Joint problems and losing motivation?

[andy100]

Get to a doctor about your knees. They may need some work done on them. Then, find a way to supplement your training so that it doesn't stress your knees so much. Talk to your instructor about this, and he should be able to help you out.

The key to success in the Martial Arts isn't training through your injuries; it is in training around your injuries.

Well I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment to see the doc tomorrow morning.

I emailed mu instructor and his opinion is to work through the pain to make the muscles and ligaments harder and stronger. He did say to pull him aside when I went (which was supposed to be last night), and from seeing another guy at class who's got an upper thigh/hip injury, out instructor does ease off the stretches if you're injured. I'm not so sure that I want to be doing any of that though until I've been properly checked out!

I agree that training around injuries should be the best way to success, but the thought of doing the exercise and stretching at all doesn't make me feel enthused at all at the moment. I guess I'll just have to see how things pan out...

[bushido_man96]

If the stretching causes serious pain, then you shouldn't do it until you are healed. However, that doesn't mean that you can't work on something else, like punching combinations and the like. That is what I mean by train around your injuries. Try to avoid training the injured area if you can, and work on something else.

[andy100]

Well I've just got from the doc's and she didn't think that my aches are anything wrong aside from weak inner quadricep muscles on both knees, along with a possible inflammation under my left kneecap. She's given me a basic exercise to do to strengthen these to do every day, and advised that the kickboxing won't do any harm.

However I'm not wholly convinced still by her diagnosis. I mean, sure, I don't think I've got arthritis or anything that severe, but I'm not sure that my pains are down to just weak muscles, as I've had them for far too long. Surely these quadricep muscles would've naturally developed (especially with all the walking I do) as they're not exactly in an odd place that wouldn't normally get used?

Maybe I'm just trying to find fault to justify my lack of enthusiasm/boredom with the kickboxing, so that I have an excuse not to go. Bearing that in mind, unless I have a major change of heart over the weekend, I think my short foray into the world of MA's has ended. I suppose I'm bored of the lack of equipment and frustrated by slow progress, couple with the fact that I hate[/] the stretching exercises as I'm next to useless at them.

 

Sorry for the long post!

 

Andy

[DWx]

Did she not give you anything for the inflammation, like anti-inflammatries? If you're not happy with her diagnosis get a second opinion or go see a physio.

If you're bored with kickboxing maybe its not for you and something else is. Good luck with your knees though.

[andy100]

Did she not give you anything for the inflammation, like anti-inflammatries? If you're not happy with her diagnosis get a second opinion or go see a physio.

If you're bored with kickboxing maybe its not for you and something else is. Good luck with your knees though.

No, she just said that it "flairs up & down in a lot of people", so basically 'there'! I've just had a full body massage too, and the masseuse told me that my left hip and pelvis is slightly tilted forwards, which might have something to do with it, because of carrying unbalanced body weight. She recommended seeing a chiropractor to get that sorted.

Whilst the massage she did on my whole legs has made them feel a bit better, my knees and in particular 'behind' my kneecaps still feel very stiff & achey.

I'm going to give the exercise she recommended a go, coupled with glucosamine tablets for a month, and if it's not improved I'll seek a second opinion from my regular doctor when I next see him. Hopefully the combination of those plus the chiropractor will solve it! Up until now, I guess I thought that achey knees where a regular occurence in most people and that it was normal!

As for the kickboxing, I'm not going to rule out going again, but maybe after I've sorted my knees out. Some of it may be down to picking the wrong time of year to start too maybe. I wouldn't rule out other MA's either, but maybe not until I sort out my knees, plus there's a lack of clubs or MA's around Oxford that seem 'proper' as it were, but we'll see!

Thanks for the advice and concern guys.

Andy

[safetyal]

Hello, long time lurker here and I may be a little late to the party. Hopefully Andy still comes back.

One thing I noticed in your post was that you said you practice on a squash court. I am not sure if they put pads out, but if they don't, you may not have enough foot support. Try looking up Runner's Knee. Some of the symptoms you describe are reminiscent of that particular ailment. I know this from experience.

[andy100]

Hi Safetyal,

Yep, I still lurk here

Thanks for your input. To be honest, I've stopped the kickboxing completely now. I went to see an osteopath after my GP diagnosis, who basically said that doc was talking 'cr*p'! Whilst the osteopath did tell me that other muscles needed to be stretched more and that my right leg is about 1cm shorter than my left, which accounted for the aching in my right knee, they still couldn't explain the regular clicking in my knee.

After seeing my regular GP for another opinion last week, I'm completely confused and to be honest, hacked off with medical practitioner's diagnoses, as he just backed up the first doc's diagnosis! The day after that, after being an usher at a wedding and on my feet all day (running around and up & down stairs a lot, followed by being cramped in the back of a car for an hour journey home), my knee had basically given out completely on me.

I've just given up with trying to work out was is wrong, and am just putting up with the achiness. Sadly I don't think I'll be going back to kickboxing or MA anytime soon though. Oh well!

[safetyal]

Just a thought.

You may want to consider swimming if possible or even weight lifting where you can exert more influence over the exact exercises you perform, skipping those that cause too much discomfort.

Either way good luck on whatever you decide to do.

[DWx]

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Must be fustrating not having support from your GP. I would keep at the strength exercises they gave you if they aren't causing additional pain, it could help in the end.

safetyal's suggestions for alternative exercises are good. Maybe try doing some of them.

Your MA life doesn't have to toally end though. If kickboxing is no longer an option maybe a softer art might suit you better? I know Tai Chi gets a bad rap for being for older people, but if you find a good teacher who is willing to show you more of the martial aspect you may like it. In my class I'm the youngest by about 50 years! but my teacher loves to discuss and show me martial applications to the techniques and she spends time with me training some of the moves at more of a combat speed.

Best of Luck,

[andy100]

Thanks for the kind words safetyal & DWx...I'd really like to follow through and carry on with something but unfortunately my motivation (which isn't great at the best of times!) has taken a serious dent with all this

Maybe I'll find it again at some point - there is a soft and hard Tai Chi class in Oxford, but I don't know what sort of thing either does or how good it is...

I can still dream anyway!