Triathlon Injuries
Article by John Miller

Triathlon Injuries
Triathletes are vulnerable to the full spectrum of sports injuries that could be sustained from swimming, cycling or running.
Most triathletes suffer overuse or overtraining injuries, but acute traumatic injuries can also occur during an event or training.
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport or RED-S is a known concern.
Please visit the following links dedicated to the three disciplines of a triathlon:

Most Common Triathlon Injuries
Typically, the types of injuries triathletes deal with are overuse injuries.
Triathlon training repetitively stresses muscles, tendons, and the tissues around joints and bones. This continuous stress produces repetitive microtrauma.
Overuse injuries result from the body’s inability to keep up with repair of the damage created by repetitive microtrauma. The body’s tissue eventually breaks down — resulting in pain, inflammation, and weakness.
Ignoring the pain and inflammation and continuing to train will lead to macrotrauma and disruption of the tendon, muscle or bone. The worst-case scenario is an injury that could result in weeks or months away from your triathlon training and competition.
If you need advice or you need to manage your triathlete injury, we strongly recommend that you utilise expert advice. Poorly diagnosed and mismanaged injuries can ultimately interrupt your training and event schedules.
How To Treat Triathlon Injuries
The following treatment guidelines will obviously vary depending on your specific injury.
Treatment for most triathlon injuries includes:
Acute Injury Management
- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (RICE)
Soft Tissue Management
- Massage, Dry Needling, Acupuncture and Muscle Stretching
- Neural Tissue Mobility
Muscle Control
- Daily program of Core Stability Training
- Strengthening Program to Correct any Muscle Imbalances
Biomechanical Correction
- Contributing Biomechanical Factors: identification and correction
- Orthoses to correct leg length discrepancies or foot deformities
- Professional evaluation/correction of your swimming style, running gait and cycle position eg Physio or Podiatrist
- Cycling Set-up Analysis
Training Analysis
It is important to ensure that you are undertaking a well-balanced training schedule to optimise your performance and minimise your injury risk.
For more significant or persistent injuries, a triathlete should seek out quality and informed medical advice applicable to triathletes. Health professionals can include your Sports Physiotherapist, Sports Physician, Sports Podiatrist, Sports Massage Therapist, Sports Dietitian and/or Sports Psychologist.
Article by Zoe Russell
Sports Physiotherapy FAQs
Sports Physiotherapy is the specialised branch of physiotherapy which deals with injuries and issues related to spokespeople. Practitioners with additional formal training within Australia are Sports & Exercise Physiotherapists.
What is Sports Physiotherapy?
Sports injuries do differ from common everyday injuries. Athletes usually require high-level performance and demands placed upon their bodies, which stresses their muscles, joints and bones to the limit. Sports physiotherapists help athletes recover from sporting injuries and provide education and resources to prevent problems. Each sports physiotherapist usually has sport-specific knowledge that addresses acute, chronic and overuse injuries. Their services are generally available to sportsmen and women of all ages engaged in sports at any level of competition.
Members of Sports Physiotherapy Australia (SPA) have experience and knowledge of the latest evidence-based practice, professional assessment and diagnosis of sports injuries, and effective hands-on management techniques and exercise protocols to assist recovery and prevent future damage. SPA members have access to the most recent advances in sports physiotherapy. You'll be pleased to know that most PhysioWorks physiotherapists and massage therapists are particularly interested in sports injury management.
General Sports Physio FAQs
- Sports Physiotherapy
- Acute Sports Injury Clinics
- Sports Physiotherapy Treatment
- Youth Sports Injuries
Injury Management
- Sports Injury? What to do? When?
- When Can You Back to Sport?
- Sports-Related Injuries
- Knee Sports Injuries
- Sports Health Conditions
Sports Massage
Sports Insurance
More Information
Common Muscle Injuries
Muscle Pain
Muscle pain, also known as myalgia, can result from various causes and can affect different areas of the body. Managing and preventing discomfort requires a clear understanding of these common muscle injuries. This comprehensive guide aims to explore several sources of muscle pain, including injuries in the neck and back, strains in the lower limbs, conditions in the upper limbs, systemic causes, and more.
To provide valuable insights into the management of common muscle injuries, this guide offers answers to frequently asked questions and suggests products that can aid in your recovery. Access additional information about each specific injury by clicking the provided links.
Neck & Back Muscle Injuries
Lower Limb Muscle Injuries
Upper Limb Muscle Injuries
Haematoma-Related Myalgia
Fatigue-Related Myalgia
Systemic Causes of Myalgia
More Information: Myalgia
FAQs & Products
Common Ligament Injuries
Ligament injuries are common in the human body, often causing pain, discomfort, and limitations in mobility.
Various body parts are prone to ligament injuries, such as the knee, ankle, shoulder, wrist, hand, and spine. Among the most prevalent are knee ligament injuries, which include ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries, as well as MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) and LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) sprains.
In addition, ligament injuries can affect other areas, such as the shoulder, leading to AC (Acromioclavicular) joint injuries and dislocated shoulders. Wrist and hand ligament injuries, including thumb and finger sprains, are also common. Furthermore, ligament injuries can occur in the spine, resulting in back and neck sprains and conditions like "text neck" and whiplash. Understanding these common ligament injuries is essential for prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment, enabling individuals to regain their functionality and resume their daily activities.
Knee Ligament Injuries
- Knee Ligament Injuries
- ACL Injury
- PCL Injury
- MCL Sprain
- LCL Sprain
- Posterolateral Corner Injury
- Patella Dislocation
- Superior Tibiofibular Joint Sprain