What are the most common triathlon injuries, and how do you avoid them?

As a newbie to triathlon, you’re in for a very exciting journey. There will be loads of amazing races to choose from (when life returns to normal!) and like-minded people to meet. Your passion for swimming, cycling and running will grow exponentially as you immerse yourself in the opportunities of the sport. There’s an exciting road ahead and, if you pay attention to the warning signs, it shouldn’t be too bumpy a journey!

Starting any sport for the first time, it’s important to have an idea of the demands involved on the body. It’s easy to fall into the trap of being super motivated and incredibly keen. Although these traits are important for longevity, they can also be detrimental to our short-term progression. We may end up skipping the basics, learning incorrect techniques and, therefore, putting our body at risk of injury.

Most common triathlon injuries are caused from overuse or over training. This typically occurs if we increase our mileage too quickly. Triathlon training repeatedly stresses our muscles, tendons and soft tissues around the joints and bones, and applying continuous stress, usually results in repetitive microtrauma. However, if we decide to ignore the pain and inflammation and continue to push our bodies with insufficient repair and recovery time, this will consequently lead to larger macrotraumas. This may destructively lead to a disruption of the tendon, muscle and bone, which could keep us out of the sport for weeks or months.

The most common triathlon injuries to be aware of are:

ITB syndrome

• How to recover from an IT band injury

Tendinopathies (in the Achilles)

• Achilles tendon injuries: how they happen and how to prevent them
• Tendonitis: what it is and how to treat it

Bursitis (most commonly causing shoulder pain)

• Shoulder bursitis: What it is and how to treat and prevent it

Stress fractures

• How to self-diagnose and treat a stress fracture

Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)

• Exercises to get rid of shin splints
• What’s the difference between shin splints and stress fractures?

To ensure our body stays bullet proof, strengthening specific areas will help prevent injuries and keep our training consistent.

Ultimately, recovery is the number one priority. Sufficient rest between sessions will ensure our muscles repair and come back stronger. However, adding specific gym-based exercises, will make the recovery stick and help maintain muscular strength for longer.

When selecting a strength-based gym programme, include exercises that target hip hinging, squatting, lunging, pushing and pulling, and core strength. This movement routine targets the main areas of the body needed to develop strength. See below for examples of strength exercises that are essential to include in your gym programme:

Squats: target glutes, quads and hamstrings
Lunges: variation of backward, forward and side Deadlifts – hip-hinge specific
Lat pull-downs: pull-based exercise
Press-ups: push-based exercise
Core strength: use plank and side plank.

• How to avoid injury while training and exercising
• What muscles do you use in triathlon?
• Strain versus sprain: what’s the difference?
• How do you tell the difference between a soft tissue injury and a stress fracture?

Nick Beer Rehabilitation strength and conditioning coach

About

Former British elite triathlete Nick has a BSc Hons in biomedical sciences from the University of Sheffield, an MRes in human sciences from the University of Loughborough and is currently at UCL studying for an MSc in sports medicine. Nick's extensive scientific knowledge on the functioning of the human body, coupled with his background as an elite athlete and experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team, have given him the perfect platform to develop a very successful career as a reconditioning performance coach. Nick's broad understanding of surgical procedures and different types of imaging techniques in diagnosing and treating injuries, ensures that a correct, thorough and safe rehabilitation programmes are administered. Overall, it’s his unique ability to creatively orchestrate individually tailored rehabilitation programmes that successfully transition patients into strength and conditioning coaching plans. This invariably leads to patients returning back to their sporting activities fully recovered and in better condition than prior to their injury.