Triathlon injuries: three sports, one body
Triathlon participation has grown across the south-east, and triathletes present differently to single-sport athletes. The injuries themselves are familiar — shoulders, knees, achilles — but the cause is almost always the interaction between three training loads rather than any one of them.
The cumulative load problem
A triathlete's swim, bike and run sessions each look reasonable in isolation. Added together, particularly in a build phase, the total tissue load is often well beyond what any single-sport athlete would attempt. Most triathlon injuries are load-management problems in disguise.
Shoulders from swimming
High-repetition overhead work, often with paddles added. Swimmer's shoulder is the most common triathlon complaint we see, and it is usually a volume increase rather than a technique fault — see shoulder pain.
Knees and the bike-to-run transition
Running on legs pre-fatigued by cycling changes running mechanics measurably. Runner's knee and ITB pain in triathletes disproportionately arise from brick sessions rather than from standalone runs.
Achilles and calves
Cycling shortens the calf through repetitive plantarflexion; running then demands length and elastic capacity from it. That combination is behind a lot of triathlete achilles trouble. Our foot pain page covers achilles presentations.
Low back
Time trial and aero positions hold the lumbar spine in sustained flexion. Riders who then run with a fatigued trunk often report low back pain that is worse in the run leg than on the bike.
What we look at
The first thing we ask for is your last six weeks of training across all three disciplines. In most cases the answer is in there before we have examined anything.
What a first appointment looks like
We start with what actually happened and what the demands of your sport are, then assess the injured area alongside the joints and muscles above and below it — because the painful structure is often not the limiting one. You get a diagnosis, a realistic timeframe, and a plan that accounts for your training and match schedule rather than assuming you can stop. If we think you need imaging or another practitioner, we will say so at that first visit rather than after six sessions.
Booking in
We are at 5/6-8 Langmore Lane, Berwick, with street parking directly outside and same-week appointments most weeks. Initial consultations are 60 minutes and $149, with private health rebates processed on the spot via HICAPS. No referral is required, and we also work with WorkCover, DVA and Medicare care plans where they apply.
Book an initial consultation at RISE Sports & Spinal in Berwick. Clear diagnosis, hands-on treatment, and a plan that actually gets you better.
