R.I.C.E. = Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. These are the simplest treatments for the most common injuries in martial arts, bumps, bruises, sprains, muscle pulls, etc. Ibuprofen (sp?) helps too, but children under 15 or so should consult a physician before using ibuprofen. Here is some commentary on injury treatments:
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REST: Rest means rest. The more you rest it, the quicker it heals. One of the most common injuries in any sport is RE-injury. It is hard to resist jumping back onto the mat before an injury is completely healed. Be patient and wait until you're healed. There is also the consideration of vulnerability to other injuries due to lack of practice. In cases where the injured martial artist has been out for a while, say a month or more, they will still have the knowledge of how to do certain strenuous techniques, but perhaps lack the strength or flexibility to execute them safely. Careful as you work back into class!
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ICE: Good for the first 24 - 48 hours, depending on the intensity of the injury. Ice reduces swelling, which allows more blood flow, which then speeds the healing process. Ice also helps dull the initial pain. Make sure to use a barrier between the ice and skin or frostbite can occur. If this happens, ice must be discontinued. Frostbite can cause permanent skin damage and the very worst thing for frostbite is MORE ICE! Typically ice a wound for 10 - 20 minutes at a time, allowing the area to "thaw" between icings.
In general, ice is good, but BE CAREFUL!
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COMPRESSION: Once again, you can potentially cause more harm than good with improper compression. Compression, or wrapping a wound (such as using an ACE bandage) is typically done to reduce swelling or to support a weak joint. If the victim feels numbness or tingling at the wrapped area or below it, THE WRAP IS TOO TIGHT! Wrapping an ice pack (remember the cloth barrier) directly against the wound with an ACE bandage is an effective, safe, first aid for most injuries.
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ELEVATION: Elevating a wounded area safely restricts blood flow and swelling without a lot of risk of injury by the treatment itself. Shock is an important issue to address here as well. The BRAIN needs plenty of oxygen - supplied by blood flow - to retain consciousness, and there is a LACK of blood flow / oxygen to the brain when a person goes into shock. In case of shock, the most important issue is getting the victim's head lower than the rest of the body. This means lie down and elevate the feet ASAP. Unless they are immediately life threatening, like severe bleeding, most other injuries should usually take a back seat to shock. Whatever the case, IF THE BRAIN IS DENIED BLOOD / OXYGEN FOR LONG ENOUGH, AROUND A MINUTE, PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE OR EVEN DEATH CAN OCCUR!
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IBUPROFEN: It is usually ok to take up to about 5 200 mg ibuprofen tablets (1000 mg) for a bad wound. It is not recommended to take any more than that in a 12 hour period or to do it more than 2 days straight. Please consult a physician before dosing this strongly with this drug. Your liver takes a pretty serious pounding from ibuprofen and can cause abnormally thin blood i.e. profuse bleeding (external AND INTERNAL) upon your next injury!
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RISK: Injuries in martial arts or any physical activity are inevitable. The only variables are degree and frequency. Train hard but train smart. Wear a mouthpiece, wear a cup, wear protective sparring gear, rest all injuries, stretch and warm up thoroughly and use common sense.
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C.O.R.N.I. = Continued Overuse Resulting in Needless Injury. A macho alternative to "R.I.C.E." This is the simplest way to never heal from an injury and become crippled by the time you are 30.
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More Injury Tips:
- KNEES: Simple, safe, isometric exercises can have a profound impact on strengthening the knees. It would seem as if working out on the mat would more than replace these exercises but that is simply not the case. If you have knee problems, try it and see. The exercise is simply this:
1. Flex the hamstrings and quads against one another for approximately 10 - 20 seconds as hard as you can.
2. Do 3 or 4 sets.
3. Do the sets every 2 - 4 hours throughout the day.
4. Do this 3 - 4 days per week. That's it!
This will also work for supporting injured hamstring tendons where they connect at the seat bone. Just flex the muscles around that area (hamstrings and gludes) in the same exact way. Also, Just F.Y.I., women tend to be more prone to ACL injuries than men due to the angle at which the femur contacts the knee. Strengthening of the hamstring is a widely medically accepted method of protecting the ACL.
