Bases para implantar un programa de salud podológica en triatletas

Resumo

Objectives: To create the basis for implementing a health podiatric program for triathletes by determining the most frequent injuries and risk factors and / or predisposing factors in triathletes and to verify the degree of information and habits in the self-care of triathlete's feet. Method: Data from this study was extracted from an observational, descriptive, cross - sectional and retrospective study. Information on personal characteristics, level of training and competition, most frequent injuries, risk factors, self-care of the triathletes' feet and participation of the podiatrist have been collected. In order to meet the objectives set an exclusive tool was designed in the form of a questionnaire completed by triathletes through the Google Drive application. Results: The sample is made up of 468 triathletes, 422 men and 46 women between the ages of 13 and 59. The most frequent injuries, once the race was completed, were: blisters on the fingertip and subungual hematomas. Most injuries occurred during the race. 81% of triathletes suffer injuries frequently, mainly involving muscle overload of the twins. One in two triathletes has received information about taking care of their feet. One in every two triathletes has visited a podiatrist. The triathletes who wear socks most frequently in competition are those who participate in races of medium distance and those who wear them the least are those who participate in races of sprinting distance. The triathletes who use Vaseline the least are those who participate in races of Super sprint distance whilst those who use it the most are participants in the Iron Man distance. Conclusions: the existence of podological injuries and lack of knowledge about how to take care of feet highlights the importance of creating a Podiatry Health Program for triathletes. The results of this research could provide useful assistance in planning and implementing future educational interventions and ensuring they are more effective.