Martial Arts Injuries: What You Are Prone to When Practising this Sport

Mixed martial arts is an increasingly popular sport in Singapore that can build stronger resilience and increased stamina. Yet, it is also a sport that comes with its own fair share of injuries. No matter how cautious you are, it may leave you with some wear and tear or trauma from impact-related practices. For seasoned martial artists, you may be more than familiar with some of the common injuries and how to go about treating them. But if you’re new to it and planning to take up martial arts classes, take note of the following injuries associated with martial arts that you may be prone to: 

1. Muscle cramps

For starters, experiencing muscle cramps is no stranger to any sports enthusiast. Particularly if you are a martial arts beginner in the process of getting used to the intense cardio work, you are more likely to have cramps when your muscles are fatigued. When muscle cramps hit, it can be an uncomfortable process that lasts for minutes. Regardless of the intensity of your martial sport, make it a point to have a proper warmup before engaging in your training. The occasional muscle cramps could also be a sign of dehydration – so don’t skip out on hydrating yourself at any point of your exercise.    

2. Hamstring Strain

For full-contact sports like karate and jujitsu, there may be a lot of fast-moving movements involved such as kicks, throws and joint locks in order to win your opponent. When reacting too swiftly in a high kick, for example, the speed of movement may be too much for your body to handle at once, thus resulting in a potential hamstring strain. This means that you’ve overstretched your muscles to a certain extent and it’ll need some time to heal. The good news is, the recovery time is short for mild strains. However, this may not be the case for more severe hamstring injuries where there is a complete tear in the muscle – which usually takes months to recover. 

Additionally, hamstring injuries could also be a result of improper techniques. If you just started any form of martial arts activity, remember to pace yourself and maintain the correct technique when executing challenging moves.   

3. Shoulder arthritis

From the hard-core workouts in boxing and Muay Thai, the shoulder joints undergo great pressure during repetitive movements. This can cause your tendons to become inflamed and make your shoulder more susceptible to overuse injuries. It is important to keep in mind that while these types of injuries are common in martial arts sports, they are harder to identify as they usually occur over time. Depending on the severity of your condition, the pain can linger and worsen without proper rest and treatment. 

With that in mind, shoulder arthritis is a more serious type of injury that eventually causes the loss of joint functionality. Before it reaches this stage, avoid ignoring any potential pain in your shoulder joints and seek treatment for it. There is a range of treatments such as Radial Shockwave Therapy that can help to manage persistent joint pain.  

For more information, find out more about shoulder joints in this video:

H2 Get Ready to Fight Back

Injuries may be unavoidable when it comes to practicing martial arts. But with proper treatment to assist in the healing process, you can get back on your feet and resume training. If you’re experiencing some pain resulting from your martial arts practice, get in touch with a chiropractor for back pain and more to target the areas that ache. Discover the appropriate treatments for your ailments and avoid further damage so you can return to your next martial arts training session.