Muay Thai / Kickboxing Specific Physios

MasterChief32

Hows it going... I have been training in Muay Thai for the last 2 years now and i have a recurring injury with my shin. I leave it alone and stop training for a month or 2 and it seems to get better until i start training hard (for a fight) and it goes again. Anyway ive been to many sports physios and they cant seem to pinpoint the problem exactly... (X-ray showed no fracture either)
I was wondering if anybody would know of any physios that would specialise in Muay Thai or Kickboxing specific injuries and who would have come across an injury similar to mine, as i seem to have wasted my time & money with my previous physios.
Im living in Dublin..

Thanks in advance

Baggio...

Drop Paddy Clint a line, I'm sure he's know someone.

R.

Khannie

I'd say ask in your club. A normal physio should be well versed in all body parts though.

I've had trouble with my shin before (the muscle that runs down the outside of the bone). I expect the ol' red bag in bridgestone to put that to rest once and for all fairly soon.

MasterChief32

yeah its the muscle down along the side of the shin thats giving trouble... howd you sort it out Khannie?
Hitting the red bag is just gonna make it worse man

wudangclan

i also had some recurring foot problems and the same shin problem and every now and again i would suffer from strained calf muscles.i received the following advice from a physio in a martial arts gym abroad and problems have since ceased;
-after training its a good idea to give your feet a good massage with either your hands/roll the foot over a golf ball/or use one of those wooden rolly self reflexology things (?) (i know they can be got in the back shop on exchequer street for 20 euros) for about 10 minutes.this can be done after training while sitting watching telly.
-for the leg muscles,lie on your back (again at night after training ) and elevate the feet for about 15 mins,to allow lactic acid to drain and also give the muscle a good deep massage,up and down the direction of the muscle.
-be consistent,keep at it all the time,dont just do these things when injury comes back

MasterChief32

Cheers.. would these exercises help the shin problem? Or just for the foot and calfs?

Khannie

MasterChief32 wrote: »

yeah its the muscle down along the side of the shin thats giving trouble... howd you sort it out Khannie?

Just rested it. It's happened to me twice now, both from blocks during sparring. Once on my right leg and once on my left. It was absolutely _excruciating_ if it got even the slightest tap. Each time took about 3 - 4 weeks to heal properly. An injury that far from your heart will generally heal slowly (AFAIK).

I have ongoing trouble with my left leg locking up / spasming (mostly at night) but this doesn't affect my training at all.

MasterChief32 wrote: »

Hitting the red bag is just gonna make it worse man

The 3 bags as you walk in the door are in order of hardness. Since I don't have any injury at the moment I'll start with the middle one and move onto the red bag. I believe that this should help sort things out, but I certainly wouldn't do it with that injury or even for a while after recovering. I missed my last fight because of the same injury you have....tried kicking the bag a few days before it with _2_ sets of shinpads on and nearly fell over with the pain.

Wudangclans idea seems like a good one to me. It is a muscular issue (at least it was for me) so massage should help.

wudangclan

i saw the guy first for the shin ,then later on for the calf .same exercises for both.
i would get the shin thing coming up to a fight,whacking the back with low kicks,and it got so its very hard to jog or skip.
i seen the guy once,he massaged me,he gave me the exercises,i did them ,problem solved.
then i stopped doing em,started training again for a fight,upping the tempo ,so to speak and then after the class was finished a couple of times my calf muscle would just seize and i could'nt
train for a few days.
went back to the guy and he said just stick with these exercises,but do em all the time,which i have done, and the legs have been fine.

Zizou

Can i sugest the below:
(I always thought a bottle was great for shin conditioning myself)

First, you must realize that a conditioned shin is one with deadened nerves. The shin is already hard and will unlikely get much harder. The key is to deaden the nerves so that you wouldn't feel the pain upon impact. However, you must also realize that you should not damage the shin bone while trying to deaden the nerves. This can be done only by practicing on the Thai pads and bags. The Thai pads and bags are softer than your shin bone while hard enough to damage the nerves on the skin above your shin bone with repeated impact. This process can take a while depending on how hard you train and how frequently you train. You must accept that in the beginning, it will be painful. You've just picked one of the most demanding sports in the world. There will be pain to go with it. This is only the beginning. The first time an opponent lands a hard Thai kick on your legs, you will get a wake up call more painful than shin conditioning. Mentally tell yourself that this is the initiation process. In time your shins will be properly conditioned. There are ointments that may alleviate some of the pain. Use them as needed. But understand that no oitment will make the process painless.

What I don't want to see any of you do is to try and take the shortcut at shin conditioning by using hard objects like wood or bottles. I was shocked to hear that some people were actually told by their trainers to take this route. If your trainer tells you to beat your shins with sticks or roll hard bottles on them, seek another Muay Thai gym. This is what will happen if you take these drastic measures. You will at first feel that your shins are conditioned fast. Why? Your nerves have been deadened fast so that you now feel little pain. But by using an object harder than your shin bone you've just damaged the bone too. Guess what will happen later in life? That's right, you will have to see a doctor for bone problems. This crazy method probably started from the myth that Thai boxers in Thailand kicked trees with their shins. The truth is long ago before the availability of pads and bags, Thai boxers kicked banana trees. The texture of a banana tree is rubbery and is softer than a person's shin. It is not like the wooden oak tree sitting in your backyard. The only thing as hard as or harder than your shin bone that you may one day hit are the shins, knees, and elbows of your opponents. And if you end up hurting your shin bone as a result of kicking into your opponents raised knee, then you may still suffer an injury. Just try to minimize injuries in training and save your luck for the ring. Most importantly, always consult a physician with your concerns. They know best.

paddyc

sore shins you say...

... stay away from hard bags mate, even if your shin not sore stay away from them.

put peanut butter on them before you go running... i swear it will help


paddy

Khannie

paddyc wrote: »

put peanut butter on them before you go running... i swear it will help

Haha. Fair play paddy. A real conversation stopper that one.

paddyc

i tellin u it works man...if he gonna kick laurel he might as well put peanut buttr on his shins...

Dave Joyce

Hey MasterChief, we have a sports massage therapist who works from our club and he has treated a few of the guys for shin problems. He has found that working deep tissue on the calf muscles sorts out a lot of shin problems. Worked a treat for all of our guys.

MasterChief32

Dave Joyce wrote: »

Hey MasterChief, we have a sports massage therapist who works from our club and he has treated a few of the guys for shin problems. He has found that working deep tissue on the calf muscles sorts out a lot of shin problems. Worked a treat for all of our guys.

How r ya Dave...where abouts is this guy based?

Dragan

Sports Medicine Ireland.

Irregardless of your sport or injury they are the people you want to talk to.

MasterChief32

These guys have a website or contact num Dragan? CAnt find them on the net?

Dave Joyce

MasterChief, Ian is based in our club in Galway which I would presume is useless to you if you're not based here.

MasterChief32

no worries Dave... ill find someone

zenboy

there wont be a therapist who specialises in martial arts but any chartered physio,sports rehabilitator will be familar with your problem.Sounds like shin splints but youd have to be diagnosed.Its a very common injury especially in runners .Look up ISCP for a physio near you or in the yellow pages under sports medicine.