Banged up in a Fight? Do this…
Author: Garland H. - (Silat Sharaf Practitioner, ER Nurse)
Anyone doing any martial art or contact sport has gotten themselves banged up at least once, if not on a fairly regular basis. The purpose of this article is simply to provide some quick tips, tricks, and suggest some tools for promoting a speedy recovery.
Bumps and bruises are normal for contact sport
Muscle Aches: Taking a heavy shot on a muscle, such as a Thai style round kick to the thigh or a kinjit/elbow to the biceps hurts like a bastard and can linger for quite some time. The same is true for the sort of delayed onset muscle soreness one gets from swinging a stick for a considerable length of time. The technical term for this type of muscle pain is an acute localized myalgia. (myo= muscle, algia = pain).
Tried and True
The empiric treatment of muscle aches is heat, rest, APAP (acetaminophen/tylenol, a rose by any other name) or NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, think Ibuprofen) for their anti-inflammatory properties, and muscle relaxants if the issue is severe enough to warrant them. It is also important to remember to stay hydrated. Remember to drink water following strenuous work-outs, when recovering from injury and illness (unless you're hyponatremic), and even vigorous massage.
Topical Ointments
There is a myriad of ointments, salves, and other topical preparations which one can use to augment this type of pain in addition to rest, heat, and medication. Thai boxers and soccer players use an oil (also comes in an ointment form) called namman muay. Traditionally, namman muay is massaged into a nak muay/thai boxer's muscles prior to a fight. The stuff is awesome and has a strong menthol aroma. Many other ointments are menthol based, including; tiger balm, bengay, icey hot, and aspercreme to name just a few. One of my personal favorites is Wong To Yick Woodlick oil. Capsaicin creme is also becoming more popular as a topical analgesic. Capsaicin is the chemical in peppers which cause a burning sensation when you eat spicy food, and has been shown to be effective for treating pain.
It numbs the area and promotes blood circulation, providing a warm sensation to your body
Dit Da Jow
There are a plethora of traditional Chinese medicines which are designed with martial arts in mind. Some of these can be taken internally and mixed with teas or ethanol (rice wine, grain alcohol, etc) as a tincture. The empirical evidence for these is sort of up in the air, and as most are home made or bespoke blends, the actual ingredients of the jow vary greatly. Externally they can be applied to bruises and areas of muscular pain. Other jows are designed and marketed specifically for hard body conditioning such as iron palm, iron fist, iron shirt/body training.
Often a martial arts master blends his own mixture of aromatic herbs which are believed to stimulate circulation, reduce pain and swelling, and improve healing of injuries and wounds.
TENS Units
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation units are amazing. They are becoming much more affordable. I swear by them.
delivering small electrical impulses through electrodes that have adhesive pads to attach them to a person’s skin