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- VOICE: Instructors read this! The vocal cords are actually very prone to injury with excessive yelling and talking. This is a very common problem with high-energy styles such as Taekwondo where the instructor shouts a lot. The vocal cords are lubricated by mucous excreted as needed during vocal cord use. Certain foods can THICKEN the mucous (all mucous for that matter) by depleting the body of water. This causes the vocal cords to vibrate DRY which is much like running your car or any other mechanical device without oil. The offending foods are: caffeine, nicotine (actually from the drug itself more so than the smoke) and alcohol. These are all diuretics. They cause you to urinate more frequently. What you are urinating is vital hydration for your body (vocal cords) to function properly. Warming the vocal cords with steam or hot towels can help. Some teas such as ginger teas can also help. The very best friend to your vocal cords, however, is plain old room temperature WATER. If your voice is injured, vocal rest can also be a very effective treatment (along with changing habits that injured it in the first place). This means 1 - 2 weeks with NO TALKING WHATSOEVER, NOT EVEN WHISPERING!
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- HEAT EXHAUSTION: A case of heat exhaustion is almost inevitable in martial arts practice, especially with intense workouts, no air conditioning, limited ventilation or outdoor training. It is a simple to treat yet very serious condition. The body operates within a certain temperature range. If this range is exceeded the body reacts. Signs of heat exhaustion are flushed face, fatigue, delirium, irritability, nausea/vomiting and of course, a high temperature. If it is accompanied with dehydration, the skin will also be dry. In more advanced cases, there can also be muscle spasms and loss of consciousness. As you may have guessed, bringing the body core temperature down is key. For maximum cooling effect, ice may be placed behind the neck, on top of the head, and in the armpits and groin area. Excess clothing (i.e. belt and gi top) should be loosened or removed. Apply a fan or expose to a breeze where possible. Re-hydration is important but drinking too much too fast may lead to nausea. The victim should also LIE DOWN, and the feet should be elevated ABOVE THE HEART AND HEAD. In most martial arts situations there will be plenty of people around to notice there's a problem and react immediately. If, however, heat exhaustion is left untreated (child in a car, person in a desert, white belt left to do infinite pushups outside by himself), it can rapidly turn to heat STROKE which can cause serious brain damage and death. Pushing it to the limit is good, but heat exhaustion is definitely "the limit."
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- ELBOW PAIN: Elbow pain on the outside of the joint is typically a sign of tendonitis which is, essentially, tennis elbow. The tendons of the extensor muscles of all the fingers converge on the outer elbow. When they are over-worked or worked consistently without warm-up and/or cool down, they can become inflamed and irritated. The inflammation is on the INSIDE and not typically visible on the surface though you definitely know it's there from the severe pain. The motion that causes the most pain is the same motion as twisting a motorcycle throttle though a wide range of motions can be affected. This is common in arts like Aikido and Jiujutsu where there is a lot of grabbing and gripping. In a nutshell, it is caused by over-use and cured by UNDER-use though there are variables for both cause and cure:
• The first step of prevention is WARMING UP AND STRETCHING. The joints of the body should be warm before stretching and stretched before straining. A steady alternation between working and stretching the extensor muscles for 5-10 minutes before training is best.
• The first step of cure is REST. The joint should be rested thoroughly until there is no pain to the touch before starting physical therapy. It is depressing to sit off the mat for a few classes, but look at it this way: it is better to miss a few classes (even a few MONTHS) than to cripple yourself and miss the rest of your life.
• The next step of cure, as you may have guessed if you read the top of this page, is ice. There is swelling going on under the surface of the elbow which, though it has its purpose, increases recovery time. Swelling is your body's way of forming a natural splint, telling you to "LAY OFF!" Ice reduces this swelling, speeding up blood flow and thus recovery time, but remember and respect your body's message to lay off! Ice may be applied as much as you have time for. Read the ice passage above for icing procedures.
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