Health professionals' perceptions of musculoskeletal injury and injury risk factors in Australian triathletes: A factor analysis

ObjectiveThis study investigated health professional perceptions of triathlon-related injury risk factors and injury prevention strategies, to inform prospective cohort studies investigating injury in triathletes.DesignExploratory factor analysis.MethodsA questionnaire was developed and distributed to Australian sports medicine health professionals (n = 504). Information was collected about their perceptions of factors contributing to injury and injury prevention strategies relating to Sprint/Olympic (S/O) and Ironman/Long Course (I/LC) athletes. Factor analysis was performed to identify the number and nature of the constructs (factors) underlying the responses to the questions, and to ascertain whether these factors were similar for S/O and I/LC athletes.ResultsThe response rate was 22.4% (n = 113). Five factors were extracted for injury risk accounting for 53% (S/O) and 56% (I/LC) of the variance. The factors were common across S/O and I/LC groups; biomechanics and technique, training factors, demographics, injury prevention and personal factors. Three common factors accounted for 54% (S/O) and 55% (I/LC) of the variance for injury prevention strategies; designated training regimes, health and medical monitoring and preparation of the triathlete.ConclusionsThese results indicate that future studies into triathlon injuries should include, at a minimum, detailed training load and demographic factors to test their impact as injury risk factors in triathlete populations.