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Over Use Injuries for Triathletes
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11 November 2011
With the season winding down and
people setting goals for 2012' scary thought that, and the base
training starting. Some guys have been sending emails asking for
injuries to watch out for when they start training or upping milage
in the training loads.
So what I have tried to do is put a list of what to look out for
under each discipline in triathlon and what you can try to fix it
when you see or feel it coming on. With all of these see a physio
or sports doctor if the pain persists.
Let's start with the run, that's the discipline that's causes the
most injuries.
Starting at the bottom, you may feel a pain on the outside of the
foot below the ankle, with no recollection of rolling your ankle.
This could be peroneal tendinosis. Inflammation of a tendon that
runs from a muscle in the lower leg down, past under the ankle.
Best to lay off running on cambered roads, check your shoes, maybe
get arch supports if flat footed,stretch your calves.
Next on the way up is Shin Splints, you can get a sharp pain on
the inside or outside of your shin, usually from an increase in
running milage. Especially jarring on a hard surface. Back off the
milage, stretch your calves, do eccentric calf exercises, so you go
up on to your toes on 2 feet but come down slowly on one, ice, and
try some barefoot running on grass.
Illiotibial band syndrome, or ITB is a dreaded injury among
runners, usually due to an increase in running milage, incorrect
gait or weak glutes. ITB can present as pain on the outside of the
knee or tightness and discomfort running from knee to hip on
outside of the thigh. To help, stretch glutes, strengthen glutes,
roll your ITB, back off the milage.
On the bike ITB can also flair up, in that case check cleat and
foot positioning.
On the bike patella tendinitis is very common, when the quads get
really tight, then they pull on the patella or quads tendon causing
friction and inflammation of these tendons presenting as knee pain
either just above or below the knee cap. Stretching quads, massage
of quads and checking saddle height are ideas here as well as
eccentric quads exercises, use leg extension machine at gym up with
2 legs slowly down with one on a low weight.
Swimming wise guys usually complain of an anterior shoulder pain,
hurting right in front of the shoulder, over head activities become
painful. This is usually caused by Biceps Tendinitis, this is
usually due to poor scapula stabilisers and a tight chest or
pectoral muscles. Rehab to set and stabilise your scapulars is
important, as well as stretching of the chest. Ease off paddle work
and butterfly.
In general with all these injuries if they persist please see a
physio as pain means damage so don't train through it, train to it,
not through it. Meaning if you are running and it's pain free that
fine, when it starts to hurt, you stop! With all these injuries if
you catch them early, the damage and return to sport time is
radically reduced.
Train smart, prevention is always better than cure.
www.centreforsportsmedicine.co.za
Gareth Harrington
Physiotherapist
Holroyd & Goodenough Physio- Hillcrest
Tel: 031 7642918
Email: hillcrest@thephysio.co.za
www.physiolink.co.za
