Injuries

[DisgruntledGirl]

Very New to Karate, started January 17th 07 (will be taking my first promotion test soon though to yellow belt (9th kyu). Am 28 years old... not "fat" though not tiny (5'-3" - and about 145-150lbs) so I dont think that should be part of the problem in case you were wondering.

Well I think I have rather loose joints in general. Dislocated one shoulder when I was 16 and the other when I was 23... not doing anything athletic though (I'm also Diabetic (type 1)... both situation were during very bad insulin reactions).

Anyway, during class one day in my first two weeks my knee kinda hyperextended just doin g a stretch... and a couple weeks ago the other one just slightly slipped out of place while at home (not doing anything all that athletic). Also my right hip joint feels quite funny recently since a couple weeks ago after (I think) trying a little too hard with my kata and turning badly... to describe it, it will often feel like my inner thigh (hamstring?) muscle is pulling and in pain and also when I do a jodan mae geri I will hear (though I dont think others can hear it so maybe I just "feel" it) a popping sound/feeling af the joint... sometimes this is also accompanied by a mild pulling sensation in one of my lower abdomenal muscles.

Though the first knee "injury" was the worst, it did not stop me from doing most things during that same class though my stances could only really be done with the one side as the other knee couldnt support some movements/pressure. The other more mild injuries also havent stopped me from being able to do anything either really (though I'm sure I am not as good as I coulda bin were they not there) or stop me from going although I do wear knee braces on both knees now during class to protect them from moving around too much.

Ooops, I seem to be rambling. I guess my real question is this: If I am only a white belt now and just the couple of little movements I am doing is making my body crumble to this degree... what would be yalls oppinion on whether or not I should quit while I'm ahead? Sad part is, this is the only "exercise" that I purposely do that has managed to keep my interest for a full 3 months and that I actually look forward to going to I just keep waivering back and forth to exactly how much more my body can take?

Oh and as a side note... my sister has been diagnosed with "Hypermobility" though I have not... but that might be something that I might have that might be potentially causeing a lot of my problems?

BTW my style is called "Shindo Jinen Ryu" though not a lot have heard of it... I'd say its probably very similar to Shotokan though if you need something to go by.

Thanks for any oppinions and sorry for being so long winded in my first post.

[DancingSteve]

FWIW increased training w/o being foolish will serve to strengthen your muscles and hopefully rid you of most problems.

Foolish being...getting kicked in the knee. Pushing beyond your limit, etc,etc.

[obiwansbane]

What dancing means... Strengthen your muscles to properly be able to cope with all the motions you have to go through, but in the process of strengthening don't let yourself get injured but doing anything stupid.

As for my opinion... always the doctors kid, id tell you to go see a doctor and ask for his opinion on things, as he could probably tell you better than we can what to do that would allow you to continue your training...

[cross]

Firstly, welcome to the forum!

To answer your question:

I guess my real question is this: If I am only a white belt now and just the couple of little movements I am doing is making my body crumble to this degree... what would be yalls oppinion on whether or not I should quit while I'm ahead?

From your post it seems(and correct me if im wrong) your reason for training is to get fit and maintain a certain level of health? If this is the case, there are lots of ways you can do this that dont involve karate. You may be able to find a lower impact activity that will still offer you the benifits your looking for, without the worry of injury.

Should you quit while your ahead? Thats only something you can decide, and if your going to quit and then do nothing, i wouldnt recommend it. However if your going to quit to go find something better suited to your needs, then i would say go for it. Talk to doctors and personal trainers etc, get all the information you can and then workout something you can do to reach your goals without causing unnecessary injury.

Best of luck, let us know how it goes.

[marie curie]

I've had a couple of injuries and it seems that the worst thing I ever did was decide not to go to the dr. right away. I suggest you talk to your sensei immediately and to you dr. as soon as you can, and see if between the three of you, you can come up with a plan for a low-impact version of some of the forms (stances that aren't so deep, slower, tension moves instead of quick ones).

[DisgruntledGirl]

Firstly, welcome to the forum! ?

Thanks.

