Curse of the purple belt.

[white owl]

By the way good luck to you and your husband this saturday!

[Truestar]

I read this thread one morning, when to class and found out one of our students has a broken ankle. he's only spent two classes in his new green belt.

Best of luck!

[tori]

I too take Shotokan. I love it. I also have superstitions. I love the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres. LOVE!!!!!!!!! If while watching the game, a commentator says, "The Bills/Sabres have neer.... " then I believe that it automatically means that it will happen. Stupid commentators. Just report the current game, not the nevers. Anyways, I love training. Broke my hand at Thursday's class. Going to class on Monday. I don't care. Nothing can keep me from going. Not any superstitions, not any naysayers (which I have some). I have been told that I am getting too old and should quit. I am 36. I don't think that I am too old. I have been told that bruises on a woman are not very becoming. Well I don't care. I am going. Nothing is going to keep me from my goal to just keep going.

[joesteph]

. . . I love training. Broke my hand at Thursday's class. Going to class on Monday. I don't care. Nothing can keep me from going. Not any superstitions, not any naysayers (which I have some). I have been told that I am getting too old and should quit. I am 36. I don't think that I am too old.

How did that happen regarding your hand, Tori? If you're able to return on Monday, is it a hairline fracture? (The hand is such a small part of the body, but it's complex to be able to perform its functions. It's got a million tiny parts.)

Thirty-six? Who's telling you you're "too old"? Someone outside the school, I'd guess; someone within the school would know better.

[Shotokan Student]

Thanks all and Tori, sorry about your hand. I agree with you, I go to class with stitches, when I'm sick, I really can't imagine anything keeping me away.

It was a bit strange being an adult at testing time. My husband and I are the only adults in school, the rest are 13 and under. A parent said "karate is great for kids" and quickly looked at my husband and said"adults too." I wonder if people think we are weirdo's for getting into martial arts so late in life. Well got my purple belt so it really doesn't matter too much I guess.

[tallgeese]

I agree, not much should stop someone from training. Certainly not mere age.

However, if you have a broken hand, then some time off to let it heal is fine. Conversly, modifying your practice to accomodate it is perfectly acceptable as well. Gettting it injured furter will only make training less than optiamal and end up making you take more time away in the long run.

Train smarter and it will let you train harder.

[tori]

Thanks for the concern everyone. It is a fractured 2nd knuckle on my right hand. I have chosen not to have it splinted. It has been fractured many times before. The multiple injuries have made it easy to break. I'm not really sure how much of a knuckle is actually there now. Injury occured while punching through boards. I have lived with it before and there really isnt even any pain. I am stubborn in that I need to be able to work. I am a nurse in an ER and I need my right hand. So no splinting.

[the beast]

Congrats on the purple belt Shotokan.

[joesteph]

It is a fractured 2nd knuckle on my right hand. I have chosen not to have it splinted. It has been fractured many times before. The multiple injuries have made it easy to break. I'm not really sure how much of a knuckle is actually there now.

Some years ago, Tori, I gave a strong hook punch to a solid object and, unfortunately, the manner in which it connected was that the knuckle of the little finger hit first and bore much of the impact. I thought I broke it, but I was able to move my hand (with pain), and an X-ray the next day did not pick up a fracture. The thought was that it was a bad bone bruise, but calcium (a bone "scar"?) built up over that knuckle, so that you can tell it's slightly oversized.

A friend at that time who had "cracked" (as he called it) the last two knuckles was told to keep moving them and that a splint would only increase his chances of developing what he called "frozen knuckles"--that they would heal with a loss of mobility.

Has the knuckle/finger had full mobility over the years? Have you developed a bone scar (sorry; I can't think of another way of describing it) on that second knuckle? If you're able to work in the ER, even now with the fracture, it sounds like you have full mobility--and an excellent recuperative capability.

[tori]

Actually JoeSteph, I have never splinted it at anytime that it was injured. I do have great mobilitiy and one ugly knuckle. Years ago while training in Kung Fu, our instructor would have us punch into a crate of rocks. The injuries to my knuckles happened over and over. ( At least I learned to strike using the correct knuckles). As of this morning, there is very little discomfort, unless I bump it. Bruising looks better. Think I may have saved it from any fracture this time. No sense on getting any xrays, I wouldnt do anything different if I found out there was or wasnt a bone injury.