Triathlon: swimming, cycling and running – three times the stress.

Tweet on 26th August 2011 from Vanessa Raw, Team GB elite triathlete and London 2012 hopeful. ‘@DrCraigChiro thanks! Another piece to the puzzle” www.vanessaraw.com

Testimonial – Mark Burns start to his age 40+ triathlon career.

On one hand the sport of triathlon promotes balance by requiring cross-training over three disciplines, on the other it provides three times the opportunity for injury from racing and training. Swimming stresses the neck and shoulders, cycling the neck, knees and low back and running the low back, groin, knees and feet. Good spinal movement, flexibility and alignment are essential to prevent injury and promote optimal performance. At Putney Chiro we have competed regularly in triathlon, look after many triathletes and understand the unique stresses it places on your body.

Swimming

Common problems we see from the swimming side of triathlon relate to neck and shoulder pain. Neck pain is common for those who cannot bilaterally breath. Repeatedly breathing to the one side creates imbalance in the supporting muscles of the neck, especially the upper trapezius and posterior cervical muscles. The shoulders can also suffer if there is a past injury or if a minor problem has been ignored and becomes a more serious rotator cuff injury.

Cycling

Cycling involves long hours in the saddle in anatomically unnatural positions – add to this the constant vibration and it’s a recipe for neck and back pain and premature wear and tear on the joints. Beginners to the sport of cycling commonly have poor core strength end up with neck and shoulder pain after putting excessive weight through their wrists, hands, shoulders and neck when resting on the handlebars. The low back posture of leaning forward for hour on end naturally stresses the soft tissues of the lumbar spine.

Running

Pounding the pavement for hours on end in preparation for your event puts undue stresses and strains on the bio-mechanics of your low back, pelvis, knees, ankles and feet.

Solutions

The causes of neck/shoulder pain, low back pain, hip pain, ITB strain, knee pain, shin splits and foot pain can be often be discovered by a thorough spinal assessment and alleviated by specific chiropractic treatment aimed at balancing the spine and nervous system. We have close connections with our friends at www.profeet.co.uk who can provide extra support from the ground up.

The consultation and examination process
The format for a new client of Putney Chiropractic or someone who has not visited us for some time is as follows:

• A full health history is taken looking into the past and present issues that may be related to your presenting problem.
• We will perform numerous orthopaedic, neurological and chiropractic tests to obtain vital information about the function of your spine and nervous system.
• Digital x-rays are an amazing way to assess the areas of wear and tear or alignment challenges that your spine may possess. X-rays will be taken if clinically indicated and will help you understand the cause of problem.
• You’ll be booked into our ‘New Client Orientation‘ which is a group appointment held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. This will help you get the most from your Chiropractic care and give you information about the best way to deal with common problems to do with the spine.

If you have any further queries regarding the practice, procedure, first visits or making a booking with us, please feel free to contact us and we can discuss any queries you may have. Give us a call on 020 8785 6144 and we will be happy to chat.