From your post it seems(and correct me if im wrong) your reason for training is to get fit and maintain a certain level of health?

Well.. you are not 100% correct in that. Yes, a good bit of my reason for going is indeed to get fit etc. But to do so with something that actually grabbed my interest enough to keep going.

I have joined gyms befor and stopped going within like a month and I didnt even go the full 3 times I week I had initially intened. I just dont know of anything that gives me the same secondary goal that karate does with the advancements of belts etc. My sensei is also a pretty good guy as well so I think that also keeps me interested. He always tells me to "watch my knees" now but really once I'm warmed up they and my hip dont cause much trouble... its more during the day when I dont have class when they bother me the most and I feel like a lil old lady.

Should you quit while your ahead? Thats only something you can decide, and if your going to quit and then do nothing, i wouldnt recommend it.

See thats what I figure I'd do if I quit... do nothing. So I really dont want to and I really do enjoy going. and as far as doing something less impact... one class the sensei had to go out so he had a tia chi (sp?) sensei lead us in a class of it... and quite frankly... something like that just bore me to tears. I kinda like the impact of the style of karate that I do and would feel silly lowering my impact for this just as a preventative means when I am not currently hurting bad enough to not be able to do everything.

Thanks again for letting me ramble. I appreciate all of your oppinions and I suppose I might see a doc about it... eventually

What I have always said though was "My first dislocated shoulder, and I'm OUT!!!" Though I think I only agree with that statement if I get one before greenbelt or something cus thats a lot of time to waste if you never intend on goin back cus of one injury.

[P.A.L]

Chotoku Kyan was considered a handicap yet by practice he became one of the most famous karate masters of all time.

http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_noble_0800.htm

[cross]

See thats what I figure I'd do if I quit... do nothing. So I really dont want to and I really do enjoy going. and as far as doing something less impact... one class the sensei had to go out so he had a tia chi (sp?) sensei lead us in a class of it... and quite frankly... something like that just bore me to tears. I kinda like the impact of the style of karate that I do and would feel silly lowering my impact for this just as a preventative means when I am not currently hurting bad enough to not be able to do everything.

Seems like you have almost answered your own question here. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Though I think I only agree with that statement if I get one before greenbelt or something cus thats a lot of time to waste if you never intend on goin back cus of one injury.

Thats one way to look at it. Also you need to consider how much of a problem that injury will cause you in later life. It might just be one little injury now, but if you keep training and pushing it to hard just to get a belt you may end up in a world of pain when the years start adding up.

Just some thoughts.

[DisgruntledGirl]

Seems like you have almost answered your own question here. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure I had my mind made up before even asking but wanted to know if anyone else had experiences similar to mine with the loose joints etc so early in training, and how they went about it.

Thats one way to look at it. Also you need to consider how much of a problem that injury will cause you in later life. It might just be one little injury now, but if you keep training and pushing it to hard just to get a belt you may end up in a world of pain when the years start adding up.

Oh sure sure. I wouldnt rush back into it after anything as serious as a dislocated shoulder.. .my first dislocation I was in a sling for 6 weeks the second for only 3 weeks but in both instances my arm was all but useless for quite some time afterwards.

I was just saying that 9th kyu take ~4 months (hopefully 3 for me if I pass the test next week) 8th kyu another 4 months and 7th (green belt for us) ~4 more months (maybe more depending) so all I was really saying was if I get something as serious as a true dislocation in the first or second belt... it may very well be time to quit... but after the third a whole year (at least) would have been put into it and that I'd have to think a lil harder before 100% giving it up without a fight or at least seeing if I *could* get back into it.

Just some thoughts.

And I appreciate them all.

[bushido_man96]

You may want to see a doctor or specialist. It just seems that someone shouldn't get so injured in the first few months of training. You may be "hyperflexible," and that could be leading to your knee and shoulder dislocations.

If you can start building up some strength around those joints, and learn to control the techniques that you do so that you are not locking them out each time, all of this will beging to help you.

However, talking to the doctor may be the best idea here. He may give you the same advise.

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