, activating the entire metabolism and thus preparing the body for the activity of greater intensity that is going to be carried out.
• Back to the calm: It is the transition from activity to rest, this should be progressive gradually reducing the intensity of the exercise to avoid injuries and facilitate post-effort recovery. For example, during the running race, jog and end up walking for a couple of minutes.
• Static stretches: muscle elongation after exercise as it has been exposed to continuous contraction (shortening) during exercise. In addition, it helps the muscle to drain the waste of the contraction metabolism (lactic acid) ensuring a good recovery after exercise.
• discharge massages, myofascial release, application of electrotherapy to accelerate the regeneration and recovery of tissues, assisted stretching, posture guidelines, release of the diaphragm to optimize breathing during exercise ... These are some of the many techniques that the physiotherapist can apply to Help you recover from physical exhaustion after intense training sessions or a competition.

Treatment of the injury

How should I act when I am injured and want to start sports again as soon as possible? Without a doubt, if you have already suffered the injury During a triathlon, you should see a healthcare professional, in this case, a doctor specializing in sports medicine or a physiotherapist. It is recommended that, in the event of any suspicion of having suffered a serious injury, such as one, you go to the doctor in the first instance. It will be the doctor who can perform a diagnostic test and rule out the existence of an injury that may require a more complex treatment, such as surgery, for example. Once this possibility has been ruled out and having a diagnosis, the next step will be to go to the physiotherapist to optimize the recovery time from the injury. Physical means such as electrotherapy, diathermy, neuromuscular bandages and manual therapy will be used among many other techniques to accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissue. In addition, therapeutic exercise guidelines will be applied where mobility, muscle activation and proprioception will be worked. Everything as a whole, to prepare the limb affects for the last phase of rehabilitation, sports rehabilitation, which will be based on the progressive start of the activity until the athlete is fully rehabilitated and can resume on their own the same exercise that they did. before sustaining the injury.

Recommendation

As an athlete, you must bear in mind that it is not correct to wait for an injury to go to the physiotherapist. Like a racing car, you have to go through the mechanic from time to time to keep our body structures in optimal condition and thus reduce the risk of injury. In short, if you practice triathlon or a sport with a high risk of injury, make sure you have a physical therapist nearby.

• • Most injuries occur during intense training as more time is spent training than competing.
  • The most abundant injurious mechanisms registered in the world of triathlon are direct trauma from falls on a bicycle and tendinopathy due to overuse.
  • As an athlete, you must bear in mind that it is not correct to wait for an injury to go to the physiotherapist.

yasmina Santiago