Injuries In Martial Arts - A Personal View

I initially did about 5 minutes research into this and completed several internet searches under different names and was completely overwhelmed with the wealth of information online. Everything that has ANY medical connection I have copied from websites and have quoted the website for your further information. Please let me strenuously announce I am not a doctor or ever had any formal training in medicine. The closest I have ever got to 'medicine' is being a Quartermaster and trained First Aider in the British Red Cross and thankfully I didn't get to see a great deal of serious 'action'.

I have been training since May 2000. Since then I have had 3 injuries which have prevented me from training - two of those were related to Martial Arts.

The first injury I sustained was a Bursa. It initially started when I was training kata (forms) and the new hard skin slipped on my feet and the foot was exposed for about half an hour before the end of class. I expect everyone at some stage has done this and thought nothing of it. I know I certainly didn't. I cleaned and covered it when I got home and wore lose shoes for a bit then went back to my next class with it bound up so it didn't get dirty. Alas, the open wound must have got slightly infected in that brief time before class finished and swelling came and went, came and went and I just plain ignored it. I had a grading coming up and maybe the feminist in me came creeping out, I was the only female in my class and didn't want to wimp out. So I continued training. Sadly the kata I was training for for my grading was Heian Sandan. This particular kata includes a heavy stamping kick, which I am fairly certain didn't help matters much. Fortunately I passed my grading and then went to the doctors three months after the initial injury occurred (I hasten to add I also did a Kata Competition in this time and came third, my first one as well!) and was diagnosed with Bursitis (Bursitus). I was told to stop training for three months and take 1000mg antibiotics as the infection in my foot had ran very deep. I wasn't capable of training for a month anyway. The antibiotics were only a 10-day course but they killed me! Every bit of bacteria, even the good stuff was knocked out of me. I then proceeded to come down with every complaint under God. I had a cold, food poisoning, etc. It took me two further months to build up the strength to come back to the 'fold' so to speak.

Please see the following website for an insight into what Bursitis is:

http://www.allexperts.com/previousqv.asp?QuestionID=2485500

My latest injury I personally think is damage to the Sacro-Iliac joint but an Emergency Doctor at the local Accident and Emergency seems to think its something else. I was told I had pulled a hamstring - go figure?

I was training one Sunday afternoon in groundfighting and was shown the following technique:

Imagine I am lying down and I have my legs wrapped round your ribs and hopefully crushing your floating rib - whatever that is??

Anyway, I did this and tightened my legs until I couldn't feel them and frankly I think I jarred something then. I was full of adrenaline though so didn't feel it. I went to bed that night not feeling too worse for wear. I awoke the next morning and went to work. I drive about 25 miles one way to work and as I was nearing work I changed down a gear and something pulled in my hip area. It was tremendously painful straight away. Some how I managed to get to work and got out the car - tarmac came zooming up to me rather rapidly when I realised I had a real problem! I managed to limp to work - went up 5 flights of 7 stairs each and stayed at work all day! This happened in my sixth week of a new job…I couldn't leave. I nearly passed out twice with the pain and limped down to the local shops at lunchtime to buy the most powerful painkillers I could get my hands on. I then proceeded to float through the rest of the afternoon. I stopped off after work about 3 shops down and saw a receptionist in a physiotherapists. I know, I know…only a receptionist but she told me she recognised the symptoms from other patients and thought it was a Sacro iliac problem. I said that was nice and toddled off to my car. I thought I'd be fine. Unfortunately there was an accident on the road I go home on and was forced to detour into town - I had to change gear a lot more times than I ever anticipated and the pain just got worse and worse. I ended up hyperventilating and having to stop the car to calm down! Some how I managed to complete my journey and called on a couple of friends of mine to take me to the local A & E.

I don't know about you but I never stretch for twenty minutes in the morning - if I had of done I may have avoided this problem who knows? Maybe cats do have the right idea? Every single time they change position - pretty much - they stretch.

Here's more information on the injury I believe I have sustained:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/buttocks/sacroiliac.htm

I have spent a few days off work one way or another - this last injury I had 3 days off. Unfortunately training at the moment is out of the question - even sitting up for too long causes long term pain. However, when training starts again in the New Year I have every intention of going along to class - just to watch and pick up what is being run through in class. I have a grading in March - which I would dearly love to pass and will do my best once the pain has subsided.

I wanted to write this article mainly to show that it's foolish to not listen to ones body. I am taught very well by my Sensei how to warm up but on the day I did my groundfighting I wasn't with my Instructor - it was a muck about with a couple of friends of mine whom I train with during the week. We did a short warm up and left the rest to fate.

I hope all are well and remain uninjured through the New Year. However, if you do get hurt, listen to your body. Rather a couple of months off than enduring pain that permanently injures you in the end.