Re-occuring injury.

Miles Long

K,
I need a bit of help here, I pulled my hamstring breaking about, I dunno a while ago (the Monday before the AIMAA Nationals/F.A. Cup Final). I guess it hasn't really healed properly or something cause it's still "ginger" when streached and when used within the last 5% of kicks and things that streach it. Has any one got a spare one? No seriously, I don't wanna be one of those guys who is bitter because of having to quit and is full of "If I hadn't done in my..." or "I would, but..."

Help me out, It's a pain in the .. well the leg i guess...:D

Roper

Okay, just to be pedantic, the F.A. Cup Final was 11 days ago. Which makes your injury just over two weeks old. An injury that hasn't cleared up in two weeks isn't a re-occurring one, its just an injury! In short, you won't have to quit just now!!!:D

I would be wary of handing out injury advice over the web as I don't really know what you've done to it. It sounds like a strain though and not a tear (oh you'd know all about those) or a pull. I used to be prone to hamstring injuries when I did TKD on account of the high kicking. They stopped when I stopped doing axe kicks;) Seriously, I stopped getting them after some advice from a physio who told me that most hamstring injuries he came across were not as a result of bad leg flexibilty, but because of weak or inflexible lower back muscles. When I started BJJ (you need a flexible back in BJJ) my hamstring problems stopped, also I was doing a lot more back strengthening exercises.

That's my experience anyway. It might not be worth a sh1t to you like I said. Best advice is to be patient with it. Hammers are a fvcker for healing and they can be very frustrating and might actually turn into a re-occurring injury if you're not careful!

Unpossible

My advice, go see a physio ASAP.

most hamstring injuries he came across were not as a result of bad leg flexibilty, but because of weak or inflexible lower back muscles.

That explains my problem, Im always sore and stiff fro days in my hamstrings after a session with a lot of kicks and high kicks. Im currently seeing a physio about strengthing my lower back. I was wondering why I was always sore, thanks Roper

Miles Long

I think I will, I should also go to the doctor/dentist/optician but we students don't really have time to be killing...

I do get lower back stiffness a lot and my guess is it's not the strongest. It is only in one leg though. Would the lower back not effect both hammers equally?

Unpossible

well apparently all of my lower back is bad, but especially my left side. Months ago when my back was really bad I had most pain on my left side and it affected my left hip (although the problem was partially a joint in my lower back/hip). So I can see how it could only affect only one leg, or one leg more than another.
But I'm no expert and we dont know if your problem is your lower back or your hamstring or something else, hence the need to see someone about it.

ShaneT

Miles,

I've also got an injured hamstring, screwed up hip and weakend wrist. So, I know how it feels.

My instructor is a certified sports physio and he's BANNED me from training in any way for SIX WEEKS.

Any exercise that causes impact on the injuries or MIGHT cause impact (eg. sparring, shadow kickboxing), along with anything that causes pain to the injured areas (eg. running, squats) is out.

But, anything that doesn't hurt the injured area (as a general rule) is acceptable. For the rest, keep it moving but DO NOT do any movement/exercise that causes pain and accept that injuries of this nature (tendons etc) take a nice long time to heal.... ...longer if you don't rest them... ...possible/likely permanent damage if you refuse to listen to what your body is telling you.

Of course, staying away from sparring is not always as easy as it sounds... ...and there are only so many situps a person can do before wanting to kill himself!

Miles Long

It might be better to just go in and say facts to the guy. This hurts. This doesn't. This is what I do. Rather than a ego riddled, "Yeah I thinks X Y R Z..." Kinda like that mechanic sketch Bill Bailey did or those who've seen it.

But yeah, thanks for the advice guys, all was constructive.

BTW, I dunno if I posted about me before. I'm Rory, Hi! , AIMAA TKD Green Belt. I'm tall and relativley skinny. I've done bits of SD and competed here and there, ergo am slowly getting into the whole fighting thing. I'm more technique and theory based than a "hammer and tongs" MA, I couple more hidings may well change that though. I can't even spell BJJ so most of this MMA/BJJ speak is wasted on me, but as Kelsey Grammer would say "I'm Listening"

... and that's jazz.

Miles Long

ShaneT wrote:

I've also got an injured hamstring, screwed up hip and weakend wrist. So, I know how it feels.

Watch out for Carpal Tunnel syndrome! The club I'm in not has just gotton up and running, training is tough but comparitivley less muscle stress is involved than before, hopefully it'll FO in a week or two, a good sign being that it's much better than it was! Like I said it's only the last 5% or so, so it's easily rested and not used on command.

I won't be needing to kick any on 7ft tall in the face cause I won't be there to do it!:D

Miles Long

Elytron wrote:

Dr. Elytron Prognosis: Quit TKD and start BJJ.

Ah, we do enough ground fighting to satisfy my needs for now. Plus I like TKD, It suits my physique... I'm a patterns guy too which I'm guessing is a "no no" in MMA & BJJ? It's definatly a facinating and impressive art but I'd kinda be like Peter Crouch giving it a shot


(btw I'm not that skinny and alkward and unable to control myself and ugly and...):D

Dragan

Miles Long wrote:

I do get lower back stiffness a lot and my guess is it's not the strongest. It is only in one leg though. Would the lower back not effect both hammers equally?

Depending on the dynamic of whatever move/transition you were attempting at the time, it is unlikely that the force would be divided between both legs evenly.

If you lower back is weak, and you are pusing against something, from pretty much any angle, your body will not be able to hold itself in a stable position and you hamstrings will start to apply pressure through the posterier chain in an attempt to off set this.

The majority of muscle related injuries come from a weakness in the chain so to speak. Muscles don't work independantly, they are always reliant on others muscles stablising and taking some of the strain. It this balance is skewed, then injuries occur.

dudara

Hamstrings are tricky, especially if the injury is towards the lower end or near the knee. I injured mine when I landed crooked one night from a flying side-kick (in TKD) and it took a while for it to return to full strength.

You have to go to a physio! Most colleges will have physios at reduced rates for students so take advantage of that, if possible. Listen to the physio. Mine (in the Cork University Hospital) was superb and gave me lots of exercises to do, which combined with the deep massage and ultrasound therapy, really helped me recover. Lots of back and quads work were advised for me to help reduce the strain placed on the hamstring while it healed.