Injury rehabilitation

[Prince_Alarming]

Hey everyone, I'm David
I stiopped doing karate classes a while ago when I broke my hand in two places whacking a makiwara when I was angry. I haven't stopped training- I do kata, technical exercises and weight training, but I'm now at the point where I can start training again after a short session of getting my fitness back up to speed.
My question is, should I start makiwara training again? The injury was caused by using excessive force without being properly conditioned, but I still believe it's a valid and useful training tool if used properly. Please advise.

 

[Xue Sheng]

This is a question for your doctor, not for a bunch of nameless faceless martial artist, who most likely did something similar and went back to training much to soon…. Myself included

 

[Prince_Alarming]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

 

[frank raud]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

Of course, what advantage could a doctor who could actually examine you and perhaps even take a xray have over a bunch of people who have no idea the extent of your injuries or whether or not your hand is properly healed? Definitely ask people with no qualifications, that way you can get the answer you want.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Look, matey, this is the UK. It takes weeks to even see a doctor and it's something I'd rather not trouble them with. I went to the doctor when I did it, who examined me, took an X-ray, then put it in a splint and I've already rested for the length of time he specified.

 

[Xue Sheng]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

Well, based on much experience…you are wrong. But its your hand, Want to cripple it, that’s your call.

Have a nice day

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Instead of a doctor then..a physical therapist. Show them what the conditioning is, and they can tell you how the impact would effect you. If you're still feeling any lingering effects, a physical therapist might help anyway. Been to them for leg, shoulder and neck issues, they've been helpful for all, I'd assume the same for hand.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Fair enough.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

My doctor 100% would not default to "no". If he told me I couldn't do that anymore, it would be because it would be mechanically bad for the hand, in the condition it is after the break. If your primary doctor doesn't understand that, you need a different doctor.

And I get it about long wait times. I had to search a while to find a doctor I could get to more or less regularly (usually less than 2 weeks), who also understands an active adult's needs. I found one with a background in sports medicine, who is also an active adult, himself.

 

[gyoja]

If you aggravate the injury before it is healed, it will just slow down your recovery more. Be patient and train around the injury until it is fully healed.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Fair enough, I suppose you're right

And I get it about long wait times. I had to search a while to find a doctor I could get to more or less regularly (usually less than 2 weeks), who also understands an active adult's needs. I found one with a background in sports medicine, who is also an active adult, himself.

Nice. Sounds like an excellent doctor

 

[Fungus]

Asking your doc if its FULLY healed, and wether it's expected to have full strength after healing sounds wise before you start going hard on anything, as you can worsen things.

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

Speaking about this..... I showed my orthopedic doctor the chudan mawashi geri (out of context) in order to explain what triggers back pain. He then just chuckled and said he never seen a patient complaining doing that specific move before wondering when I needed to do that strange movement? I then expained it's the most common kick and he just said "hmm", so I never got any specific feedback.

The physioterapeut OTOH, said that I should just let pain guide me, as long as the pain is under control, keeping excercise and training is good.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Your best bet is to speak to an orthopedist, preferably one with a sub-specialty in hands. They will not default to "no", by any means. Boxers fractures are incredibly common and once they're healed there's no reason you can't go back to training. But no matter how closely you hold your hand to the computer, there's no way for anyone here to know if it's actually healed.
Once you're cleared, go back to training, but only if you're doing it properly under the supervision of a qualified instructor. At the very least, it's safe to say you should be starting wearing hand wraps and gloves. Over time, you can use lighter gloves, then hand wraps alone. Eventually you may reach a point at which it is safe to work the makiwara bare handed.

 

[Fungus]

What I personally found to be the complicated part, as someone who engages in high contact MA, where delivering and eating pain is par of the game is to learn for myself to distinguish between benign pain and pain that should be taken more seriously. Also as a beginner not having previous experiecen with different types or pain, this is not always trivial, but now I start to feel that I know what I should not ignore, and what I should just endure and condition myself against. I talked to both doctors and physiotherapis, and while they give good input, at the end of the day nothing replaces learning to interpret your own body. But it has taken me 1.5 years with trial and error (avoid or endure) to do so regarding my back issues.

 

[HighKick]

Hey everyone, I'm David
I stiopped doing karate classes a while ago when I broke my hand in two places whacking a makiwara when I was angry. I haven't stopped training- I do kata, technical exercises and weight training, but I'm now at the point where I can start training again after a short session of getting my fitness back up to speed.
My question is, should I start makiwara training again? The injury was caused by using excessive force without being properly conditioned, but I still believe it's a valid and useful training tool if used properly. Please advise.

The short answer is yes. But be very, very certain you technique is correct and ease into using the board. And of course, check with you Ortho to make certain the hand is ready to go.
Expect new pain. Learning what is 'good' pain and what is excess may take some time.

 

[Holmejr]

Hey everyone, I'm David
I stiopped doing karate classes a while ago when I broke my hand in two places whacking a makiwara when I was angry. I haven't stopped training- I do kata, technical exercises and weight training, but I'm now at the point where I can start training again after a short session of getting my fitness back up to speed.
My question is, should I start makiwara training again? The injury was caused by using excessive force without being properly conditioned, but I still believe it's a valid and useful training tool if used properly. Please advise.

You weren’t angry due to the state of socialized medicine were you? That would be ironic!

Kidding aside, X-ray and MRI are the only way to determine structural integrity. Otherwise you fly by feelings. Might or might not work for you. Hope it does.

 

[Roy Kamen]

Once you understand how to hit the makiwara and issue force correctly, you can stop using the makiwara on a regular basis. It's just a training tool. Certainly, wait until you are fully healed. It takes longer than you think. And please be sure to consider your hand when you are older. Old injuries come back to haunt us.

 

[Buka]

You shouldn’t hit anything until you learn to manage your temper.

 

[JowGaWolf]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

My son's doctor is a black belt in TKD. My doctor trained tai chi, on of my students from 10 years ago is a surgeon. I think you would be surprised. Most martial artists go to the doctor when injured, so I doubt you would be the first martial artist they had to help

 

[Bill Mattocks]

With respect, I disagree. I already know what the doctor will say- 'no', with a side order of 'are you retarded?' because doctors don't generally train in martial arts. It's a martial arts question for martial arts people.

OK. I'm not a doctor. Here's my advice. No to makiwara.

One, it's not a necessary component of training; for anyone.
Two, it can be dangerous, as you yourself discovered.
Three, the basic premise of it is that it 'toughens' the hands by desensitizing nerve endings. There may come a time when you'd wish you had those nerve endings again.

Adults of course are free to do as they wish; it's your body, after all. I am 100% against kids doing makiwara work.

I suspect you'll disagree with me. But then, I suspect you just want to be told it's OK to do what you are already planning to do anyway. So you do you, boo.