Surgical Goals - Sports Injuries Podcast

Triathlon triumph - Lucy Crookston on beating patellar tendon injury

Lucy Crookston Triathlete Season 2 Episode 1

A tale of a remarkable recovery - talking to triathlete Lucy Crookston who beat the odds to compete in a World Triathlon Finals just 12 weeks after surgery on her torn patellar tendon.

Originally a track specialist at 400m hurdles Lucy stumbled on triathlon by chance but was instantly hooked, and it became her new obsession. She has gone on to rub shoulders with the best in the world, competing in World and European finals and incredibly one of those appearances was just 12 weeks after surgery for a patellar tendon tear.

She tells us of her long love-hate relationship with her patellar tendon since suffering from the common childhood disease - Osgood Schlatters. Gordon explains more about this painful problem that used to be called 'growing pains' and happens during periods of growth spurt in children and teens. We chat about its effects and how to recognise it in the young.
 
As so often happens though Lucy's injury happened while doing an innocuous training exercise but she knew immediately it was serious. She tells us how her knee felt and Prof Mackay talks us through the surgery she had. Lucy's positive approach to life helped with her recovery and you'll enjoy hearing of her emotional appearance a the Europeans just 12 weeks later.

We also learn a lot about triathlon as a sport - breaking it down into its individual disciplines and Lucy has some great tips on how to train and choose the right kit to avoid some of the common injuries that can occur.

Thanks for listening - follow us on X and Instagram or head to our website for more info
X
Instagram
Website

People on this episode