TRIATHLON FORGES A STRONGER YOU. BUT ITS DEMANDING NATURE CAN MEAN THAT AT SOME POINT INJURY WILL COME KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR. THANKFULLY, WE’RE HERE TO ENSURE YOU DON’T LET IT IN…
WORDS JAMES WITTS ILLUSTRATIONS DAN SEEX
Asure as night follows day, at some point in your triathlon career you’ll pick up an injury. Hopefully, it’ll be the lightest of strains and your time away from swim, cycling and running will be minimal. But whatever the injury, it’ll fall into one of two categories: overuse or acute. Overuse is, as the name suggests, an injury that stems from repetitive stress over time. As each session ticks by, the injury flares up more and more until a minor niggle’s left you in a major pickle.
Acute, on the other hand, is an injury that happens suddenly, like a bike crash. The severity of injuries for both is on a spectrum of severity with some more common than others. And it’s those common ones that our expert physiotherapists Lucy Sacarello of Sacarello Physio Ltd and Emma Klijn of Nailsea Physio are going to focus on now (note: it’s very rare to endure an acute swim injury so that doesn’t feature)… ←
SWIM
BICEP TENDINOPATHY
OVERUSE
⌘ CAUSE(S)
Upping the training load too quickly and poor technique are two of the most common reasons for this injury. Going too deep with the ‘pulling’ arm when breathing is a particularly common issue.
⌘ PHYSIO
Emma Klijn
⌘ THE REMEDY
Seek an assessment from a chartered physio to ensure that it is a tendinopathy. There can be other causes of shoulder pain as it’s a complex joint. Physios can offer some good hand-on therapy to help with tendon repair. For instance, shockwave therapy has been found to be excellent for any tendon issue. Regaining flexibility in the pecs, upper trapezius and levator scapulae can help. The main rehab exercise is eccentric loading of the tendon. You’ll also need to reduce your training in the pool, which means lots of kick drills. Graduate your return to training or increase in distance and speed.
⌘ HOW TO PREVENT IT
Triathletes spend more time on the bike than any other discipline and the postures involved can lead to thoracic stiffness. Thoracic mobility affects the shoulder function, so maintaining good shoulder and thoracic flexibility helps. When swimming, ensure that you have a small bend in your elbow when pulling through and breathing to the opposite side.
ROTOR-CUFF INJURY
OVERUSE
⌘ CAUSE(S)
