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Danny Brewer
Mrs. Lester
Advanced Composition
28 September 2011
Triathlon Injuries and Prevention
On August 8, 2011,a forty-year-old Chicago woman,who wasa director and vice
president of Denver-based investment firm, became the second person to die after competing in
the Nautica New York City Triathlon. Amy Martich, also a mother of three, went into cardiac
arrest twice after the morning swim in the Hudson River. She was transported to Roosevelt
Hospital in critical condition and died there. The other competitor, sixty-four year-old, Michael
Kydryk, of Freehold, New Jersey, died at the hospital after failing to complete the swim
(“Second Death in Triathlon”).Though the deaths of both Martich and Kydryk are tragic they, are
extreme examples of what can go wrong while competing in a triathlon. Triathlons, like any
other sports, pose dangers to the competitor, but they are as safe as any other sport when athletes
are well prepared to face the obstacles.
Throughout the process of training and competing in a triathlon, competitors run the risk
of severely injuring themselves. Most common injuries obtained by competitors in a triathlon can
easily be prevented by taking simple measures.Doctor Bruce Wilk reveals “an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.”The interpretation of the quote leads me to conclude that it
is easier and better for an athlete to prevent any injury than it is to fix an injury after it has
occurred.The quote from Doctor Wilk is a wise and adage statement that should be heeded by

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anyone who is training for any type of sport. About seventy percent of injuries among athletes
competing in triathlons could be prevented through better fitting equipment, better nutrition and
hydration practices, balanced training programs, adequate rest and stretching (Logue).It is easy
to be injured while training, but these injuries could just as easily be prevented through simple
measures. Many injuries are preventable when the right action is taken such as buying new shoes
when the old ones start to wear blisters on the athlete’s feet or resting for the appropriate amount
of time after a hard workout before attempting another hard work-out. Another easy way to
prevent an injury is by following the ten percent rule, which states in order to prevent injury,
avoid increased training distance or speed by more than ten percent a week (Wilk).The ten
percent rule will not only help prevent injury, but running increasingly each week by ten percent
will also help with endurance.Increasing the workout speed or distance each week makes it
possible to overcome obstacles and keep the athlete’s body in top fighting condition.It is better
for the athlete’s body to try to prevent injuries from occurring than to treat them afterwards.
While injuries can be prevented an injury, such as Swimmer’s Shoulder, can still occur in
an athlete. An injury to the shoulder, also known as Swimmer’s Shoulder, is an inflammation in
the rotator-cuff tendon that can cause discomfort during shoulder movement (Wilk). This injury
is an inflammation in the shoulder that makes it painful for the athlete to move the arm in a
certain way. Swimmer’s shoulder is a common injury that shows up in triathletes that can be
easily prevented. The cause of Swimmer’s Shoulder is the repetitive overhead activity of the
swimming strokes causing fatigue of the muscles (Fontain).There are numerous causes of
Swimmer’s Shoulder, but the most common cause occur when the arm rotates and is
overworked. Many athletes do not know why they get injured because they are not aware that
they are overworking their bodies leaving them fatigued and easier to injure. In order to prevent

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Swimmer’s Shoulder,athletes should participate in a workout that helps develop strength,
endurance, and the balance and flexibility of muscles (Fontain). These workouts are beneficial
because they help the athlete become stronger and more flexible. Prevention of Swimmer’s
Shoulder is very easy to do if the athlete will just rest when his body is telling him his muscles
are overworking.Active release therapy is a new way to treat Swimmer’s Shoulder, which allows
a therapist to feel for adhesion then put their thumb and fingers on the adhesion and move it in a
way that breaks it away from the tissue (Tuchscherer). When the therapist starts Active release
therapy, the treatment will hurt but in a way that lets the athlete know his body is being healed.
This new treatment allows a swimmer to get back into swimming sooner than a surgery would
have allowed. Swimmer’s Shoulder may be a painful injury, but it is easy to prevent if the athlete
is willing to listen to his body.
Another common injury that can possibly occur to a triathlete is a lower back injury; this
injury normally occurs while biking.Biker’s Back is a herniation of the lower vertebral discs that
can cause extreme discomfort and pain in the back (Wilk).This extreme pain for the athlete will
prevent him from continuing in the race or training for as long as the pain lasts. The herniation of
the back can lead a triathlete to be unable to bike the rest of the race.The leading causes of
Biker’s Back are overtraining, poor technique, improper equipment set up, a lack of flexibility
and strength in the back or leg muscles (Wilk). The causes are readily prevented if the athlete
takes proper care of his equipment. Biker’s Back is another injury athletes may incur if they are
not flexible or strong enough in the lower back.To prevent Biker’s Back follow the ten percent
rule, make sure the seat and handlebars are properly adjusted to for the athlete’s proportions.
Adjusting the handlebars and seat can change your cycling posture drastically.Another way to
prevent Biker’s Back is to train at a comfortable position instead of bending over to maximize

