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In part one of our ‘Injury Proof' article we covered the important concepts of injury avoidance and management. To recap, ways to avoid injury include determining the injury potential of various arts (keeping in mind any existing problems you have) and being mindful of your training intensity relative to your goals and current abilities. We also covered some exercises to strengthen various body parts that can commonly get tweaked during martial arts training, and there are a few more here to help you injury-proof your body. But before we get into rehabilitation and prevention, let's get to the stuff you need to know now, in case you injure yourself or have recently sustained an injury.
RECOVERY 101
Obviously, if you sustain a severe injury you may need to call an ambulance, but it's far more likely that you'll be dealing with a milder, soft-tissue injury -for example, heavy bruising, a torn muscle or tendon damage - in which case, RICER is what you'll need. RICER stands for:
• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation
• Referral
These may seem obvious, but people often forget one or more of these important steps. Let's deal with each one in turn:
Rest - Rest the injured area and avoid moving it at all if possible.
Ice - Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes on and two hours off, continuing this for at least 48 hours. Place a cloth barrier of some sort between the ice pack and the skin to prevent ice burn. If you don't have access to an ice pack, you have a couple of options. You can purchase a pack of frozen peas (they are often even available at petrol stations) to use as an ice pack. Peas stay cold long enough to give you the requisite 20 minutes of icing and they also contour extremely well to the shape of any body part. You can place the peas back into a freezer to keep using them as an ice pack, but ensure the bag is clearly labelled as such, as it is a health hazard to eat the peas after they have been frozen, defrosted and then frozen again. Another option for emergency icing are instant ice packs, which you can purchase from a chemist or supermarket and keep in your gear bag. These are a great idea if you are training in places that don't have a well-equipped first aid kit or freezer.
Compression - Compression, like ice, is used to keeping swelling to a minimum and it should not be ignored. A compression bandage is the obvious choice for this step, providing that you leave room for sufficient blood flow. Many people skip this step because it's a bit more hassle than the rest, ice and elevation, but your recovery time will be less if you do it.
Elevation - People tend to get slack with this step too, because it's hard to do while working or otherwise active. However, elevating the injured area will reduce the chance of swelling via blood pooling in the area. To be specific, it's important to try and elevate the injured area above one's heart whenever practical. Also, ensure you minimise any pressure spots by padding the surface on which the injured area rests.
Referral - The referral process can be somewhat tedious but is extremely important. Referral consists of simply going to a doctor ASAP to be examined and then referred on for further examination and/or treatment if required. It's very handy if you can build a good referral network consisting of high level doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, radiographers, etc. I've had a multitude of injuries throughout my years of doing stupid things and, having been examined more times than I can keep count, I know that the level of skill and care can vary widely between health professionals - some will be very diligent, while others will do (and know) the bare minimum. If you get injured and don't have time to wait to be checked out by your doctor, then your local hospital emergency room is your best bet.
It's well worth mentioning that the RICER principle should not just be saved for acute or serious injuries. If you have body parts that have been problematic, it's worth applying the RICER principle to these areas after each training session to help minimise inflammation and pain, and reduce the likelihood of injuring the area again.
ONGOING SUPPORT
Supports, braces, knee-pads, strapping and the like are popular ways of protecting an injured area so as to continue training or aid in rehabilitation.
These aids definitely have their place, but keep in mind that if you are strapping, bracing or taping a body part during training, it's usually because there's an underlying issue that you need to remedy. Sometimes when people have a body part that is sub-par, they strap it up to support it during training, but the strapping seems to work so well that they neglect their rehabilitation of the injured area. If you're that person, you're just inviting further injury. The idea is to rehabilitate the body part so well that it one day won't require the strapping or brace. Of course, there's nothing wrong with continuing to use your strapping/taping as an extra measure of support even when the body part is back to 100 per cent, if you feel this will help prevent you re-injuring the area. Also, some people have injuries, such as minor tendon tears or cartilage damage caused by joint misalignment, that require ongoing management as they cannot be fixed without surgery (or, sometimes, at all). In such cases, strapping should be used in combination with RICER and, of course, whatever ongoing rahab/injury management program is set by a trusted health professional.
EAT AGAINST INJURY
In addition to the above, you can help protect your body against injury and its symptoms with dietary measures. Scientific research has shown that certain nutritional substances can help reduce inflammation, which is one of the biggest enemies in recovering from soft tissue injuries. ‘Good fats' are the big helpers here; Omega 3 and Omega 9 are the order of the day. You can get your Omega 3 from fish oil supplements or from naturally oily fish like salmon and mackerel. Omega 9 can be sourced easily from organic extra virgin olive oil and also from avocado. (Note: Whenever possible, it's well worth getting your fats from organic sources, as pesticides are more easily absorbed in fats.) High levels of antioxidants are also terrific for helping your body recover and thus more easily prevent injury, so maximise your intake of dark coloured fruit and vegetables, and drink tea (green is best, but black is also good as long as you leave out the milk).
Bulletproof Your Body
 ANKLES: The Alphabet Drill
To do the alphabet drill, first stand on one leg while pointing your other leg out in front of you, keeping your foot elevated at approximately half way between the floor and the knee of your supporting leg. Keep a slight bend in both knees and put your hands behind your back. Next, point the toes of your raised leg and trace out the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. Do this on one leg and then on the other leg.
If you have one ankle that is more problematic than the other, drill that side first and then perform the drill on your stronger side. If you do this drill three times per day, every day, you should notice improvements in your ankle stability within just a few weeks’ time.
ANKLES: Blind Balancing
This is much the same as the alphabet drill but this time, instead of tracing out the alphabet, you will simply close your eyes and balance on one leg for a minute before switching to your other leg. Use a countdown timer to track your time (remember, your eyes are closed) and if you fall during the 60 second work period, then just get straight back up and keep on going. Naturally, the goal is to complete the entire 60 seconds without having to put your foot down at all. Again, you can perform this drill three times per day, every day. If blind balancing or the alphabet drill become so easy they no longer pose a challenge, you can combine the two by performing the alphabet drill with your eyes closed.
NECK: Supine Flexions
A stronger neck is always a good thing, whether you’re a grappler or stand-up fighter. There are many neck exercises out there, but of course we need to be careful about what we subject our neck to. Supine neck flexion is a very simple and safe exercise that almost anyone can perform without fear of damaging their neck, so they are, in my opinion, the best place to start when embarking on a neck-strengthening program. To perform supine neck flexions, lie on a flat, soft surface with your knees bent (if you don’t a have a soft floor then use a well-padded exercise mat) and follow the steps above. Pay particular attention to lengthening your neck (step three) as it will significantly increase the recruitment of muscles in your neck beyond just the big ones, meaning you’ll get greater benefits from each repetition.
Once you have the hang of this exercise you can make it more of a workout by performing the reps as quickly as possible. Perform the exercise every second day, doing three or four sets of 60 seconds duration, performing as many repetitions as possible. Rest 60 seconds between each set and try to perform more repetitions during each 60-second set every time you do the exercise.
Bulletproof Your Body
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