When is it Injured? When is it Sore?

A.J. Zelinski, DC ART
Director - Advanced Rehabilitation

Training for a triathlon and being active in general usually involves a moderate amount of soreness and even discomfort at times. It is often hard to tell if soreness and tightness is normal, or if is an injury waiting to happen. Often it is too late to treat an injury if you are only a few weeks out from an event, but hopefully these three simple tips will help you to identify when to get immediate attention and make it to the finish line.

Tip#1 – Typical signs of injury are redness, swelling, heat in the affected area, and even discoloration. This can include a swollen ankle the day after a long run, heat and inflammation around the knee after a long ride, or even severe tightness and restriction in your hip after a brick session. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, especially during or immediately after activity, DO NOT waste any time in getting proper care and evaluation.

Tip#2 – Changing your technique due to pain can often signal an injury waiting to happen. Knee pain during a long ride may cause you to sit differently on the bike and the next morning your back hurts. These types of scenarios are prime examples of compensation injuries. These injuries occur when you slightly change your technique to lessen immediate pain, but the long term side effects can create a significant injury. If you notice a new pain, or that you are changing the way you swim, ride, or run, please do not hesitate to get it checked out.

Tip#3 – Tightness or stiffness that lasts more than 24 hours can actually be an injury as well. This restriction in range of motion can be due to adhesions, or scar tissue, that has built up in the joint or muscles surrounding the joint. This decrease in range of motion will lead to compensation injuries as well. The best way to identify these problems is to stretch gently on a regular basis to know when your body is just not moving like it should.

These are just a few tips to getting to the finish line. If these things are caught quick enough we can often work out a plan to decrease activities that cause more problems and increase activities that are safe for the pre-injury. The key is to not wait when you have an issue, but get it looked at if there is any question.