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aerodynamics (Wilk). Biker’s Back is easily prevented if athletes take the proper measures. By
sitting in a more comfortable position and not trying to be more aerodynamic while biking, the
triathlete can prevent a back injury. A new way to treat Biker’s Back and other back injuries has
been found; Mind- Body therapies include guided imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation
therapy and talk therapy (Shaw). Mind- body therapy avoids surgery and is now preferred by
more people than surgery. This new treatment helps athletes to get back to the sport faster since
it does not use surgery.Indeed, Biker’s Back is an injury that is possible to prevent if athletes
take the proper measures.
Another frequently occurring injury among triathletes is Runner’s Knee.With Runner’s
Knee, excessive force causes the cartilage under the knee-cap to become roughened or softened
making the knee-cap glide less smoothly over the femur causing pain (Millward).The knee-cap is
not able to move smoothly over the femur causing pain in athletes. This injury is an injury that is
harder to prevent because it is due to overuse. There are multiple causes that can lead to
abnormal stress of the IliotibialBand, including overload of the hip and quadriceps muscles due
to training, pronating or “flat” feet, and muscle imbalances (Fontaine).Runner’s Knee is mainly
due to over training and overloading the muscles in the leg. This injury is also caused by “flat”
feet or over pronating, which is landing mid footthen over rolling the toes. To Treat Runner’s
Knee athletes should apply the acronym RICE (rest, ice compression and elevation) to reduce
swelling in the knee (Fontain).RICE is an easier prevention for Runner’s Knee because it allows
the athlete time for rest and time for the injury to heal. A Triathlete should apply RICE if he or
she feels any form of pain in the knee.Cortisone injection into the area that is inflamed may be
attempted (Clueet). This injection is the same one used for swimmers shoulder and possibly
other injuries. The cortisone injection may be able to reduce the chances for needing surgery.

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Runner’s Kneeis an extremely painful injury that occurs when an athlete over trains and does not
have the correct muscle flexibility.
Yet another common running injury that arises in a triathlete is Achilles Tendonitis.
Achilles Tendonitis is an injury to the tendons where the Para-tendon, a sheath surrounding the
tendon, becomes inflamed (Fontain).This injury is common in triathletes who do not prepare
properly. Inflammation of the Para-tendon can cause vast amounts of pain in the foot causing an
athlete to cease running or biking when the pain occurs. Tendonitis is caused by the overuse or
repetitive strain on muscles, worn out or improper fitting shoes or poor cleat positioning when
biking (Millward). Much like Runner’s Knee, Achilles Tendonitis is common in runners and
bikers. Also Achilles Tendonitis like Runner’s Knee is caused by overuse of the muscles. Some
treatments for Achilles Tendonitis are stretching three times a week focusing on the gluteal,
quadriceps, hamstrings, groin, and deep compartment tibia muscles following a workout
(Fontaine). Much like Runner’s Knee, Achilles Tendonitis can be prevented through simple
measures such as stretching. Some stretches that will help with Achilles Tendonitis are stretches
for the quadriceps, hamstrings and other muscles close to this area. There are two types of
surgery now available for Achilles Tendon Rupture; in open surgery, the surgeon makes one
large incision in the back of the leg. While in percutaneous surgery, the surgeon makes several
small incisions rather than one large one, but in both cases the surgeon sews the tendon back
together through the incisions (Khan). Surgery is an option for treatment for Achilles Tendon
Rupture in extreme cases. Surgery will keep the athlete out from training and competing longer
than injections, but right now there is no other way to treat this injury. Achilles Tendonitis is
common in any athletes that have to run in their sport, but it can be prevented by stretching and
through other means of treatment.

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The many injuries that occur during a triathlon can lead to a triathlete’s inability to
complete the race. Competing in a Triathlon is a massive undertaking, which, unless the athlete
is ready, will be very difficult for the athlete to complete. A triathlon poses a substantial risk with
many injuries that can sideline an athlete for some time if the athlete is not careful. Some of the
injuries athletes can get will keep an athlete from training or competing for extensive amounts of
time.Since taking chances in life is normal for everyone, people should go ahead and try a
triathlon.It is well worth the training and time.