how to overcome fear? (related to injuries)

[Burbankian]

a backstory, back in 2012, I dislocated my right shoulder due to a freak train accident, months after that, I dislocated it again, during a basketball game (not that bad though, then, again, after a few months, I dislocated it again, while I was sparring (I wasn't training in Muay Thai yet, when I dislocated it during a basketball game)

last week, I had a sparring with my trainer, after the spar, instead of me just continuing with my stuff in the gym and all, he came to me, and we talked, and he was serious.

he was concerned because, ever since I dislocated my right shoulder during a sparring, I haven't been throwing a "proper" jab, he advised me to take a rest, as long as I need to, and think about my shoulder and all (BTW I'm southpaw) and he emphasized to me to "overcome the fear".

truth be told, it's true, I haven't been throwing jabs ever since it happened, I throw jabs during pad/bag works, but in sparring, I really limit it, he even told me that I was using my left hand to cover my right shoulder when jabbing (I didn't notice it though).

my question to the community, how do you overcome this kind of fear? I've taken the advice of my trainer and will rest for 2 weeks, I really have no one to talk to about this, my friends don't train in any MA, and no one in my family that is near here does MA (atm, the only one near me is my mother and uncle, and they don't do martial arts), I tried talking it with a friend, who has injuries in basketball, and about overcoming the fears when playing basketball, but it's kinda different.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Start by going to see an orthopedic surgeon. Every time you dislocate your shoulder, it gets looser. And therefore progressively easier to dislocate again. At this point, the odds are very good that you need to have surgery to tighten things up.
Once the shoulder is fixed, you can start consciously using it more, until it sinks in that it's not going to fall off again.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Start by going to see an orthopedic surgeon. Every time you dislocate your shoulder, it gets looser. And therefore progressively easier to dislocate again. At this point, the odds are very good that you need to have surgery to tighten things up.
Once the shoulder is fixed, you can start consciously using it more, until it sinks in that it's not going to fall off again.

What Dirty Dog Said

 

[K-man]

It's a problem that a lot of footballers have here. They strap the shoulder with rigid tape before playing. Whether the strapping actually helps or whether it is psychological is open to debate but it might be worth trying.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/07/30/2638957.htm
:asian:

 

[Dirty Dog]

It's a problem that a lot of footballers have here. They strap the shoulder with rigid tape before playing. Whether the strapping actually helps or whether it is psychological is open to debate but it might be worth trying.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/07/30/2638957.htm
:asian:

If this actually works (and I haven't seen any real evidence that it does) it still falls into the category of a bandaid. It's treating the symptom, not the cause. When possible, it is far, far better to fix the problem, rather than just masking the symptoms.

 

[chinto]

consult an Orthopedic surgeon, let him do some imaging and things and see if you need surgery or just physical therapy to fix the problem. if you do not, it will provably get worse and not better.

 

[SENC-33]

First off I second the go seek a medical opinion advice.....

Secondly.....Learn the Systema punch and you will learn how to strike hard and severly limit the negative kinetic energy coming back to your body

 

[K-man]

If this actually works (and I haven't seen any real evidence that it does) it still falls into the category of a bandaid. It's treating the symptom, not the cause. When possible, it is far, far better to fix the problem, rather than just masking the symptoms.

Quite true, but these guys try to see the season out before having surgery. A friend recently had the surgery ... total rest for 3 months then just light work after that for we don't know how long. One of my senior guys goes in for surgery next month. Heaven only knows when he'll be back. It's possibly worth giving the strapping a try short term.
:asian:

 

[jks9199]

Start by going to see an orthopedic surgeon. Every time you dislocate your shoulder, it gets looser. And therefore progressively easier to dislocate again. At this point, the odds are very good that you need to have surgery to tighten things up.
Once the shoulder is fixed, you can start consciously using it more, until it sinks in that it's not going to fall off again.

Excellent advice. You may not be covering out of fear. You may be covering because it's still unstable -- and your body knows it even if you don't. Get it checked carefully by a doctor, and then you may need some physical therapy or simply strengthening exercises to use it fully.

If you get the OK by the doc... the only fix to a fear like that that I'm aware of is simply pushing yourself and facing it. Start with drills to work the left jab with a partner, and graduate to sparring using only that left jab.

 

[jks9199]

Quite true, but these guys try to see the season out before having surgery. A friend recently had the surgery ... total rest for 3 months then just light work after that for we don't know how long. One of my senior guys goes in for surgery next month. Heaven only knows when he'll be back. It's possibly worth giving the strapping a try short term.
:asian:

Recovery depends on what's wrong. That's why you need a doctor or at least a certified athletic trainer to assess it.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Quite true, but these guys try to see the season out before having surgery. A friend recently had the surgery ... total rest for 3 months then just light work after that for we don't know how long. One of my senior guys goes in for surgery next month. Heaven only knows when he'll be back. It's possibly worth giving the strapping a try short term.
:asian:

If this is your livelihood, then I can see this as an option, once you weigh the almost-certain additional damage. But otherwise, trying to tough it out us just foolish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

 

[Travis de Clifford]

If this is your livelihood, then I can see this as an option, once you weigh the almost-certain additional damage. But otherwise, trying to tough it out us just foolish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

I agree with Dirty Dog. After 14 years of injuries through MA, it's a lesson learned the hard way. Rest up. You're not fighting competitively, so no need to push so hard. You want longevity from your chosen MA, not glory.

 

[K-man]

I agree with Dirty Dog. After 14 years of injuries through MA, it's a lesson learned the hard way. Rest up. You're not fighting competitively, so no need to push so hard. You want longevity from your chosen MA, not glory.

Welcome to MT.
:wavey:

Do you have a doctor relative by any chance?

Resting up in this situation is not an option. I certainly agree with obtaining advice from a doctor trained in sports medicine but the injury described in the OP will not repair itself. So if you want to avoid an operation and continue training there are limited options, none of which is optimal. I have a number of friends with stuffed shoulders, mostly from BJJ. They still train but we are careful when we train with them.
:asian:

 

[Aiki Lee]

What happened during your sparring session that led to the dislocation? Did you throw a punch to hard and throw out your shoulder or did someone hit you in the shoulder. If a doctor clears you then just start slowly until you are comfortable with the movements again.

 

[Burbankian]

thanks everyone, I consulted it with a physical therapist, he said something like a "grade 2 dislocation"
it does not need surgery yet, but I should improve my shoulder's muscle mass, when he touched my shoulders, he said that my muscles are thin
I'll go to a orthopedic soon, to get another opinion

What happened during your sparring session that led to the dislocation? Did you throw a punch to hard and throw out your shoulder or did someone hit you in the shoulder. If a doctor clears you then just start slowly until you are comfortable with the movements again.

it was a boxing error for me, I'm a southpaw, I threw a right hook while backpedaling towards the right (using my left foot), my sparring partner also backpedaled towards "my" right, and when the hook connected, it popped out, I did throw my punch too heavy/hard.

when I start throwing punches, I always backpedal it's a problem for me

 

[Aiki Lee]

A lot of people backpedal under pressure. It is a difficult thing to train out of.