My Martial arts history, like many, is riddled with physical setbacks, not only with minor injuries that pass easily but also with damaged spinal disks and returning to training after pregnancy, which I did twice. Once as a very fit 23-year-old and then again in my late 30's - both very different experiences, the latter being much tougher. Presently my issues are a bit more tricky with the hips and the discovery that they hurt because the top of the leg joint isn't positioned correctly in the hip socket and never has been.
It all just goes on in the background of what is my love affair with Karate. Over the years it is becoming clear that these apparent 'problems' are actually helping to mould me, not only into a more intelligent healthy person who is making healthy lifestyle choices because of them but also I am a more skilled Karateka. I am guided by pain sometimes and motivated to not do things with my body that hurt it at others, therefore making me more self-aware and mindful in my body when training...this is one of the aims of our art, right? I am sure that anyone reading this post can relate, I'm not talking about anything new here.
I think that it would be boring to go through my personal injuries and how I got over them in detail, so instead, I will focus on the positive discoveries that came about because of them. The search for relief has brought insight into a better way of living, being and most importantly training. We all often need the motivation to treat ourselves well, so I have compiled a list of tips that will help you to keep doing what you love!
Treatment and action methods as a way of injury prevention
Let's be straightforward here, if we train Karate regularly we need regular treatments. There is no way that we would drive a car without servicing it. I have had to accept the fact that, actually, I am an elite athlete. My training routine, attitude to karate and approach to life all point towards this being a fact. The difference is that I choose not to compete in competitions. But this choice has caused me to not take myself quite as seriously as perhaps I should. I bet that there are many of you out there with the same misconception. Please take yourself seriously and see if you can adopt some of these healthy ideas.
- Have regular treatments. I recommend that for those not competing, going for a treatment once or twice a month will help injury prevention. My personal recommendations are: find a good sports therapist that has the full range of massage skills. Especially someone who is skilled at deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy and myofascial release technique. The latter is the BEST EVER for muscle/structural realignment and flushing out new and old injuries. If you can find a good 'real' massage/sports therapist, hold on to them. (A word here, the more experienced they are the better for you. At least 5 years is my minimum)
- Sometimes we need an Osteopath or Chiropractor, but if your massage/sports therapy is going as it should be, these treatments may not be needed so often. My recurring spinal issues are often organ or stomach related which are distinct from actual spinal injuries, this could worth tuning into for your self.
- Warm up properly! Personally it takes me 20 minutes to get thoroughly warm and personally, I do better with dynamic stretching because I'm already flexible. Most of my students NEED static stretching after warming up (I don't care what the experts say) They really need it. I have been training since I was a child and I'm not convinced that Static stretching is good for a young body, especially one that is going to train its entire life. But in the case of adults starting once their body is set, working on flexibility is a must. But these days Omega oils, water intake and magnesium are usually needed in ordered to help the older body loosen up and stay loose as it gets older too.
- A super favourite of mine is the Win Hoff Method Every day after going for a walk I have a VERY cold shower for a least 4 minutes and I also take a cold shower after a heavy training session. For me the results are:
- I reset my body once a day.
- Pain levels in my hip have gone down by 95% - 100%
- I can walk upright again.
- My immunity is ace. The cold showers kick out anything that tries to start.
- Increased energy levels.
- Fewer headaches.
- It acts as an anti-inflammatory.
- I could go on and on...
- Visualisation I'm sure is not new for any of us. As the joke goes, 'If you are talking to me and I don't look like I listening it's because I thinking about kata' or as my husband often asks at quite intimate moments, 'what ya thinking about?' I truly cannot bring my self to be honest sometimes! Personally speaking, if I visualise a kata wrong, I do it wrong. If there is a gap in my visualisation and it is incomplete in some way, my physical kata becomes incomplete as well. Even though I may know the kata just from a physical perspective my previous visualisation overruns it. It is a known fact that those athletes that train and use visualisation have greater muscle bulk than those who don't use visualisation. Therefore we can absolutely use visualisation (and breath) to repair injuries and promote cell growth. I am doing this myself and it's working.
- Meditation, quite Mindfulness practises...there are so many different emphases, types and schools of meditation that can have important ramifications throughout our entire life, aiding mental, emotional and physical health. Meditation was once explained to me simply as 'one pointed concentration' so it can be anything that you want it to be. But for me and the way I practise karate and my attitude to life, meditation offers a complete contrast. It is a calming influence aiding me to live in a very different part of my nature and collect myself in a different way.
- Lastly Hatha Yoga - 'the preparatory stage for physical purification that the body practices for higher meditation'. Anyone that I have spoken to about yoga in relation to their karate injuries has said that once they started Yoga the injuries went away. That's good enough for me so I have started.
My next step is to find out about blood types, diet and how this affects pain levels and training abilities. My basic understanding is that different blood types thrive on different foods and that high acidity levels are a tendency amongst people that train hard like ourselves. This over time is damaging to our joints and bones. As we know many Karateka has hip and knee problems. Is this purely down to incorrect training methods, positions and overuse or could these issues be addressed through correct diet? I think so. I would love to know what anyone else out there knows and what books or web pages to look at.
In the meantime, my greatest respect goes out to you all. Osu!
