BACKGROUND
Given that triathlon is recognised as an official sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a focus on injury prevention strategies for participation in triathlon is necessary. A model for injury prevention programme development that is used currently is the Translating Research into Injury Prevention Practice (TRIPP) model. The literature on iron-distance is currently limited to the first two stages of this model, which focus on injury and illness epidemiology. Current research has predominantly investigated injuries and illness in professional or Olympic distance (OD) triathletes. Iron-distance triathlon is a popular form of triathlon, evidenced by the recent growth in participation in the sport from recreational to elite levels. However, there is limited evidence regarding injury or illness epidemiology for iron-distance triathlon. The impact of training loads on injury and illness in iron-distance triathletes is also poorly understood.
AIMS
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of training load on injury and illness in a 12-week training period for an iron-distance triathlon.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study were to (1) Describe the average weekly training load in amateur iron distance triathletes over a 12-week training period prior to an IRONMAN™ race; (2) Describe the total and weekly average prevalence of overuse injury, substantial overuse injury and illness, and the average severity of overuse injuries and illness in amateur iron-distance triathletes over a 12-week training period prior to an IRONMAN™ race; (3) Determine the incidence and severity of acute injuries in amateur iron-distance triathletes over a 12-week training period prior to an IRONMAN™ race; (4) Determine the average weekly training load threshold above which there is a significantly increased risk of injury or illness in amateur iron-distance triathletes over a 12-week training period prior to an IRONMAN™ race; and (5) Determine any associations between the prevalence of overuse injury and risk factors associated with injury (including age, gender, history of previous injuries and triathlon experience) in amateur iron-distance triathletes over a 12-week training period prior to an IRONMAN™ race.
METHODS
This study had a prospective, longitudinal, descriptive cohort design. Thirty-seven amateur triathletes who were training for the IRONMAN™ 2018 African Championships were included. All participants had entered for the event prior to the start of the data collection process. Participants were excluded if two or more weeks of training data were missing. Online questionnaires were used to collect weekly training load, injury and illness data over a 12-week training period. Internal training load was measured as sessional Rate of Perceived Exertion (sRPE), while external training load was measured as volume (hours). Acute training load and the acute:chronic workload ratio were used to relate training load to injuries and illness. Total and weekly average prevalence and severity of overuse injuries, substantial overuse injuries and illness were obtained.
RESULTS
Participants trained for 10.5 ± 2.8(7)(7)(7) hours per week on average, with a weekly average sRPE of 13.1 ± 1.7. The average weekly training load of participants was 8 170 ± 3 565 arbitrary units (AU). The total prevalence of injury and illness were 65% (n = 35) and 62% (n = 47) respectively. The average weekly prevalence of injury and illness were 19% (n = 7) and 9% (n = 4) respectively. The injury incidence was 9.1 per 1 000 training hours. Overuse injuries were more common than acute injuries, with a prevalence of 89% and an incidence of 8.1 per 1 000 hours. The severity of injuries was mostly mild, and the severity of illness mostly moderate. Most injuries occurred during training, and the predominant location of the injury was the knee. Illness symptoms that were reported most commonly included fatigue or malaise. There were no significant relationships between low, moderate or high training loads and injury or illness respectively.
CONCLUSION
This study identified a relatively high prevalence of injury and illness in amateur iron-distance triathletes. The small sample size significantly limited our interpretation of potential associations between training load and the prevalence of injury and illness. Future studies should consider the next step in the TRIPP protocol, namely by investigating the specific aetiology of the risks associated with injury and illness, including training load. The findings of this study highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of factors contributing to the development of injury and illness in iron distance triathletes to support safe participation and improve performance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/31314 |
| Date | 25 February 2020 |
| Creators | Berry, Darryn |
| Contributors | Buchholtz, Kim, Burgess, Theresa |
| Publisher | Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Masters Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | application/pdf |
Page generated in 0.0011 seconds