Injury Prevention, Recovery, and Athlete Health
Domain 9: Injury Prevention, Recovery, and Athlete Health tests load management, common multisport injuries, and when to refer. The exam expects you to distinguish soreness from injury and to coach recovery without diagnosing.
Core rules and concepts
- Common triathlon complaints include swimmer’s shoulder, low back pain, patellofemoral pain, iliotibial band syndrome, Achilles tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis.
- Load management matters: avoid weekly volume spikes above roughly 10–20% and monitor acute versus chronic workload.
- Recovery includes sleep (7–9 hours), adequate energy and protein, easy days, and planned deload weeks.
- Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) can cause menstrual dysfunction, bone stress injury, and performance decline. Refer appropriately.
- Red flags include chest pain, syncope, severe headache, and inability to bear weight.
Worked example
A runner adds 10 km to a 40 km week, a 25% jump, and develops shin pain. The coach should reduce run volume by 20–30%, keep pain-free cross-training, and refer if pain persists beyond two weeks or occurs at rest. The reasoning: a 25% spike exceeds typical 10% guidance and may precede bone stress injury.
Traps that cost marks
Diagnosing tendinopathy; ignoring menstrual dysfunction; pushing through sharp pain; replacing sleep with extra training; returning to full load too quickly.
Key points
- Avoid weekly volume spikes above roughly 10–20%.
- Sleep 7–9 hours supports recovery.
- RED-S affects energy availability, menstrual function, and bone health.
- Refer red flags such as chest pain or inability to bear weight.
- Do not diagnose or treat medical conditions.