As the seasons changing, so the sports injuries we see coming through the clinic. The international triathlon season is just starting and race two of the ITU World Triathlon Series was recently held in downtown Auckland.
Leading up to, during and after the race I had the pleasure of working with the elite Canadian team and other international triathletes for the fourth year running. Working with elite athletes tends to involve a lot of maintenance; with massage therapy, acupuncture, joint manipulation or whatever their preference is. Race day is usually a case of enjoying the event then working with the athletes post-race. Unfortunately this year a few crashes in the bike section ended the race early for a few of my athletes. For one, a heavy crash left him with a concussion, abrasions and a heavy impact injury to the pelvis. Further investigations were needed before he left for the next race on the Gold Coast so I arranged an appointment with a Sports Physician. Unfortunately this confirmed the worst with a ‘fracture through the sacrum’, the lowest segment of the spine where it joins the pelvis.
The athlete will have to go through an extended period of rest, rehabilitation and then work back to the intensity of international racing. However, he was most impressed and appreciative of the efficiency and speed of the tools at our fingertips at Kinetics, AUT Millennium. We are lucky enough to have an excellent team of physio’s, sports doctors, surgeons and specialists. This is in addition to Ascot and Insight Radiology on site for x-rays, MRI, ultrasound and CT scans. No matter how complex the injury may be, the team will always be able to point you in the right direction and help achieve full recovery.