Injuries in triathletes of the Ironman

Abstract

Triathlon is a sport that has become one of the most popular throughout the world. Some studies have been done intending to identify injuries in triathletes that are related to training, physiology and equipments used, besides those to performance components. Ironman is the most important competition for triathletes and the most recognized among people around the world, however, since it has very long distances and there are intrinsic and extrinsic factors who affect triathletes throughout training routine and races, one reason for the injuries is common among researchers: the overuse. In order to give more subsidies to triathletes, physical therapists, doctors and triathlon coaches, this study intended to identify which tissue and which body segment are more susceptible to injuries in this population. In this field research, a questionnaire has been applied to an aleatory, non-intentional sample (163 triathletes) consisted of triathletes of both genders, and all categories competing in Ironman Brazil’2003. It was observed that 93.3% of the triathletes have had some other physical activity experience before and 46.6% of them have already had some injury before initiating triathlon. During triathlon practice time, 42.1% of the triathletes have had an injury: 34.4% on the knee and 34.4% on the leg, being 59.2% of them serious injuries. The present study confirms the results found in world literature about this matter – especially those referring to the most affected body segments – and agrees with them about the primary reason of these injuries: overuse.